Robin Sewlal
Forty-five years ago yesterday, the media industry in South Africa was pulverised when the apartheid regime arbitrarily banned publications and arrested journalists.
The persecution was the strongest signal of the apartheid government’s growing discomfort with print media players who dared to shuffle the status quo. Radio and television stations were understandably left untouched as they fell under the fiefdom of the state-run SABC. “Black Wednesday” has since become known as Media Freedom Day in the country.
The spectre of October 19, 1977, and the usual harassment of journalists henceforth were never lost on activists. The release of Nelson Mandela from incarceration in 1990 provided the tonic for the advocacy and lobbying for a free media dispensation.
With the institutionalisation of democracy in 1994, freedom of the media was guaranteed in the Constitution of the country. A transformed SABC, the public service broadcaster, came into being, and community, as well as commercial radio and television stations, were licensed by the regulatory authority.
However, one thing that could not be guaranteed was the ongoing threats to media freedom from various quarters. It is true that the media should, at times, shoulder the blame for contributing to its own lack of freedom.
Radio has an enormous responsibility and role to play in furthering, protecting and defending media freedom. Its phenomenal reach places the beautiful medium in a perfect position to keep citizens, especially those in far-flung rural areas, informed and educated so that they can and should explore and exploit the fruits of democracy.
Admirably, it is the wont of the regulator to strive towards every district boasting its own community station. A threat or attack on a station is a direct infringement on the freedom of the media and, concomitantly, an assault on democracy.
Radio, as part of the audial mix, thrives on its immediacy and interactivity. The continual communication between the show host and listener helps to build trust. Such relationship was in no uncertain way enhanced during the pandemic and the recent Durban floods. Accordingly, the community, at large, will stand strong against any threat levelled at its station.
The radio stations under the umbrella of the SABC also enjoy sizeable audience figures. Given radio’s paramount importance vis-à-vis media freedom, the viability and sustainability of public service and community radio cannot be adequately underscored.
My sense is that sustainability, growth, and development can be premised on four strands: institutional, operational, social and financial. Adherence to good governance and compliance is pivotal. It behoves leadership and management to create a culture of sustainability that envelopes the entire station.
The airwaves are a public resource, and frequencies for radio are currently unavailable in the major cities. It therefore follows that those in the business of radio ought to be endowed with intellectual curiosity and the necessary skills set for the station’s sustainable success. At an operational level, a key factor is to be innovative. It is the process, not just the outcome of being sustainable that should linger large. One of the greatest assets is the talent that a station acquires for presentation.
The radio industry in Australia keeps growing at an appreciable rate as talent acquisition and training are a constant endeavour. Unprepared and under-prepared talent will inevitably lead to a threat to the station’s freedom. Quality and timely content on radio will always be king. Focused research will help the station stay real, relevant and authentic. A station that does not stay in constant touch with its listener will lack social sustainability.
Community radio is required to engage with its constituency on a regular basis. Ownership of the station resides with the respective community, and the Board is merely the custodian.
Financial sustainability comes across as the biggest bugbear for stations. Loss of revenue results in the loss of personnel that could be seen as impinging on media freedom as stories remain uncovered. Voices are stifled as opposed to being amplified.
Through the decades, radio has demonstrated remarkable resilience by withstanding the bells and whistles of an avalanche of numerous competing audio and visual devices and platforms. This is evidently so as radio in South Africa is 100 next year.
In keeping with the spirit of freedom, you can be an integral part of the centennial celebrations by sending your memories as a listener of the cosy medium in a 750-word story to [email protected] by October 28.
It’s an earnest wish that radio will continue to be as prominent as it presently is for the next 100 years as a powerful beacon for the freedom of all media players in South Africa. Society, too, cannot be short-changed!
Advocate Robin Sewlal is the Chairperson of Radiocracy that comprises radio, democracy and development. He is an advisor, consultant, editor, strategist and trainer for various entities.