90.6 FM Stereo streams local news, talk, sport and music live from Vanderbijlpark, serving South Africa's Vaal Triangle under its original name, Vaal Community Radio. It plays free on Radio Shuffle, no account or download required.
Three Weeks at the Show Grounds Before Going Permanent
Before it had a permanent frequency, the station tested the waters the way many community stations do, with a temporary license. In September and October 1993, it broadcast live from the Vaal show grounds for three weeks under a temporary broadcasting license, according to a history of the station. That trial run led to a permanent license in April 1995, and the station, branded VCR for Vaal Community Radio, broadcast for the first time under that permanent authorization on August 1, 1995.
Community Owned, Profits Returned
90.6 FM Stereo operates as a true community station rather than a commercial one chasing shareholder returns. It sells advertising to stay funded, but the profits flow back into the community through charitable work, and a board of directors elected from its own membership governs the station rather than a private owner. That structure has kept it running for three decades, with the station marking its 24th anniversary in 2019 and picking up PMR Awards along the way.
The station's community ties show up directly in its programming and events. Alongside entertainment, local news, current affairs talk and sport, the station runs charity initiatives like its Open Hands Project and hosts community events such as an annual cheerleading competition that has drawn teams from towns as far away as Bethlehem, well outside its own broadcast footprint, to compete at Vanderbijlpark's APF Portuguese Club.
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From three weeks at a show ground on a temporary license to three decades as a community-owned fixture of the Vaal Triangle, 90.6 FM Stereo has stayed exactly what it set out to be. Stream it free on Radio Shuffle and hear the Vaal Triangle on air.