science

Springbok Radio

Springbok Radio is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Springbok Radio rather than just read about it. In short: Springbok Radio (spelled Springbokradio in Afrikaans, [sprəŋbɔkˈrɑːdi.uə]) was a South African nationwide radio station that operated from 1950 to 1985. History SABC's decision in December 1945 to develop a commercial service was constrained by post-war financial issues.

Key takeaways

Springbok Radio belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Springbok Radio to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Springbok Radio from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Springbok Radio (spelled Springbokradio in Afrikaans, [sprəŋbɔkˈrɑːdi.uə]) was a South African nationwide radio station that operated from 1950 to 1985.

History SABC's decision in December 1945 to develop a commercial service was constrained by post-war financial issues. After almost five years of investigation and after consulting Lord Reith of the BBC and the South African government, it decided to introduce commercial radio to supplement the SABC's public service English and Afrikaans networks and help solve the SABC's financial problems. The SABC would build the equipment and facilities and would place them at the disposal of advertisers and their agencies at cost for productions and allow them to make use of SABC's production staff. On 1 May 1950, the first commercial radio station in South Africa, Springbok Radio, took to the air. Bilingual in English and Afrikaans, it broadcast from the Johannesburg Centre for 113 and a half hours a week. The service proved so popular with advertisers at its launch that commercial time had been booked well in advance. The service started at 6:43am with the music Vat Jou Goed en Trek, Ferreira. The first voice on air was that of Eric Egan, well remembered for his daily "Corny Crack" and catch phrase "I Love You". Many drama programmes during the 1950s were imported from Australia, but as more funding became available, Springbok Radio produced almost all its programmes within South Africa through a network of independent production houses. By the end of 1950, some 30 per cent of Springbok Radio shows were produced by South African talent or material and independent productions were sold to sponsors. At the same time all air time had been sold or used and transmission time was extended. By the end of the 1950s, the revenue of Springbok Radio was £205,439, in 1961 it had grown to over two million rand (£1 million) and by 1970 had reached R 6.5 million. By 1985, Springbok Radio was operating at a heavy loss. Stiff competition from television, despite the late arrival of the medium in 1976, saw Springbok Radio's urban listenership sharply decline and it lost all listeners in rural areas with the handing over of its shortwave frequencies to Radio 5. Springbok Radio ceased broadcasting on 31 December 1985.

List of programmes Springbok Radio's programme schedules reflected the white, primarily English-speaking, suburban lifestyle of the period, when many women were housewives. Weekday schedules broadly comprised a breakfast session (05:00 – 08:30), women's programmes (08:30 – 14:00), Afrikaans soap operas (14:00 – 16:15), teatime chat shows (16:15 – 16:45), children's programmes (16:45–18:15), dinnertime programmes (18:15 – 19:00), the main news bulletin (19:00 – 19:15), and family shows (19:15 – 24:00). Saturday programmes were generally light: music, sitcoms and quizzes. Sunday was more sedate: music, chat shows, requests for the armed forces (during the 1970s and 1980s), news commentary and drama. For several years from its start in 1950 there were no advertisements on Sundays. Programmes included:

Children's The Adventures of Jet Jungle (1973–1985) – "most amazing man of our time"; created by Brian O'Shaughnessy and sponsored for many years by the Tiger Oats Company, makers of Jungle Oats and Black Cat Peanut Butter The Air Adventures of Hop Harrigan (1950–1957) – from Australia The BP Smurf Show (1982–1985) The Casey Kids (1960s) Chappies Chipmunk Club Luck of the Legion (1979) My Pal Shep (1960s) Ricky Roper, Schoolboy Detective Superman (1950–1957) – from Australia Tarzan, King of the Apes (1950–1955) – from Australia The Twilight Ranger (1950–1953) – originally from Australia

Comedy/variety Father, Dear Father (1974–1985) – produced by Tom Meehan Friends and Neighbours – Pat Simpson and Valerie Miller-Brown (later Jim Williams and Bella Mariani) as the Duffs, David Horner and Gillian Lomberg as the Loaders; and Frank Graham The Goode Life (1969–1971) Leave It to Van der Merwe Life with Dexter (1967–1969) – from Australia Loudspeaker Show The Men from the Ministry (1969–1985) – "the bowler, briefcase and brolly brigade"; produced by Tom Meehan, starring John Simpson, Roger Service, Maureen Adair, Tommy Reed, Frank Graham, Tom Meehan and Pat Simpson; adapted from the BBC radio series The Navy Lark (1973–1985) – "the craziest crew afloat"; adapted from the BBC radio series Next Stop Makouvlei (1969–1972) The Nugget Bunkhouse Show (early 1950s) from Australia, where it was simply known as The Bunkhouse Show The Pip Freedman Show (1968–1985) Taxi (1969–1972) (1975–1978) – "the trials and tribulations of a New York taxi driver"; written and produced by Joe Stewardson; directed by David Gooden at the Sonovision Studios, Johannesburg. It starred George Korelin as Chuck Edwards, Tony Jay as Red Kowalski and Patricia Sanders as Mertyl. The series started its run on Sunday evenings in 1969 and ended in 1972. A second season of the series started in 1975 and continued until 1978 on Monday evenings. Some of the second-season episodes were written by Jay and George Korelin. During the second season, Jay briefly left the series and the role was taken over by actor Adrian Egan. Jay later returned, and the series became just as popular as what it was during the original run. Due to the success of the series, a full feature film was made in South Africa by Killarney Film Studios in 1971, starring the original stars from the radio series. The series is currently being rebroadcast on the Internet Radio Service of Springbok Radio and can be heard on Mondays. The Bloodhounds (1975–1976)

Documentary Call Back the Past (1968–1982) – devised and presented by Percy Sieff; the series was broadcast every Tuesday evening at 18h45; it is being rebroadcast at present on the Internet Radio Service of Springbok Radio and can be heard on Tuesdays Cameos of the Holy Land (1981–1985) – compiled and presented by David Brown

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Springbok Radio

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Springbok Radio claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Springbok Radio before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Springbok Radio ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Springbok Radio

In research: Springbok Radio appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Springbok Radio in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Springbok Radio is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Defunct radio stations in South Africa, Radio stations disestablished in 1985, Radio stations established in 1950, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Springbok Radio outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Springbok Radio in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Springbok Radio means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Springbok Radio out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Springbok Radio in simple terms?

Springbok Radio (spelled Springbokradio in Afrikaans, [sprəŋbɔkˈrɑːdi.uə]) was a South African nationwide radio station that operated from 1950 to 1985. History SABC's decision in December 1945 to develop a commercial service was constrained by post-war financial issues.

Why does Springbok Radio matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Springbok Radio?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Springbok Radio.