Cape Town – A plea has gone out to the public to help keep award-winning radio station RX Radio, based at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, open.
Thirteen runners supported Johandie de Kock, who started the #KeepRXRadioOnAir Campaign, by running under the RX Radio banner in the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon on Sunday.
Runners set a target to raise R250 000, while the station’s management hope to further generate about R 700 000 to keep the station on air.
Station manager Noluyolo Ngomani said their funding dilemma started when they “didn’t hear back from funders we were hoping to hear from at this time and we have a limited time frame to really pivot the situation”.
Since its inception, the radio station has since trained 135 young reporters from the ages of 4 to 18 at the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, Paarl Hospital and Brooklyn Chest Hospital.
De Kock, who ran in Sunday’s Two Oceans, said in her online campaign: “I came across this station and immediately knew it was a cause I wanted to support. Still, due to the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic, the fundraising landscape and the country's economic status, the station faces the risk of closure…
“Join the fight to keep RX Radio and the dreams of these children alive … be sure to donate to this astounding initiative.
“Through the work RX Radio does, they have provided a safe space for children to be themselves and talk about issues that affect them. To close down this station would be a significant setback in expanding children's opinions in mainstream media,” said De Kock.
Donations will be used to pay for the transport of a reporter to and from the studio, for recordings or live broadcasts, which cost R200 a time, refreshment purchases for 12 reporters during live broadcasts, which take place once a month, and training workshops.
Training a child to become an RX radio reporter costs R1 000 to R2 000.
The upgrading of studio equipment will cost R100 000 and core operational expenses, including service providers fees and salaries, amount to R150 000 per month.
To contribute, visit https://bit.ly/43Fs54Q
Cape Times