RX Radio brings joy to thousands of children and even more listeners; the station is at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital and need help to stay on the air.
Cape Town, South Africa (23 November 2022) – RX Radio is a beloved, award-winning, radio station housed in the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town, that is presented by children with chronic health conditions, their friends and siblings. Their listeners are children, youth, the hospital community and the public in general.
The station’s mission is to spread positivity, create awareness around health conditions, share important news stories and provide entertainment around the clock to comfort their many listeners in hospital wards and public spaces in South Africa and around the globe.
“We hope to inspire self-confidence and allow our reporters to dream beyond their circumstances and have kept hope alive for countless patients who have tuned into RX Radio.” – says Noluyolo Ngomani, Station Manager
This November, as we celebrate Disability Awareness Month, an occasion that greatly aligns with RX Radio’s mission, the station is sharing the predicament they currently face, a shortfall in funding that could take them off the air for the first time in 5 years.
The station is in dire need of raising R2.2 Million by the end of the year, to secure their operational costs for the next 12 months, and take care of their exceptional team, which consists of 4 full-time staff members, an intern, a mentor and volunteers who work behind the scenes to make the magic happen.
With the launch of a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy, RX Radio hopes to receive donations from their loyal listeners, philanthropists, open-hearted members of the public and compassionate corporates, which will allow the station to be more sustainable for generations to come.
Thankfully, a private donor from the US has committed to donating $30 000 (+- R450 000) for 2023, to keep the historic radio station on the air for the time being, but without additional support, the station could face indefinite closure.
The Legacy of RX Radio
RX Radio broadcasts 24/7, providing live and pre-recorded programmes (including shows, music, podcasts, and radio diaries) to their young listeners.
Since 2016, RX Radio has trained 135 Children and Young Reporters between the ages of 4 and 18, who are curious about the field of radio broadcasting, such as Talitha Counter, an 18-year-old reporter who contracted Meningoencephalitis as a baby. Talitha joined RX Radio as a reporter when she was only 12 years old.
Talitha is a proud RX Radio reporter and the first young reporter living with a health condition to be inducted as a ‘Bright Star’ at the South African Radio Awards which will be taking place on the 26th of November 2022 in Johannesburg.
“RX Radio has taught me leadership and communication skills in terms of being able to handle my show and knowing how to interact with guests. In my first training at RX Radio, I was taught that listening skills are very important in the radio industry and that paying careful attention to your guests is needed. I applied the leadership skills that I was taught at RX Radio in school as well, because I am a Prefect, RCL and the Deputy Head Girl. I want to pursue radio as a career because ever since I started at RX Radio I found my passion. Radio allows my voice to be heard.” – says Talitha.
Since the launch of RX Radio’s crowdfunding campaign, over R 13 000 has been raised through kind contributions from 16 donors hoping to keep the groundbreaking station running. All donors are eligible for a Section 18A tax certificate issued by RX Radio.
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