Wednesday, 1 November 2006

Talk Radio 702 has officially moved to its new home on the FM dial.

The talk station today launched its second, and biggest, FM transmitter in Pretoria at an outside broadcast and celebration at Church Square, completing its historic move to the FM frequency. The station is now available on 106.0 FM in the Pretoria area.

This follows the station's initial migration to the FM band in July this year, when it began broadcasting on 92.7 FM in the Johannesburg area.

Talk Radio 702's move to FM follows a decision by regulatory body, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) earlier this year to grant the application for the amendment of the station's commercial licence, which would allow it to migrate to frequencies 92.7 FM in Johannesburg and 106.0 FM in Pretoria. These are the frequencies that 702 applied for in its original application.

"We're absolutely delighted that we're officially on FM," said Talk Radio 702 station manager, Pheladi Gwangwa. "This means that all our listeners are now able to hear 702 loud and clear.no matter where they are within our listening area. Both us, as a station, and our listeners have waited a long time for this. It truly is an historic occasion."

In order to reflect this wider listenership, the station has also launched a new positioning statement. Formerly 'Joburg's No. 1 News and Information Station', it has been repositioned 'Your No. 1 News and Talk Station'.

"Talk Radio 702 is entering a new era with its migration to the FM band," added Gwangwa. "A substantial number of our listeners are based in Pretoria, so we've opted for a more encompassing positioning statement, that not only reflects our diverse listenership, but also highlights our position as a dedicated news and talk radio station."

In addition, the station's renowned news brand, 702 Eyewitness News, has reintroduced the pay-off line, 'in touch, in tune and independent'. This replaces its former sign-off, 'as it happens, when it happens'.

According to Yusuf Abramjee, group head of news and talk programming, the station decided to reintroduce this pay-off line because of this brand's heritage as an independent news source.

"702 Eyewitness News was one of the country's first independent news services, a tradition we've maintained over the past 26 years," explained Abramjee. "In the eighties, w hile 'His Master's Voice' aired what only a minority wanted to hear, 702 Eyewitness News gained credibility for its objective, unbiased reporting.

"This hasn't changed. At a time when the independence of news in South Africa is being questioned, we thought it only fitting to return to our former positioning statement, which distinctly reflects the Eyewitness News philosophy: to be in touch and in tune with our listeners and remain fiercely independent."

Listeners are able to access Talk Radio 702 at its original location, on 702 AM, until the middle of next year, when the medium wave transmitter will be switched off. The station remains accessible on DStv (on channel 56), via cellphone (by calling 083 9000 702) and via live audio streaming on its website, www.702.co.za.

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