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The SABC goes public
A relevant
public broadcaster is crucial to democratisation in South Africa. But how will the SABC,
with its unfortunate history as a mouthpiece of the state, prove its integrity? Does the
SABC meet the criteria of a public broadcaster? John Bailey
received an inside view of the transformation taking place at the SABC when he spoke to
Zwelakhe Sisulu, Chief Executive Officer of the SABC, and Ken Modise, the
corporation’s Communication Manager.
The SABC’s history as a public propaganda machine made it particularly susceptible to government interference, says the Freedom of Expression Institute. How does the heir of a semi-parastatal corporation which mouthed the ideology of apartheid deal with this danger?
Sisulu says that upon entering the corporation, the "impact wasn’t immediate. But it was somewhat of a 'culture shock.'" Modise speaks of the "challenges" the situation presents, and of the great "sense of comfort" he feels in meeting them.
Changing faces
In many diverse societies, such as Germany, the public broadcaster is undoubtedly one of the main pillars of democracy. So where does the SABC stand in our changing society?
"The basic role of the SABC is to be a reflection of South Africa,"emphasises Sisulu. "In other words, its function must be to highlight all those critical processes of change that are taking place in the country."
If one accepts that the hegemony of government control has been formally broken, what steps are being taken to move away from this state-owned image? According to Modise the focus will be on programming - maintaining the relationship with the South African public.
But to fashion a culture consistent with our democratic society, a public broadcaster performs an important set of functions. It must contribute to opinion-forming; it must have the capacity to make informed decisions; and it has to provide entertainment and information. Modise is confident the SABC will achieve these criteria: "The SABC belongs to the public, and is accountable to the public."
As a public broadcaster with the task of nurturing nation-building, transformation at the SABC was inevitable. The corporation has embarked on a fast-tracking program of change and affirmative action within its nearly 800 departments.
The racial profile of the corporation has changed from 27 percent black employees in 1993 to 35 percent this year. The target is 50 percent. Blacks already constitute the majority of top management.
Affirmative action must be judged by its achievements, asserts Modise. "Four years ago, one would never have said that the chairperson of the SABC Board would be a woman," he says, referring to Dr Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri. "She has shown that she is competent."
Sisulu sees the transformation as "repositioning the SABC in an environment of increased competition." Modise agrees that although everyone demands total transformation, change cannot be an overnight process. "As long as the needs of the public change, the process becomes an ongoing and dynamic one." Although both agree that it is an "enormous" task, they are confident of achieving their objectives.
Competition rules
Now that the airwaves have been deregulated, people across the political spectrum have the right to voice their different opinions. Will the SABC, which enjoyed virtual monopoly of South African broadcasting in the past, be able to compete against commercial and independent rivals?
Sisulu says that it "would not be proper for the IBA to bring in new competition without redefining the public service mandate of the SABC."
How many stations and channels does the SABC need to meet its public broadcasting mandate? "We believe to carry out our mandate as a public service broadcaster we certainly need all our free television channels and we definitely need all our language radio stations," says Sisulu. However, if the SABC is to hold onto the position of South Africa’s dominant TV broadcaster, a face-lift is needed.
And that is exactly what the surgeon - the IBA - did. The long-awaited IBA report stipulated the end of the SABC’s monopoly of the airwaves. The proposal includes the licencing of a new national private TV channel, by January 1998. The report recommended that the SABC’s seven regional radio stations be sold off and the TV stations be reduced from three to two. But the IBA was lenient towards the SABC’s public mandate, proposing that the eleven full-spectrum language radio stations be licenced to the public broadcaster.
Even though an airwaves war is looming, the SABC is confident that it will remain the premier broadcaster in the country. The "local angle" will be Sisulu’s chief form of artillery. He adds that the international trend shows "people prefer local content to foreign content."
For the people, by the people?
But the transformation process has not been without its pitfalls. Advertisers are unhappy with fast-tracking and figures show a dip in radio listeners and TV audiences.
A recent study, by 3-D Agency, revealed that TV1 is losing considerable support amongst coloured, Indian and white viewers. Six on One lost nearly 100 000 viewers, while Agenda shows a decrease of 300 000 viewers. Black viewership increased only marginally. Modise defends the SABC’s position: "Transformation brings with it a lot of instability and uncertainty."
While viewer-statistics are declining, advertising tariffs are increasing - by 20 percent. Some advertisers are concerned about their investments. Those that cater for the black and balanced market, however, are content.
For years the state restricted, regulated and denied the South African public the right to information. Were the reactions that followed the government’s TV slot proposals valid? Does this mean that the SABC is now the ANC’s propaganda tool?
Sisulu unequivocally rejects any such notion. Nobody denies the government’s responsibility to communicate. When one looks at this issue in the interests of transparency, there is some justification for the request. The danger is that this is open to abuse, he argues.
Sisulu understands the need for an informed public to give life to the government’s new initiatives. However, it is not the role of the media to act as the information arm of the government. Sisulu stresses that SABC editors’ actions are regulated by a "Code of Conduct," in which they strive towards "objectivity and neutrality."
According to the IBA Act, a public broadcaster must reflect the country’s language diversity. The SABC’s language issue was one of the most controversial transformation debates. Much criticism and negative publicity was, and still is, generated by the Afrikaans speaking audiences - mainly through the print media.
Although the SABC undertook to cover all eleven languages on both TV and radio, English was identified as the lingua franca. Sisulu affirms that he "can understand people’s fear. But it’s not our intention - and never has been - to treat any language in our country with disrespect."
Facing the critics
Assuming a drastic drop in advertising revenue, can South Africa afford to finance a public broadcaster entirely from licence fees? The SABC currently derives 75 percent of its income from advertisements, and 25 percent from licence fees. The SABC recently told the IBA that it is investigating a flat levy from each income tax bracket, which will be collected through the pay-as-you-earn collection system.
Of the world’s major public broadcasters, few rely so heavily on advertisements. In a recent outcry in the Mail & Guardian, the SABC was criticised for breaching international public broadcasting ethics, by screening promotional material under the pretence of being educational.
A concerned Sisulu feels "very uncomfortable with the practice. The SABC must strive towards objectivity."
Delivering the goods
Clearly excited by the challenges facing the SABC, Modise reiterates their commitment to deliver the goods. "We will endeavour at all costs to satisfy public needs." He urges the public to "make inputs" to the SABC so that it can "become a better broadcaster and accountable to the public."
The question remains: Is the SABC a public broadcaster? An overwhelming yes, from both gentlemen. Sisulu regards the type of programming that the SABC transmits as proof that it is a public broadcaster.
Does the rest of South Africa echo their sentiments? "The public will be the judge," repeats Modise.
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