The airwaves feel quieter this week.
As someone who has spent a lifetime committed to radio, especially the kind rooted in community, identity and truth I feel a deep sense of loss at the passing of Issie Kirsh. His contribution to our industry was not just technical or commercial. It was visionary. It was courageous. And for many of us, it was personal.
Nkopane Maphiri pays tribute to the Icon. Source: Supplied.
Powered by the people
Issie pioneered something that hadn’t existed in apartheid South Africa: Independent radio. Not radio as a mouthpiece of the state, not a platform curated to reinforce division, but something bolder. A station powered by the people, accountable to the public and free to reflect the real conversations adolescent boy like me from Orlando and the many whose paths I crossed and took felt deeply enough to change the course of their lives.
In launching 702, he challenged more than just a broadcasting model, he stood firm against a system, for too long I didn’t believe could change, at least not in my lifetime – not at the time. His belief that South Africans deserved to hear themselves; their music, stories, politics, humour and hopes made space for a dissent, debate and eventually, healing!
I often reflect on how far we’ve come since those early days. Tuning into 702 to build my vocabulary, enhance my debate and the exhilaration of my first assignment as a young Bush Radio trainee to work alongside seasoned journalists to cover the first democratic elections in 1994, with the BBC foreign correspondents in Cape Town. Today, radio continues to be the most trusted and far-reaching medium across the continent. It connects people in the most rural of places. Educating, mobilising, comforting and entertaining – all at once!
Strong foundation
My own work in radio, especially community radio and broadcast development stands firm on the foundation Issie helped lay. His courage gave rise to careers like mine. His independence gave rise to the freedom we see in our work, especially as radio evolves in today’s world. Today, we are seeing a renaissance of audio, where community radio remains the most accessible and inclusive form of media in Africa. Digital radio is expanding reach, podcasting is unlocking new voices, and hybrid formats are creating deeper listener engagement than ever before. Radio is no longer just linear, it is layered, mobile, and on-demand, and still, at its core, profoundly human.
It is his belief in the power of sound that gave generations a reason to speak, listen, and belong. We owe him more than a thank you. We owe him a commitment: to keep building radio that reflects our people. Radio that makes space for every voice. Radio that dares.
Rest in Power, Mr. Kirsh. Your signal reached far beyond what you imagined. It lives on!
