Forte Community Radio Station, Zisise Trust, Maputaland Community Radio Station, Zululand Community Radio Station, Vukani Community Radio Station, Icora FM, Bay Television.
The Committee concluded its oversight visit by holding roundtable discussions with representatives of the community radio stations and the print media. The representatives of the sector raised the following major challenges:
a) Financial sustainability This is the challenge for both community print and broadcasting. The concern is around the attitude of advertising industry towards this layer communication, no proper statistic for circulation of papers or magazines and listenership for broadcasters' which has huge impact in attracting advertisers. Insufficient support from MDDA due to limitation of funds.
b) Signal distribution The community broadcasters indicated that the tariffs for signal distribution by Sentech were unaffordable and request for review of the tariffs in line with the provision of the Electronic Communications Act (ECA).
c) Training and development Whilst acknowledging the role played or continued to be played by the MDDA, it was requested that the funding model of the MDDA should be reviewed so that more funds can be made available for training and development.
3. Conclusion Having interacted with different entities within the Department of Communications and the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) and its employees and management, management from the different community radio stations, print media and commercial broadcasting, members of the Committee recognised that co-ordination and service delivery was still lacking in some of the areas.
a) The Regional Manager for the SABC in the Eastern Cape (Mr. Zola Yeye) should compile a report on all issues raised by staff members with clear timeframes on when the matters would be resolved. Such report should be tabled before the SABC Group Executive and Board, and the Committee by not later than the end of September 2011.
b) The Advertising Industry should appear before the Committee to update it on progress on transformation of the industry in general and with a clear focus on how the industry is transforming itself to accommodate community media.
c) The Department of Communications and the MDDA should conduct an audit on the impact of community media (radio and television broadcasting and print) in the communities.
e) A steering committee consisting of the SABC, ICASA, DOC and Sentech should be established to identify and facilitate the rollout of low- powered transmitters to improve the footprint coverage of the SABC. ICASA should respond to the issues raised by community broadcasters in relation to coverage.
f) The above steering committee (including the MDDA and USAASA) should be established nationally and should develop a national broadcasting coverage plan, with clear timeframes on when universal coverage would be achieved. The report should look at areas and not the narrow population-based approach.
g) The MDDA should facilitate a process to assist Vukani Community Radio to comply with its licence conditions and observe good corporate governance. It should also facilitate the discussions between SAPO and iDike-lethu Newspaper in relation to the vacant building at Alice.
h) The SABC should embark on road shows to engage the regions and staff members about its turnaround strategy and its strategic plan, and also to engage Organised Labour.
i) The MDDA should conduct research on how to implement the COMTASK report recommendations in dealing with the monopoly or lack of meaningful competition on the media value-chain, particularly printing and distribution, against the experiences of the community media.