The National Community Radio Forum issued a press statement after their meeting with the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) yesterday.
Again Bush Radio is very concerned about these developments and we believe that a closure of one station is worrying. We call upon all parties involved to look for an amicable solution for the continued survival and growth of the community radio sector.
We also encourage communities, individuals, organisations and businesses to support their community radio stations.
This morning during a scheduled engagement with the Community Media sector and the new Minister in the Presidency, Jackson Mthembu before his budget vote to Parliament, members of the sector handed a memorandum to the minister to highlight the current plight of community media.
The Minister felt that he was ambushed by the sector as he was under the impression that it was a simple “meet and greet”.
Below is the memorandum as it was issued.
MEMORANDUM TO THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENCY, 17 July 2019
Community radio, print and TV sectors
Since the dawn of democracy in South Africa, the country
has made impressive gains in the promotion of media diversity through support
for emerging, small commercial newspapers and community broadcasting services
serving the majority of the people who were previously excluded.
In the early 90’s media activists, many of whom are in
this room today, fought for the establishment of the Media Development and
Diversity Agency, tasked with the supporting community and independent media in
South Africa. Since then the regulator has license over 200 community radio
reaching an estimated audience of 8 million and 6 community TV stations
reaching an estimated, collective audience of 14 million.
Community Newspapers by Independent publishers print in
excess of 6 million copies per month with a readership that exceeds 20 million
South Africans in all 11 official languages. Collectively the sector employs
tens of thousands of previously disadvantaged individuals countrywide.
Unfortunately, in the last decade or so, these impressive
gains have been rolled back as stations have struggled for survival in the face
of weakened institutions (MDDA, GCIS and ICASA), state capture, government
complacency and failed promises.
Year after year the sector attends “engagements” with the
DoC, GCIS and the MDDA. Every year we regurgitate the same challenges and
propose the same solutions. Every year the government and its agencies promise
to address the issues and then nothing is done.
This year is different. The community media sector is on
the verge of collapse with an estimated collective debt sitting at around R180
million. This is made up largely of debts to SAMRO & CARPASSO, SENTECH,
SARS and rental. As we speak stations are being served eviction notices from
their premises, retrenching staff and getting deeper into debt.
It makes no difference whether the MDDA and GCIS report
to the DoC or to the Presidency, as long as something gets done. The sector simply cannot be allowed to fail.
We call upon the Presidency to implement the following immediate measures:
• Provide emergency relief funding to pay off the collective debt to SARS, SENTECH, SAMRO & CARPASSO (paid to stations or directly to debtors – to avoid CSD challenges) – R150 million for radio, R15 million for TV and R15 million for print.
• Increase MDDA budget to allow for annual grant for all community broadcasters and increased support for print publishers.
• Build MDDA capacity at board and operational level to speed up grant approval and disbursement.
• Implement the Parliamentary Portfolio Directive (Nov, 2011) to spend 30 % of government adspend on community media.
Additional measures to improve the sustainability of the sector are outlined in the full memorandum
Bush Radio in partnership with the Deutsche Welle Akademie is currently (18 – 28 July 2011) holding a training workshop at the Bush Radio training facilities to a selected group of talented television journalists, camera operators and technicians from several television stations in Africa. The workshop aims to enable African journalists to “tell their stories” by producing professional TV reports and documentaries, and consequently offering their audiences an African perspective on relevant issues such as environmental protection, economic development, poverty reduction, health, education and good governance.
There are a diverse number of objectives that the workshop aims to achieve, including the improvement of the individuals skills as well as the promotion of African perspectives on social, economic and developmental issues. Trainers, Thomas Rehermann, Robert Donauer, Florian Kroker and Jan Bruck are doing their very best to ensure that the best training is being provided to the participants.
In the first stage the participants are divided up into teams consisting of a journalist, one camera operator and one picture editor. These teams are then given tasks and at the end of the workshop they are requested to produce at least one broadcast-quality report.
The workshop also aims to enhance reporting abilities, including, story selection, research, production organisation, camera work, the basic principles of editing, storytelling and writing for television.
Stages two and three are even more exciting than stage one. In stage two the team who produces the best report in stage one is identified, and then invited to develop these reports in co-operation with editors and technicians from Deutsche Welle-TV. Deutsche Welle will then distribute the reports through various channels to an international audience.
Stage three then allows the top 20 participants the opportunity to visit Germany. During this period, they will exchange views with decision-makers and opinion leaders, in order for authentic African perspectives on international issues to be discussed. This visit will also give participants the chance to learn more about German and European opinions about current issues.
The excitement of the participants is apparent at Bush Radio. Siraaj Larney from Cape Town TV said, “I have truly enjoyed the training thus far. It has broadened my knowledge and it has helped me build my confidence.”
Another participant, Anna Nicodemus from Namibia said, “I have been a journalist for quite some time, and I thought I knew all the tricks to journalism, up until this training. I will definitely be taking back a great wealth of knowledge with me. I hope that I will make it to Germany.”
Pennipher Sikainda from Muvi TV in Zambia said that the course has been excellent thus far, especially because it has been focusing on the training of TV production. She also said that the theme of the course “Africa On The Move” is wonderful since they have seen few stories depicting growth both socially and economically. She said that the lectures are fantastic, because they are sharing great tips that she could use to meet international broadcasting standards.
Richard Khoviwa from Malawi Broadcasting Corporation, said, “I have learnt many things with regard to editing and production. This is indeed useful to me because I deal with technical issues on a regular basis at my company.”
Bush Radio89.5FM, in partnership with the Deutsche Welle (DW) Academy, is currently holding a 6-day Community TV and Local News training course (23 – 28 May 2011), for various participants with the aim of strengthening their skills as community television journalists.
The enthusiasm of the trainers, Birgit Keller and Martin Schönian, co-ordinator Christopher Springate and the participants is creating an infectious excitement that can be felt by all at Bush Radio’s studios.
Christopher Springate
Christopher Springate, the course co-ordinator said: “To be specific, we intend to enlighten the participants with their reporting, writing, researching, filming and editing skills.”
Birgit Keller said that as the trainers they are not doing the course to have the participants do things in a certain way, but rather to show them how it works. She also added that they are keen to show the participants how to manage current affairs in order to get ideas on how they can improve.
Birgit Keller
Participants are from various television and radio stations including Bay TV, CTV, Soweto TV, Radio KC, Bush Radio, Community Video Education Trust and the Oguni Solidarity Forum.
Lebogang Kubyane from Soweto TV said: “I am extremely impressed with the course and what it has to offer. The trainers are great people and it is comforting to know that I am able to learn new and interesting things everyday.”
The course started off with a general introduction and ranges from activities like editing vox-pops, writing for television, “on-camera” work and production editing.
Martin Schönian said, “The reason for the course being aimed at community journalists is because they have the responsibility to voice the communities’ opinions more often as opposed to commercial stations. Therefore they need to be highly skilled to do this task.”
Martin Schönian
Birgit Keller gave the final word on the participants and hosts: “I am really impressed with the participants. They are truly bringing forth a great amount of energy and good ideas. I also need to add that it is interesting to be at Bush Radio. The friendly staff and warm welcome which we receive creates a warm and good atmosphere for all.”
A big thank you to all the participants and facilitators of the Media Kidocracy Konference 2010 (17 – 18 December 2010) who helped make the conference a huge success.
A special word of thanks to the following individuals who gave their time and resources to participate and facilitate the discussions with the participants:
Lights, camera, action! Those were the words that were often used at the Deutsche Welle (DW) Journalism Community Television training hosted by Bush Radio for the past two weeks.
Maggie Nyaunda from CTV checks her equipment while Timothy Ncube from Bay TV looks on
We had the opportunity to watch the participants, taking pictures. Bush Radio interns also made cameo appearances in some of the pieces they were working on.
Participants came from Bay TV, from Richards Bay, Cape Town TV, based in Cape Town, Soweto TV from Soweto and Tshwane TV from Pretoria.
DW trainers, Patrick Benning and Frank Norden said they want to empower the participants from community television by giving them training and how to make good television.
“When one thinks of television you always imagine the glamorous life, you forget it involves hard work, like not having enough equipment and working volunteers” said Benning.
Bill Mbuyi of CTV gets down to the serious business of editing
Zanele Mthembu who is a producer from Soweto TV agreed with Benning. Mthembu added “there are difficulties that community television faces everyday, like people not pitching up for interviews”.
Working for a community radio station is similar to a community television station. Both share similar challenges, shortage of staff, no funding, lack of advertising and over worked staff.
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