The Pumamouse Website: South African Broadcasting: John Grant-Silver

The following letters and essays were written and provided by John Grant-Silver exclusively for The Pumamouse Website. Who is John Grant-Silver? He was better known as "John Silver" during his broadcasting career, which spanned more than three decades and two continents. The wealth of information which this highly respected gentleman has already provided regarding the early years of South African Broadcasting is simply amazing. I sincerely hope that he will continue to share his recollections and enlighten us all regarding the history of South African broadcasting. Thank you, Mr. Grant-Silver!

The Pumamouse
(MaryAnne)
March 2006

Hello MaryAnne

I am a forgotten name � and, perhaps, a voice � from Springbok Radio�s �Golden Past� but I was one of the station�s continuity announcers from 1955 to 1962, on the full-time staff of the SABC and I then free-lanced for the station (as well as the English Service of the SABC and later the television service too) until 1984, when I returned to the land in which I first saw the light-of-day, i.e. Great Britain.

Although my full name is John Grant-Silver, I used only the John Silver part for my broadcasting career in South Africa, as the full name was too unwieldy and I was not related, as many thought, to Michael Silver! For many years (from 1965 to 1972), together with the late Esme Euvrard, I presented Springbok Radio�s popular Sunday afternoon request show �Esme and John�

Today, at the age of 71, I am the only survivor of that early band of Springbok Radio continuity announcers and your so-called �expert� on Springbok Radio could do well to get into contact with me because I could provide him with a lot of information of which he does not know about.

When Springbok Radio launched on May 1st, 1950 (that I recall well, as I was ill in bed with the �flu, so I was able to listen in for, virtually, the whole day), the station�s continuity announcers on the staff of the SABC were Alan Mandell, Ken Shaw, Bill Pritchard, Tony Drake and Anthony Faulkner. Paul Chadwick was the station�s Service Manager. Eric Egan was a free-lancer not on the staff of the SABC. (Some years later Eric Egan and I shared an office.)

This team stayed together for about a year and then started to break up, so others joined, from the SABC�s full time staff, like Michael Jackson, Paddy Dowling, Leslie Green, Mel Oxley, Peter Broomfield, Clark McKay and others, whose names I could, probably, dig up from the far corners of my mind.

When I joined the team in May 1955, the other SABC full-time staff continuity announcers (we were all employed by the English Service but seconded to Springbok Radio) were Leslie Green, Paddy Dowling, Michael Jackson, myself and one other, whose name now escapes me, for the moment.

The continuity studios were CS3 and CS4, specially built for Springbok Radio in 1950, on the second floor, at the back of the old Broadcast House in Commissioner Street and many tales can be told about them, especially the erratic air-conditioning system that caused the occupants to freeze in winter and swelter in summer!

When I joined, the first of the tape machines were installed (previously, everything had been on disc) and these too caused many hair-raising problems, like stopping the in the middle of a programme!

In fact, my association with the SABC started in 1950, at the time I was still at school, when I began broadcasting in the SABC�s youth programmes and also when I was a student at the University of Cape Town.

The photograph in your collection marked �Cape Town studios� from the booklet �Behind the Springbok Mike�, published in 1953, is actually part of a temporary suite built into the Scotts Building, at the corner of Darling and Plein Streets, in Cape Town, to handle Springbok Radio productions, because the main SABC studios in the Delmonico Building in van Riebeeck Street (dating from before World War II), were too small to cope with the expanding requirements for Springbok Radio productions.

The present SABC building in Sea Point, Cape Town, was opened in July 1955 to handle all the SABC�s requirements there, including Springbok Radio.

And so it goes; if you want to know more � please get into contact with me.

For many years, after my return to Great Britain, I presented radio programmes for the BBC�s West of England region. I retired completely in 2000 and I now live in Scotland.

Look forward to hearing from you.
Best wishes.

JOHN GRANT-SILVER

JOHN GRANT-SILVER
10 MARCH 2006

Hi MaryAnne

Radio in South Africa started in the 1920s, when small independent stations were set up in, at least, Johannesburg and Cape Town, operating for a few hours during the day and evening. In the late 1920s, the South African government gave a licence to operate radio stations to I W Schlesinger. A far as I can remember, I W Schlesinger was an American who had gone out to South Africa prior to World War I. He built up an empire of cinemas and theatres in all the main cities as well as holding the distribution rights for films from, virtually, all the film studios of Britain and America (the main exception was MGM that built its own cinemas and retained its own distribution rights.)   It was the Schlessinger organisation that established South Africa first film studios at Killarney in Johannesburg and from these came the famous newsreel �African Mirror� in silent picture days and later with sound, of course, and reputed to have been the oldest newsreel in the world.

And so the African Broadcasting Company (ABC) was formed with studios in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg, broadcasting independently of each other in their spheres of listenership.   Because it was South Africa�s largest city, Johannesburg was the centre of operations and in 1932, I W Schlesinger sent his house architect, Roy Cooke, overseas to investigate the latest in broadcasting studios and equipments and this led to the design and construction of Broadcast House [in Johannesburg], a magnificent art-deco building, fully up-to-date that was commissioned in 1935 � and, if fact, with certain expansions, was to be the home of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) for almost the next 40 years, until the move to the new studio complex at Auckland Park.

In 1936, the government gave a charter to the SABC to take over from the ABC and provide programmes in English (known as the �A� programme) and in Afrikaans (known as the �B� programme) that started transmissions a year later, in 1937. Because of South Africa�s vast size and the unreliability of land-lines, as well as the expense, each centre in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg (and to a lesser extent in Grahamstown) has their own independent studios, staff and programmes. Under exceptional circumstances, there were national �hook ups� to broadcast news, sport and etc.

The charter which the government gave the SABC in 1936 to take over all broadcasting in the country was similar to that given by the British Government to the BBC. Revenue � in addition to funding provided by the central government - for the newly-established SABC would come from a licence fee paid annually by all those who owned a radio set � a practice that continues today in South Africa, as far as I am aware. (It certainly does here in the United Kingdom.)

In 1946, it was realised that neither the grant from central government nor payment of the licence fee would provide enough revenue to expand all aspects of broadcasting in South Africa [post World War II], and the decision was made to introduce a commercial service.

The Director-General advised the government it would be necessary to investigate the matter and two of the Corporation�s senior officers, who had qualities as broadcasters as well as administrators, E H Cameron-McClure and Bob Griffiths, were sent overseas to look at commercial stations and report back as soon as possible. They saw services in America and Australia and, eventually, advised the SABC that the Australian system was preferable for South African conditions in the way advertising was handled �on air� and also because the latter country would be better equipped to provide the SABC with a source of programmes. Thus was Springbok Radio born, although the name of the new station was not made public at this time.

The years of 1948 and 1949 saw feverish �behind the scenes� activity to get the new station on the air during 1950 and May 1 was set as the target date for transmissions to being, initially, in the Johannesburg area only. Equipments had to be bought and/or manufactured in the SABC�s own expanded workshops (such as a 16 inch platter, instantaneous start transcription turntable that could not be obtained from overseas to the SABC�s specifications and for which the SABC took out a patent), new studios had to be planned and built in Broadcast House and programmes had to bought from, mainly, overseas sources such as ARTRANSA in Australia. (ARTRANSA sent out an experienced broadcaster/manager to run its Johannesburg office, one John Walker, who for the next ten years would be one of the dominant figures on Springbok Radio.) And, finally advertisers had to be sought to sponsor the programmes and take the spot commercials in other channels and this led to the rapid expansion of South Africa�s fledgling advertising agencies.

By early 1950, everything was in place for �dry runs� to begin and five station announcers from within the SABC�s ranks were appointed to handle the continuity. They were: Alan Mandell, who had great knowledge of popular music of the period (later to become famous as Alan Dell on the BBC�s Radio 2); Ken Shaw who had been broadcasting on the rival commercial station, LM Radio in Lourenco Marques before joining the SABC; Bill Pritchard, a Welsh school teacher who had been with the SABC for a year or two after the War, Anthony Drake and Tony Faulkner, both announcers with the �A� programme.   Eric Egan, who had experience in presenting early morning� physical jerks� programmes both overseas and in South Africa was hired as a �free-lancer� to handle the morning slot up until 9 o�clock. So, Springbok Radio, was readied for its on-time launch on May 1, 1950.   Within 18 months it had become a national service and it was to retain its place as South Africa�s favourite radio station for almost three decades.

There you have something to go on with, MaryAnne and I shall look for photographs and etc. to send on to you when you have acknowledged receipt of the above and advised me it is running on your esteemed website.

I look forward to hearing from you.
With best wishes.

JOHN

THIS SPACE IS RESERVED WITH GREAT ANTICIPATION FOR THE NEXT LETTER FROM JOHN GRANT-SILVER, WHICH I SINCERELY HOPE WILL BE PROVIDED SOON! SQUEAK!

The Pumamouse
(MaryAnne)

JOHN GRANT-SILVER
18 MARCH 2006

My association with South African broadcasting began in early 1950 when my late step-mother took me to the SABC�s Johannesburg studios from where, every Monday afternoon at 5.30 in the �Calling all Youth� programme a �live� quiz was broadcast. Contestants were chosen from the studio audience and with a little prodding from my step-mother, I found myself among three other youngsters to participate in that afternoon�s 30 minutes duration show. It all happened so quickly that I did not even have the chance to become nervous and the red light showing we were �on air� soon glowed and before I knew it, it was all over. I seem to recall I was the winning contestant. From that moment on, I always favoured broadcasting �live� as opposed to pre-recording: somehow pre-recording seemed to be �cheating� and took away the immediacy of the contact between the person behind the microphone and the listener; although, of course, certain programmes required that they had to be pre-recorded. My singular performance soon led to an invitation to be a member of a Johannesburg schools� team to participate against similar teams from Cape Town and Durban for the �Calling all Youth� programme and, as I recall, this series lasted for three months. For technical reasons the show had to be pre-recorded and I felt incredibly important each week to be escorted to one of the studio suites designated for the purpose to join my two co-team members, who were from other Johannesburg schools, whom I had not met before. I seem to recall that after the three months were over, the Johannesburg team was the winner!

My benefactor in these programmes was one Percy Baneshik, the Organiser of the SABC�s Youth Services and his name deserves to be remembered. He was a sad figure: during is youth in the early 1930s, he had been stricken down with poliomyelitis and left crippled and deformed with his legs in callipers leaving him to hobble round rather than walk. He had a very bright mind and somehow he managed to interest the old ABC company into giving him a menial studio job from which he graduated to organising and broadcasting some of their programmes. In 1936, he was �inherited� by the SABC and stayed on eventually becoming Organiser of the Youth Services until he retired sometime in the early 1960s. Because of his disability, he was taken advantage of and never reached his true potential but I owe him the debt and memory of getting me interested in and started in broadcasting. He used to travel round in Johannesburg�s [then] only electric battery car specially made for him � a funny single-seat contraption that looked like a wooden matchbox on wheels. For a couple of weeks during the run of the inter-city quiz competition, Percy Baneshik was on holiday and his place was taken by Bill Pritchard, then one of Springbok Radio�s high-flying continuity announcers and so, this was my first link with Springbok Radio that I was later to become associated with for a period of more than 30 years.

After I completed school in 1951 I went to the University of Cape Town to read for a BA degree and again through my �Calling all Youth� programmes, I made some broadcasts from the SABC�s temporary studios in the Scotts Building at the corner of Plein and Darling Streets in Cape Town, where among others I met Bill Prince, then a well-known broadcaster on both Springbok Radio and the English Programme and I was to remain friendly with him over a very long period after I joined Springbok Radio in May 1955.

It was during my university days that I developed another interest that was to influence the later course of my life: aeroplanes and I obtained my pilot�s wings in a university squadron.

JOHN

JOHN GRANT-SILVER
21 MARCH 2006

At the end of 1954, I sat � as the expression goes � �on the horns of a dilemma� because I had to decide on my future career path. I was armed with a degree in the liberal arts and pilot�s wings and the two could not have been further poles apart. My late father � a very conservative Englishman - did not welcome the idea of me becoming g a commercial pilot (although several of my friends had done so). He was a successful businessman and wanted me to pursue a career in commerce but the thought of being office bound in a grey existence did not appeal to me, so I decided to become a full-time broadcaster; something that did not exactly meet with his approval either!

I was auditioned by the SABC in Johannesburg for an announcer/producer�s post sometime early in 1955 and it was the usual response I received: �Do not call us, we�ll call you�. I waited for a month or so without hearing any word and I was just about to capitulate to my father�s business wishes when I received a telephone call from the SABC informing me a position had arisen and if I was interest in it, I should present myself the next day to begin work! The old story of �being in the right place at the right time�.

When I duly arrived at Broadcast House the next day with more than keen anticipation, I was told I would be appointed an announcer/producer for the English Service but that I would immediately be sent to Springbok Radio where the vacancy had arisen and so at 7.30 pm on May 22, 1955 I made my first announcement [a time check] on Springbok Radio � starting an association with the station that was to last nigh on 30 years. My �tutor� was one of the station�s other continuity announcers, a chap by the name of Paddy Dowling who, as I recall, had been with the SABC for some years as an announcer in either the Cape Town or the Durban studios � I do not remember which. Aside from Paddy and myself, the continuity team consisted of Leslie Green � a fine old gentleman who had be on the SABC�s staff since 1936, Michael Jackson, who was a year older than me and who had established himself as a �teenage idol� and one other, whose name now escapes me. Eric Egan was breakfast show presenter and he and I shared an office on the second floor on the passage way leading to the continuity studios. (Michael Jackson left the SABC in 1957 to go overseas and wound up as a top presenter in the Los Angeles area and is married to film star Alan Ladd�s daughter!) Eric Egan was a character of the first order � he must then have been a man of about 50 with a gravely voice that sounded like a cross between a concrete mixer and sandpaper but the kids adored, especially when he sent them a message �on air� every morning saying �I love you�. Eric never spoke much about himself and I was too bashful and young to ask. He spoke fluent German and he had some Germanic connection because he had certainly worked for several European Continental commercial stations before World War II, e.g.: Radio Normandie and Radio Luxembourg where at one stage he had presented the early-morning physical jerks programme and it seems to �ring a bell� in my mind that he was, at one stage, a physical training instructor. He was short and burly of stature and his craggy face had more lines on it that roadway markings.

JOHN

JOHN GRANT-SILVER
4 APRIL 2006

Hello MaryAnne,

The other day, I was paging through a book [I have had for several years] entitled �The Golden Age of Radio� � in the United Kingdom, of course, and I found this entry:

Doing the Daily Dozen: First daily keep-fit programme of exercises, broadcast from RADIO NORMANDIE at 7 am from Monday July 10, 1939. The physical fitness expert was ERIC EGAN and the producer Tom Ronald.

Radio Normandie was a commercial station broadcasting on AM and beamed towards Great Britain from Normandy in France before World War II and it continued to do so after the war for many years. I think it has now closed down.

As I have previously written, I knew Eric Egan had a Continental Europe Radio connection (his fluent German) and that he had been a physical fitness instructor � or something like that. I do not know where he was during World War II and/or when he arrived in South Africa (or returned to it from overseas) in time for the launch of Springbok Radio in 1950. He died in South Africa around the late 1960s, as I recall.

Best regards,

JOHN

PHOTOS FROM JOHN GRANT-SILVER
TO THE PUMAMOUSE 13 APRIL 2006

SQUEAK OF JOY!!! The following rare photographs and descriptions have been provided by John Grant-Silver for inclusion on The Pumamouse Website! Thank you, John!!!

John talking to University Carnival Queen and her Princesses - 1956.

Arrival of first BOAC Comet jet aircraft Johannesburg 1958.
John in dark glasses. Percy Baneshik holding the microphone.

During the run of "Esme And John" request programme
Springbok Radio 1965 - 1972
presenters John Silver and Esme Euvrard take a turn "on the buses".

January 21-27, 1957 SABC Radio Bulletin Front Cover Article.