Hot on the heels of the independent radio station Capital Radio 604 broadcasting from the Transkei, which due to technical problems had failed in its bid to serve the lucrative multi-racial audience in the urban areas of South Africa's old southern Transvaal province, Channel 702 was started in 1980 by entrepreneurs Natie and Issie Kirsh in the country's homeland of Bophuthatswana, which like the Transkei was at the time independent of South African rules and regulations.

Many of the early presenters on SMR cut their teeth in broadcasting at LM Radio or worked there, like Gary Edwards, John Berks and Frank Sanders.

The station's original weekday line-up was: Clark McKay (Breakfast), Frank Sanders, Jerry Cohen, Paul Stephens (Afternoon drive), Cocky "Two Bull" Tlhotlhalemaje, Zuby, & Jim Hicks.

A late night rock music show was hosted by Glen O'Donovan, who was later appointed one of the station's Inhouse News Producers and Copywriters.

The weekend lineup included Martin Woolf (Saturday breakfast show), Bill Jones, Frank Sanders and Gary Edwards.

The government run Radio 5 (today known as 5FM) moved from medium wave to FM Stereo in the major centres, and 702 found it could not compete technically.

Because the transmitters were located in the nominally Independent homeland of Bophuthatswana, the South African government could not gag or influence the editorial and news content.

This freedom of information and speech provided a platform for opponents of the apartheid administration and the station is recognised as having contributed to the peaceful transition of South Africa to the democratic society which now exists.

Members of 'banned' organisations, including the ANC itself, made use of the opportunity to use the medium to keep itself abreast of national political developments and put across its own views and stories.