LM Radio

LM Radio is a radio station based in Maputo, Mozambique. Historically it was an AM station broadcasting to South Africa from Lourenço Marques, the colonial era name of Maputo, hence the name "Lourenço Marques Radio" from 1936 to 1975 when it was shut down by the government of the then newly independent country.^[1] In 2010, following political reforms and economic development in Mozambique the station was relaunched with the brand "Lifetime Music Radio".

History 1933 to 1975

The first radio station in Mozambique began broadcasting on Shortwave and AM on 18 March 1933, but suspended transmissions for a while in 1934 owing to a shortage of money. A South African, G. J. McHarry became involved, and in 1935 Rádio Clube de Moçambique was launched, broadcasting mostly in English. In 1947, Colonel Richard L. Meyer, who prior to World War II was General Manager of the International Broadcasting Company of London, together with John Davenport formed Davenport and Meyer and took over the management of Lourenço Marques Radio. The station recruited David Davies to run the station and he, together with another announcer, David Gordon, were the first two announcers on the new commercial station. David Gordon left in 1950 to join the staff of Springbok Radio. In 1948 LM Radio moved into a new purpose built 4-storey building which became known as the "Radio Palace". The station started producing variety shows in front of live audiences. "Anything Goes" hosted by Peter Merrill and recorded in 1948 at the 20th Century Theatre in Johannesburg was one of the first South African radio variety shows. In the late 1950s the station underwent a major format change to cater for the younger generation who were not being catered for in South Africa by the state owned SABC. LM Radio was renowned for its Top Twenty chart show, the LM Hit Parade, and played a major role in promoting South African artists and their music. LM Radio lost much of its sparkle when it was taken over by the SABC in 1972. On 7 September 1974 the station was occupied during a bloody uprising in Lourenço Marques and the administration of the station was taken over by the Frelimo army. On 12 October 1975, following Moçambican independence from Portugal in June of that year, LM Radio facilities were nationalised and the station closed down on 13 October 1975. It was replaced in South Africa by Radio 5, later known as 5FM.^[2]

"And now, wherever you are, in the Transvaal, Natal, Orange Free State, the Cape, Southwest Africa or Rhodesia [...] greetings. And to you, to you, and especially to you, vaya con Dios", so went David Davies' farewell message at the end of a broadcast.

Influence

Until the early 1980s, broadcasting in South Africa was state controlled - the sole broadcaster being the SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation). LM Radio was privately owned and operated, and served the vast audience of young people by transmitting pop and rock music which had limited exposure on the SABC stations. Many young South African artists made their debut on LM Radio through the numerous road shows which toured the country. LM Radio also trained a whole generation of announcers and disc jockeys who later went on to make their careers on other stations in South Africa and all over the world. Names like John Berks, Gary Edwards, Frank Sanders, Robin Alexander, Darryl Jooste (DJ the DJ), George Wayne and David Gresham all started out at LM Radio before moving to other stations such as Swazi Music Radio (SMR), Radio 702, Springbok Radio and other SABC stations, 2JJ (now known as Triple J in Sydney) and Capital 604. Other names who became famous through LM Radio: Gerry Wilmot (Big Daddy), Evelyn Martin Duarte Lacueva, Reg de Beer, Lorna Harris.

Relaunch in 2010

After an absence of more than 35 years, a new LM Radio, with the same format, jingles and music mix opened in Maputo. The broadcast licence was granted on 20 September 2010. It is Mozambique's only English-language broadcaster.^[3] The station's official name is "Lifetime Music Radio" and the slogan is "Happy Listening".^[4] LM Radio broadcasts on 87.8 FM in Maputo and surrounding areas including Matola, on 87.8 FM in Ponta do Ouro, on 104 FM from Maseru in Lesotho covering parts of the central Free State province of South Africa and on satellite in Southern Africa and webstreaming.^[5]

Licence to broadcast in Gauteng , South Africa

On Monday the 31 March 2014 LM Radio was granted a licence to broadcast in Gauteng on 702kHz on AM. They should be on air on this frequency before the end of the year. This date has changed to the first 6 months of 2015 due to the company Sentech not being able to deliver the transmitters and towers on time.

External links

• Official website of the current station
• Historical website covering the pre-1975 era
• Original building in Maputo as it looked in 2011

References