GEORGE NEWS - When one of their main relay mechanisms blew last week and they could not go on air, EDENfm didn't realise that their problems did not stop there.
The technical difficulties happened to occur at the very time that Sentech, the community broadcast provider, decided they were going to cut service to broadcasters who were in arrears.
Morné Pietersen, station manager at EDENfm, says they only found out they were in arrears when they had to communicate the technical problem to Sentech.
He says they found out on 9 April and could manage to transfer monies by 12 April. "This happened because one of our advertisers did not pay for services. We have been struggling for two years to get them to pay their account."
Pietersen says they are a non-profit company and depend on their advertisers paying their accounts, to be able to pay EDENfm's account at Sentech. He says they had to pay Sentech R100 000 of their outstanding debt to be able to go back on air.
He added that the time they were off the air showed them how important the service they deliver really is to the communities of the Southern Cape. "We were bombarded with questions about what had happened and messages about how much the listeners miss hearing us."
Milisa Kentane, a spokesperson for Sentech, says they provide services to 134 community broadcasters across South Africa.
"Some of these community broadcasters have not been able to pay for rendered services; some are in arrears as far as 30 months. By November 2017, 94 of the 134 community radio stations were in arrears and Sentech sent out final letters of demand and notice to switch off services."
She says at the end of March 2018, the number of community broadcasters in arrears had increased to 108 and the debt stood in excess of R30-million.
So last week when they were notified of the technical difficulties EDENfm experienced, says Kentane, there were negotiations between the station and the broadcaster about when they could go back on the air.
According to Kentane they have been communicating with these stations on a monthly basis, requesting that the debt be paid.
She says they decided on a two-phase plan. "Phase one switch-offs took place on Monday 9 April, which has resulted in the switching off of approximately 15 community radio stations that are in arrears. Although no community television stations have been switched off yet, they form part of the switch-off plan for the broadcasters in arrears."
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