SOUTHSIDE FM RADIO ON THE MARCH

SOUTHSIDE FM RADIO STATION
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INTRO : November 2010 marked the 150th anniversary of the arrival of our forefathers from India to work on the sugar plantations of the then Natal. They were recruited as indentured labourers and had to work as semi-slaves in order to make a home for themselves and their children in South Africa.
Most of the arrivals were from South India - especially Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
Despite their hardships, they kept alive their rich cultures, languages and traditions.
Today, the descendants of these indentured labourers make up more than 54 percent of the more than 1,3-million people of Indian origin in South Africa.

PROGRESS : Most of the descendants of indentured labourers have through their own fortitude and determination made tremendous strides over the past 150 years. They have migrated from the sugar plantations to urban centres of towns and cities all over the country.
Many people have become professionals, business people and are in all types of trades.

SOCIAL INVOLVEMENT : The descendants of indentured labourers have also made significant contributions to the social, sporting, economic, educational and political struggles over the past 150 years.
The names of Dr Monty Naicker, Dr Kesaval Goonum, Billy Nair and countless others spring to mind.
And when in 1994 South Africa attained its political freedom, Indian-origin South Africans also celebrated the establishment of the new non-racial democracy.

POST 1994 : While the Government has done a lot to allow the country's cultural groups to promote their cultures and languages, we in the south Indian-origin community have not taken advantage of this.
In this regard we have relied too much on Lotus FM but this station treats the south Indian-origin community with contempt. They believe that they are doing us a favour by playing Tamil and Telugu music and songs.

NEED FOR A SOUTH INDIAN RADIO STATION: Sixteen years into our new South Africa, there's a dire need for a South Indian Radio station, especially at a time when we have observed the 150th anniversary of the arrival of our forefathers and mothers from India as indentured labourers.
There are more than 550 000 people who could trace their ancestory to South India. Although a good number of people have converted to Christianity, their home language or mother tongue nevertheless still remains Tamil or Telugu.
This is a big population that a South Indian radio station could serve.

PROPOSAL : The South Indian radio station could eventually be national in character to serve people especially in KZN, Gauteng, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.

The headquarters of the station could be Durban. The Merebank Tamil School Society(MTSS) in Durban has agreed to provide us with premises to braodcast from.

FUNDING : We have registered as a non-profit organisation to be responsible for the Radio Station. Role players within the Tamil and Telugu communities, societies, business people and individuals have already started contributing to the launch of the radio station. The South African Tamil Federation has already made a donation of R55 000. The SATF has promised us more money as we progress.

PROGRAMMES : The South Indian Radio station will be a fully fledged radio station - providing music, news, current affairs and talk shows with special emphasis to developments within the South Indian-origin community - Tamil and Telugu.

PERSONNEL : The station will be run by a manager and staff - who will be made up mainly of free-lance presenters and cadet reporters. The station will be run by a Management Committee. This committee currently comprises: Mr Subry Govender (chairperson); Mrs Thirupurasundrie Govender (secretary); Ms Keresha Govender (treasurer); Mr Balan Gounder, Mr Swaminathan Gounden, Mr Richard Naidoo, Mr Bala Naidoo (KZN Tamil Federation); Mr Morgan Nadasen (Tamil Business Forum); Mr Micky Chetty (SATF). Others Mr Sagie Naidoo and Mr Richard Govender.


INITIATOR : Subry Govender, who retired from the SABC two years ago, has worked very hard along with his Management Committee members over the past two years to register Southside FM Radio as a NPO (089 - 426) and to obtain the radio licence. We are currently negotiating to finalise our frequency.




BUSINESS PLAN
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Business Name : Southside FM Non-Profit Organisation
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NPO Number : 080 - 774


Physical Address : MTSS
---------------------------- Durban


Postal Address : P.O. Box 486
------------------------- Verulam 4340

Tel : 031 - 568 1309

Cell : 082 376 9053

Email : ptsa@global.co.za


Name of Members
-------------------------------

1. Mr Marimuthu Subramoney
Address : 49 Bellamont Gardens, 91 Bellamont Road, Umdloti, 4350

Identity Number : 461215 5020 08 2
Tel : (031 - 568 1309)
Cell : 082 376 9053
Initiator of Project and Chairman
Veteran Journalist

2. Mr Swaminathan Gounden
Address : 58 Pastoral Road Asherville Durban 4091
Identity Number : 2712165074087
Tel : 031 - 2080292
Cell :
Former Anti-apartheid activist

3. Mr Balan Govender
Address : 107 Hawaan View
88 Lagoon Drive
Umhlanga Rocks 4319
Idenity Number : 3104295048083
Tel : 031 - 5612696
Cell : 083 532 5126
Cultural leader
Chairman of the Merebank Tamil School Society

4. Mrs Thirupurisundri Govender
Address : 46 Dickens Road, Bellair, Queensburgh, Durban.
Identity Number : 7102170120080
Tel :
Cell : 084 449 1033
Tamil School teacher and Secretary

5. Ms Kalaivani Keresha Govender
Address: 74 Watsonia Drive
Watsonia
4399
ID No : 8104240186082
Tel : 032 - 9444023
Cell : 079 493 0603
email : kereshag@yahoo.com
Cultural leader and Talent Acquisition Practitioner

6. Venketas Adiah Naidoo
aka Richard Naidoo
Address : 62 Tyger Avenue
Greenwood Park
Durban 4051
ID No : 480608 5027 080
Tel : 031 - 573 2758
Cell : 082 554 0530
email : van@iafrica.com
Council member of the Andhra Maha Sabha of South Africa
Community and Cultural leader

7. Mr Bala Naidoo
Deputy President
KZN Tamil Federation

8. Mr Morgan Nadasen
Chairperson
Tamil Business Forum

9. Mr Micky Chetty
President
SA Tamil Federation


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
--------------------------------------
The members of Southside FM Radio Non-Profit Organisation(NPO) decided to
establish a radio station in order to promote the cultural,
traditional, linguistic, social, and religious needs of those South
Africans whose mother tongues are Tamil and Telugu.
We also felt that since 2010 will be the 150th anniversary of the arrival of
our indentures forefathers and mothers from India we have to do
something to recoginise their struggles. Our forefathers were treated
like slaves even though they were brought down to work on the
sugar plantations as indentured labourers.
We strongly believe the Southside FM Radio will be a huge success
because there's a dire need for a radio station to serve the cultural,
linguistic, traditional, social and religious needs of the South
Indian-origin community. According to research, of the more than
1,4-million people of Indian-origin in South Africa, more than
650 000 people have their mother tongues as Tamil and Telugu.
In the course of our interaction with the community regarding
the establishment of such a radio station, we have found that the people
are very very enthusiastic and looking forward to such a station.
The response all over the country has been: "It's long overdue."


THE PRODUCT OR SERVICE
--------------------------------------------------
Southside FM, when granted a community radio licence, will broadcast music, talk shows, dramas, news, and current affairs. The station will operate from 6am to 9pm on weekdays; 6am to 12 mid-night on Saturday; and 6am to 9pm on Sunday. We will be providing a unique product to the target audience - comprising mainly more than 650 000 people who have Tamil and Telugu as their mother tongues.

The radio station will comprise:
i). Editor/Manager
ii). Secretary/Financial Controller
iii). 6 presenters working three hour shifts from 6am to 9pm on weekday.
7 presenters working three hour shifts from 6am to 12 mid-night on
Saturday.
6 presenters on Sunday from 6am to 9pm
iv. Advertising Representative


TECHNOLOGY
--------------------------
We will be using the following equipment for our broadcast pruposes:

i. MIXING DESK - 12 channels(eight of them stereo channels). We could get a RM 100 which costs about R120 000.
ii). TWO good quality mikes. About R2 000 each (R4 000).
iii). FOUR headphones. About R500 each (R2 000)
iv). TWO SPEAKERS OR MONITORS in the studio. About R2000 each (R4000).
v). THREE CD Players (R6 000)
vi). COMPUTER FOR playing music (R6 000) - Compurt
vii). Two office computers (R5 000 each - R10 000)
viii). BIG HARD DRIVE.
ix). PHYSICAL TELEPHONE LINES (HIGH QUALITY)
OR ISDN LINES and UNIT (R40 000).

COMPANY MANAGEMENT
----------------------------------------------
The initiator of this project, Mr Marimuthu Subramoney, has been a radio journalist for more than 30 years. During the dark days of apartheid, Mr Subramoney, who is also known as Subry Govender, kept the outside world informed about the struggles of the people through his reports to BBC, Radio Nederlands, Radio Deutsche Welle, Radio France Internationale, American Public Radio, Pacifica National News in Washington, WHUR News in Washington, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Zimbabwean Broadcastin Corporation, Namibian Broadcasting Corporation, Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation, and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He joined the SABC in June 1994 and retired after 15 years in October 2009. He has tremendous knowledge of the workings of a radio station and will use his immense experience and knowledge to run the station.He will train presenters and reporters. He will also train marketing people and advertisement representatives to make the station a success.


THE MARKET
------------------------
Our target audience is all people within the South Indian-origin community and others who care to listen. According to various research and analysis, there are more than 650 000 people in South Africa who can trace their mother tongues to Tamil and Telugu. This is a huge market.
A significant percentage of the people have become professionals and business entrepreneurs. We believe that we will be able to tap on this market for advertisements to make our radio station self-sufficient.


SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY
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Southside FM Radio, being a community radio, will employ a sales representative who will sell advertisements to any prospective business or business person seeking the market we are going to cater for.
We will make the advertising price competitive so that we will be able to retain the advertisers over a long term period.

BUSINESS PLAN
-----------------------------
Southside FM Radio, based in Durban, will cover the Durban Metro region, the north coast, south coast, Pietermaritzburg region and the northern Natal area of KwaZulu-Natal. The initiators of the station also have plans to broadcast to the Johannesburg-Pretoria region; the Port Elizabeth area; and Cape Town.
The initiators hope to reach a significant percentage of the more than 650 000 people who have Tamil and Telugu as their mother tongue.

STAFF
------------
1. Manager/Editor
2. Telephonist/Secretary
3. Assistant/Financial Controller
4. Advertising Representative
5. Weekday 5 Free-lance
presenters - 6am to 9am
9am to 12pm
12pm to 3pm
3pm to 6pm
6pm to 9pm

4. Saturday 6 Free-Lance
presenters - 6am to 9am
9am to 12pm
12pm to 3pm
3pm to 6pm
6pm to 9pm
9pm to 12

5. Sunday 5 Free-lance
presenters - 6am to 9am
9am to 12pm
12pm to 3pm
3pm to 6pm
6pm to 9pm

EQUIPMENT
---------------------
The following equipment is needed for broadcast purposes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. MIXING DESK - 12 channels(eight of them stereo channels). We could get a RM 100 which costs about R120 000.
2. TWO good quality mikes. About R2 000 each (R4 000).
3. FOUR headphones. About R500 each (R2 000)
4. TWO SPEAKERS OR MONITORS in the studio. About R2000 each (R4000).
5. THREE CD Players (R6 000)
6. COMPUTER FOR playing music (R6 000) - Compurt
7. Two office computers (R5 000 each - R10 000)

BIG HARD DRIVE.
8. PHYSICAL TELEPHONE LINES (HIGH QUALITY)
OR
ISDN LINES and UNIT (R40 000).

Approx Total R190 000
===========
Licence Registration 10 000
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R2000 - 00
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MONTHLY RUNNING EXPENSES:
----------------------------------------------------------
1. Rental R2 000 - 00 (pm)
2. Telephone R10 000 - 00 (pm)
3. Office Expenses R 3 000 - 00(pm)
4. Electricity R 5 000 - 00(pm)
5. Office Secretary
Retainer R1 000 - 00(pm)
6. Assistant/Accountant R1 000 - 00(pm)
7. Free-lance
Presenters Subsistence
allowance 5 weekday R5 000 - 00(pm)
8. Saturday - 6 Retainers 600 - 00(pm)
9. Sunday - 5 retainers 500 - 00(pm)
10. Fuel Allowance R5 000 - 00(pm)
11. ICASA Licence Fee 10 000 - 00(pm)
12. SENTECH FREQUENCY FEE 20 000 - 00(PM)
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Total R63 500 - 00
PLUS incidental expenses 36 500 - 00
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R100 000 - 00
========================================================

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE
----------------------------------------------------------
The advertising representative will work on a commission basis. The percentage will have to mutually agreed upon with the person we appoint.

INITIAL EXPENSES
----------------------------------
1. Equipment R 200 000
2. Office Furniture R 5 300

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Total R325 300
============================

The expenses, therefore, will be:
1. Initial expenses R335 000
2. Monthly expenses 100 000
3. Advertising
and promotional
expenses 50 000-00
=================================
R485 000-00
==================================

FUNDING
----------------
In addition to the funding we will raise ourselves, we will apply to the Development Media Agency for funding to meet our costs. This can only be done once we are established as a NPO.

CONTENTS
----------------------
The contents and programmes of the radio station must be devised after consultations with all role players from the Telugu and Tamil communities. For example - the programme content could include in addition to music, news and current affairs - talks shows on issues of interest and value to the community; Telugu and Tamil language classes; Telugu and Tamil serials; the values and morals of the two communities; tolerance for fellow humans irrespective of race, class, creed, language, or culture; service to humanity; and a list of other social, cultural and moral issues.

FIXED BUSINESS COSTS
--------------------------------------------



Fixed costs: Amount
Premises rental
R2 000
Salaries/Allowances
20 000
Transportation
5 000
Telephone
2 000
Advertising and promotion
Loan repayments
Insurance
Electricity/ Water
R1 000
Other R20 000
Total:
R50 000


MONTHLY INCOME STATEMENT
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Income Cash in Expenses Cash out
Advertising sales R60 000 Fixed costs R50 000
Credit sales Variable costs
Total income R60 000 Total expenses R50 000
Profit / loss R10 000


CONCLUSION
-----------------------
The Southside FM Radio, although a Non-Profit Organisation, will aim to be self-sufficient through the sales of advertisement.
In addition to providing a channel for the promotion of the social, cultural, traditional, lingustic and religious needs of the community, the radio station will act as a BEACON and MORAL VOICE.
It will be a progressive force and promote morals, values and principles that are sorely lacking generally in South African society today.


Marimuthu Subramoney
(aka Subry Govender)
Chairperson, Southside FM Radio Project
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