LM Radio is back!
Wow, as I write and write and go over everything, in the background is LM radio, via the internet…
I didn’t have the privilege of listening too much of this famous radio station at the time. My home was rather music free. But now it is back, and absolutely fantastic. I lifted this from the Bush Telegraph -
Proper mellows
At last, some really good news.
On Saturday night, I was at a small house party with my neighbour at the farm, John Edmond of Troopie-song fame.
His eldest son, Grant, was there and told me about a radio project he's involved with in Maputo. None other than the wholesale resurrection of LM Radio, the name now standing forLifetime Music. The station has been licensed by the Moz government as that country's only English-language service.
The studio is in the Cordoza Hotel and they reach across southern Mozambique and about 20km into SA (past Komatipoort) plus Swaziland and Chiredzi.
Content = 50s to 80s music on FM.
The old LM lasted almost 40 years, from 1936 until it was shut down by Machel in 1975 (gave them 10 days to get out).
LM was Africa's first private commercial radio station, though many people wrongly believed it was owned by the Portuguese government;. The company had been bought by SABC in 1972, and after the closure in Maputo they converted it to Radio 5, broadcast from Auckland Park.
Now, here's the fun bit: SABC still had all the LM Radio jingles. Grant and his colleagues have acquired these and use the very same recordings as station promos and IDs. Not sound-alike copies, but the actual tapes from the 60s and 70s.
And, two of the original LM DJs, Reg de Beer and Peter de Nobrega are back, along with Tinky Pringle from RBC.
Peter de Nobrega closed down the station with the final shift near midnight on 12 October 1975 when he played The Last Farewell by Roger Whittaker and said, "Maybe someday, somewhere, we'll meet again." Sure enough, they used Peter make the opening announcement of the new service.
In all its history, LM Radio never had a news broadcast (the generals in Lisbon would not allow that) and Frelimo has put the same constraint.
I remember lying awake with my radio on that Sunday in 1975 when LM closed down at midnight. Never thought I'd hear it back in play.
You can hear streaming live here.
At last, some really good news.
On Saturday night, I was at a small house party with my neighbour at the farm, John Edmond of Troopie-song fame.
His eldest son, Grant, was there and told me about a radio project he's involved with in Maputo. None other than the wholesale resurrection of LM Radio, the name now standing forLifetime Music. The station has been licensed by the Moz government as that country's only English-language service.
The studio is in the Cordoza Hotel and they reach across southern Mozambique and about 20km into SA (past Komatipoort) plus Swaziland and Chiredzi.
Content = 50s to 80s music on FM.
The old LM lasted almost 40 years, from 1936 until it was shut down by Machel in 1975 (gave them 10 days to get out).
LM was Africa's first private commercial radio station, though many people wrongly believed it was owned by the Portuguese government;. The company had been bought by SABC in 1972, and after the closure in Maputo they converted it to Radio 5, broadcast from Auckland Park.
Now, here's the fun bit: SABC still had all the LM Radio jingles. Grant and his colleagues have acquired these and use the very same recordings as station promos and IDs. Not sound-alike copies, but the actual tapes from the 60s and 70s.
And, two of the original LM DJs, Reg de Beer and Peter de Nobrega are back, along with Tinky Pringle from RBC.
Peter de Nobrega closed down the station with the final shift near midnight on 12 October 1975 when he played The Last Farewell by Roger Whittaker and said, "Maybe someday, somewhere, we'll meet again." Sure enough, they used Peter make the opening announcement of the new service.
In all its history, LM Radio never had a news broadcast (the generals in Lisbon would not allow that) and Frelimo has put the same constraint.
I remember lying awake with my radio on that Sunday in 1975 when LM closed down at midnight. Never thought I'd hear it back in play.
You can hear streaming live here.
11 comments:
Hello, yes LM Radio is back - it has been my passion to bring LM Radio back to the airwaves and we went live in December 2009. I have no idea who Grant is, he is not part of my team. Please do visit www.lmradio.net for details of the station and www.lmradio.org for the historical website. Chris Turner, founder of the new LM Radio. email: chris@lmradio.net
Hello All. LM Radio is back after 35 years. It has been a passion of mine and has taken many years of dedication to re-establish the station. We went live in December 2009. Two corrections, I don't know who Grant is, he is not part of my team. Secondly, SABC had no jingles, I was able to get copies from various places including the Radio Mozambique archives in Maputo and had to clean up the tapes and vinyl. Please visit www.lmradio.net for the station website and www.lmradio.org for the historical website. LM Radio can be heard on free to air satellite using a free to air decoder or a South African DSTV decoder. Chris Turner, founder (the new) LM Radio. chris@lmradio.net
Wonderful that LM Radio is back. really takes me back to my teenage years. Have shared this with friends of my generation and now educating my 22 year old son about the joy of REAL music and how it was back then. Arthur, Masvingo Zimbabwe.
This is unbelievable, LM Radio is back. It brings back all those memories of my teenage years, listening through headphones. I now live and work in Dubai and long to be back in the best country in the world - Southern Africa.
LM Radio needs your support! Please sign the petition here: http://www.change.org/petitions/lm-radio-we-request-lm-radio-to-obtain-a-licence-to-broadcast-in-gauteng and help them get a licence to broadcast in South Africa!
Hi all of you great people. I wrote matric in '75' and turned 18 on the 13th of October. LM helped me pass!!!!! Jan, Pretoria. Great streaming!!
Thank you Chris Turner. Lm is just fantastic. Brings good memories
I was in middle Sabi my friend. The good old days
wow fantastic to hear again in Namibia x
Hi
What a blessing you guys have created, and thanks to Mocambique for letting it happen. Firstly, as a "flower child" of the sixties I was an avid listener, even keeping a "log" of the sunday hit parade week to week, recording the changes.
But the main cause of happiness [with a huge chunk of irony here] is that as South Africa, with propaganda slave SABC in tow, moves steadily towards a Cuba type of regime, shutting out the real world, Mocambique has seen the light !
Totally agree with you. We can never move forward by blocking what was prospering yesterday. Thanks Mozambique.
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