So many questions on broadcasting, so little time

Comments need to be made by August 20, exactly a month after the document was published by the Department of Communications.

The minister, Siphiwe Nyanda, says it has been more than 10 years since major legislative changes occurred in the broadcasting environment, and a legislative review is both necessary and inevitable.

The document deals mainly with public broadcasting services, including the SABC's funding model, TV licence fees, its public interest mandate and the SABC as an organisation, and asks more than 70 questions on broadcasting.

It suggests that the days of a single public broadcaster may be over, and starts to question how broadcasting is likely to change in a multi-channel environment made possible by digital migration — the process of changing from analogue TV to digital TV broadcasting, which will allow for more channels with better quality sound and pictures.

The document notes that the SABC's audience base is gradually declining, as public broadcasters across the world have experienced.

Further decline expected

It is likely to decline even further with the introduction of new TV channels, which will fragment audiences and advertising.

“Public service broadcasting can no longer be the sole responsibility of the public broadcaster, though it is expected to be a leader in this regard,” the document says.

It notes that no legislative and policy framework defines Channel Africa or SABC International, the two international services, although they are administered by the SABC. “This has effectively meant that they have managed to fall outside the scope of broadcasting policy and are proving to be a policy nightmare as existing policies are not able to deal with their reality as international services.”

The Save Our SABC Coalition, made up of civil society organisations, will ask for the deadline to be extended to at least the end of next month. Spokeswoman Kate Skinner said it would make sense to align the deadline with the SABC interim board's exit report and for the ministerial team to give input.

Freedom of Expression Institute acting executive director Melissa Moore said the review was a constructive step towards tackling the SABC's problems.

William Bird, director of Media Monitoring Africa, said it should be carefully debated.

Source: Business Day

Published courtesy of
.