The future of public service broadcasting in South Africa: the need to return to basic principles

Abstract

In this article it is argued that should the South African public service broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), be expected to play a development and nation-building role in the South African society, as it is mandated to do, then policy makers should return to the basic principles underlying the philosophy of public service broadcasting. This needs to be done in a changed media environment characterised by privatisation, internationalisation and digitisation, all leading to increased competition and commercialisation. The argument is developed against the background of a discussion on (1) the reasons for the decline of public service broadcasting, (2) the ways in which public service broadcasters are responding, (3) an overview of the state of public service broadcasting in South Africa at the time of writing (April 2003), (4) a motivation for why South Africa needs a strong public service broadcaster and (5) what can be done to secure the future of public service broadcasting in South Africa. A return to the basic principles of public service broadcasting as the only way out, is suggested. This would require a complete revision of South African broadcasting policy.

Negotiating Distant Influences: Globalization and Broadcasting Policy Reforms in Zambia and South Africa

“…The definition of what constitutes a "public broadcaster" in southern Africa is a contested issue, constantly in flux. It is for this reason that Fourie (2003) suggests that "public-service broadcasting" should be treated more as a genre than as an institution. In this way, even commercial broadcasters can aspire to the "genre" of "public-service broadcasting."…”

International communication: shifting paradigms, theories and foci of interest

“…Critics of the dominant market-based approach, on the other hand, have been advancing the public-service approach of state-regulated media and communications, where public interest concerns are given preference to governmental regulatory and policy bodies at national, regional and international levels (see Fourie 2003).…”

Television in Botswana: Development and Policy Perspectives

“…In this regard, convincing evidence about the role of entertainment in national development is evident in scholarly work that frames development communication projects within social marketing techniques, such as entertainment-education, or edutainment (Kotler & Roberto, 1989;Singhal & Rogers, 1999;Singhal & Rogers, 2001Tufte, 2008 Other studies have also framed the role of television within a nation building perspective. In Africa, as elsewhere in the world, media is expected to contribute to national integration, nation building and national identity through the advancement of national culture (Amienyi, 2004;Fourie, 2003;Matlosa, 2007;Raboy, 1995;Zaffiro, 2000). The introduction of television coincided with post-colonialism in most developing countries, with the electronic media assigned national integration roles.…”

“…The desire for African broadcasters to move towards public service broadcasting is apparently to encourage media pluralism, which refers to the diversity of media outlets (Klimkiewicz, 2011) The assumption among scholars is that a plural media environment is ideal for democracy as it offers alternatives to state control of the media (Baker, 2001;Fombad, 2002;Fourie, 2003). Yet, Moyo and Chuma (2010b) observe that the transformation of state broadcasting in Southern Africa seems to have reached a "dead end".…”

“…Words and phrases such as 'cross roads' and 'crisis' (Barnett & Docherty, 1986), 'dead' and 'future of public broadcasting' (Dijk, Nahuis, & Waagmeester, 2006;Fourie, 2003), 'what role?' (Heap, 2005), 'a challenge to public service broadcasting' (Hills & Michalis, 2000;McCauley, Peterson, Artz, & Halleck, 2003), and 'public service in transition' (Price & Raboy, 2003) signal the diversity of concerns regarding the future of public television.…”