Tim Reid has kept one of the most remarkable moments of his life private for decades, but a recently resurfaced viral clip has brought the story back into the spotlight.
The WKRP in Cincinnati star recalled the night he nearly ended up in jail in apartheid-era South Africa after playing Bob Marley’s banned protest anthem, “Survival,” on a Johannesburg radio station.
Speaking on an episode of WTVR’s Untold podcast, Reid explained that he traveled to South Africa in Spring 1981 alongside his WKRP co-star Howard Hesseman. The pair had been invited to attend a festival on behalf of a radio station that openly opposed apartheid.
During the event, Reid played Bob Marley’s “Survival” from Marley and the Wailers’ 1979 album of the same name. The record had already been partially censored by South African authorities because of its powerful message promoting African unity. Reid later explained why the song was considered so controversial.
“Now this is during apartheid, what they don’t want to hear is Black people singing they are the survivors,” he said.
According to Reid, the crowd’s response was unforgettable.
“When that song hit, 5,000 people, Black and white, went crazy, screaming, dancing….it was just euphoric,” he recalled.
The excitement inside the radio station was short-lived. Reid said the station manager rushed into the booth immediately after the song ended and yanked the cassette from the player.
“‘You’ve got to get out of here. You’ve got to get out of here, they’re coming to get you!’” Reid remembered the manager saying, explaining that playing the banned song was considered a criminal offense and that authorities were already on their way.
Reid and Hesseman quickly ran to their limousine, only to find two Afrikaner police officers waiting outside. According to Reid, the pair escaped arrest because the officers were “really drunk.”
“And they were fans of WKRP, the show was one of the most popular shows in South Africa,” Reid said. “And they were like, ‘I don’t want to arrest Venus and Johnny Fever!'”
Instead of arresting them, the officers warned the actors they would be taken into custody by the following morning if they remained in the country.
“I didn’t know until the police showed up that I had broke the law,” Reid admitted.
Reid said the owner of the radio station then helped him avoid arrest by arranging for him to board a private plane. He was flown to a secret location, where he remained hidden for a week before quietly leaving South Africa.
The trip also carried heartbreaking personal news. While attending the festival, Reid learned through the Associated Press that Bob Marley had fallen into a coma. Before traveling, Reid had been in contact with Marley’s wife, Rita, and had planned to visit Jamaica to meet the reggae legend. Marley died on May 11, 1981, before the meeting could ever happen.
