Commercial media ARE trying to harm SABC

23 Aug 2007

The SABC board's deputy chair Christine Qunta was actually quite right when she told Parliament this week that the commercial press in South Africa was deliberately trying to harm the SABC. In fact, the commercial press and SABC broadcast competitors have been doing just that for years now. But, Qunta is completely wrong in suggesting that this is some sort of racist plot or conspiracy.

Because it is nothing other than business. And frankly, with the SABC having taken the decision some years ago to “commercialise” itself, the board should all stop bleating and start acting like business people in the real world of deregulation and competition.

Full go

Of course newspapers ,magazines and other broadcasters are going to have a full go at the SABC. For heaven' sake, just think about it. It has more than 300 advertising sales people going out into the market place and shedding blood trying to achieve the massive targets they need to provide the ludicrously high funding the SABC needs to keep going.

And when former SABC marketing director, Mark Jakins, came on board a few years ago, he played hard ball in terms of grabbing as much advertising revenue as he could. And quite rightly, too.

But, just where was that all coming from? Out of an advertising pie that up to a few years ago had not increased an iota for a decade. So what happened was that the 300 plus ad reps from the SABC literally and quite legally and justifiably walked all over the couple of dozen ad reps a newspaper could afford to put out in the marketplace.

Lost jobs

A lot of newspaper and magazine people lost their jobs as sections of newspapers were closed down due to lack of advertising support.

For heaven's sake, woman – no wonder they hate you people.

And really, what is that nonsense you went on about to the parliamentary portfolio committee about racial bias in the media? What nonsense. Frankly, if other media are guilty of racial bias, then SABC is just as guilty.

Weak old tactic

I think you were just resorting to that weak but good old South African tactic that whenever anyone gets into a spot they haul out that overdone, exaggerated race card.

What you should have been telling Parliament was that they are the culprits by expecting far too much from the SABC for far too little money. (See Parliament's demands impact on media inflation.)

Come on, Christine, face up to it – the SABC needs to grow up and face the realities of operating in a competitive business environment. It can be unpleasant most of the time and can certainly get ugly and bloody.

That's life, that's business, get used to it.

About Chris Moerdyk

Apart from being a corporate marketing analyst, advisor and media commentator, Chris Moerdyk is a former chairman of Bizcommunity. He was head of strategic planning and public affairs for BMW South Africa and spent 16 years in the creative and client service departments of ad agencies, ending up as resident director of Lindsay Smithers-FCB in KwaZulu-Natal. Email Chris on moc.liamg@ckydreom and follow him on Twitter at @chrismoerdyk.