Civil society has welcomed the Public Service Broadcasting Bill's acknowledgment that existing governance and funding policies have orientated broadcasters (the public SABC and community radio) with a social mandate to commercial practices where they are not accountable to their communities and the public at large, but rather driven largely by the pursuit of advertising.

While civil society have welcomed the proposed Public Broadcasting Fund that promises to finance non-commercial programming they have rejected elements of the Bill that narrow the social mandate of broadcasters to serve the "developmental goals of the Republic" and undermine the independence of broadcasters. Rather than strengthening ICASA to regulate broadcasting, the Bill gives virtually unlimited powers to the Minister of Communications and other government officials. In the case of community radio, rather than strengthening mechanism that would ensure greater community participation and democratic governance, the Bill obligates stations to partner local governments, locate thier studios at municipal offices and have government officials serve on their boards. The Bill goes so far as to prescribe a Charter of Community Broadcasting. Civil Society assert that community broadcasters should develop their own Charter based on the principles already affirmed in the existing NCRF Charter. 

The SOS Support Public Broadcasting coalition is calling for though policy review process be followed, including a review of the Broadcasting White Paper, 1998.

Here are links to some of the civil society submissions on the Bill:

• SOS: Supporting Public Broadcasting
• Alternative Information Development Centre (AIDC)
• National Community Radio Forum (NCRF)
• Media Monitoring Africa (MMA)

You can also downlaod the following civil society responses to the initial DOC gazetted Discussion Document on Public Broadcasting:

The SOS: Support Public Broadcasting coalition includes the following organizations:

• AIDC (Alternative Information Development Centre)
• BEMAWU (The Broadcast, Electronic Media and Allied Workers Union)
• COSATU (Congress of South African Trade Unions)
• Documentary Filmmakers Association
• Ecumenical Services for Social and Economic Transformation (ESSET)
• IDASA, an African Democracy Institute
• The FXI (Freedom of Expression Institute) 
• The FXN (Freedom of Expression Network)
• The IPO (Independent Producers Organisation)
• The IAJ (Institute for the Advancement of Journalism)
• The MMA (Media Monitoring Africa)
• The South African Screen Federation (SASFED) 
• MISA South Africa (The South African National Chapter of the  Media Institute of Southern Africa)
• The NCRF (National Community Radio Forum)
• The National Consumer Forum
• SANGONET (The South African Non-Governmental Organisation Network)
• SAHA (The South African History Archives)
• The TAC (Treatment Action Campaign)
• Workers World Media Productions
• Writers Guild South Africa

Join the SOS: Supporting Public Broadcasting coalition:

Contact Kate Skinner,  SOS Coordinator on (082) 926-6404 or email  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it