Social Sustainability & engaging poor communities

by Franklin Huizies, Chief Executive officer, National Community Radio Forum

Fifteen years into the new dispensation, what progress has community radio in South Africa made - specifically with regard to sustainability?

Community Radio progressed in leaps and bounds over the past fifteen years with ICASA licensing 150 community radio stations post 1994. The community radio sector was mobilised through the major contribution of civil society in the formation of the National Community Radio Forum (NCRF) in 1993. In the 1990’s the community radio sector experienced quite a high rate of closures of community radio stations across South Africa. The trend indicated a higher rate of closures for rural stations than their urban counterparts. The major challenges at station level ranges from governance capacity to access to resources to entry barriers to markets, as well as high signal distribution tariffs.

The NCRF adopted a three pronged definition for sustainability, identifying Social sustainability, Institutional/organisational sustainability and Financial sustainability as equally important components. This Integrated sustainability concept assist in streamlining support towards sector sustainability. Current Government support for the sector happens by means of departments such as the Department of Communications’ Equipment role out project, Program production project and Signal distribution subsidy program. As well as the GCIS content dissemination support subsidising live content broadcasts that is of national interest. However these challenges are still prevalent and highlight questions around the policy framework which governs the community broadcasting sector i.e. the funding model, the capacity of ICASA’s Monitoring and Complaints Unit (MCU), as well as the implications of the EC Act, classifying the community broadcasters as class licenses. 

The collective community radio audiences has steadily but surely grown over the past decade to about 7,2 million,  commanding 22% of the total radio listenership in South Africa. This means that one in every five people listen to a community radio service. Community radio is also an unofficial feeder source for talent to Public and Private Broadcasters, with talented presenters and staff being poached on a regular basis. This consistent growth  has attracted new players such as advertising agencies entering the fray, taking advantage of the opportunity to sell the community radio stations as a collective. Government also increased its spending in this sector, but it is sad to note that despite its commanding share in audience, the community broadcasting sector have not been able to secure any significant market share. The sector currently secures less than 10% of the total advertising spend on radio. There are also allegations of unscrupulous behaviour and unfair practice by some agencies. For this reason the National Community Radio Forum is facilitating the establishment of provincial structures in an effort to organise the community radio stations ensuring collective sales and marketing strategies as well as standardised reporting mechanisms. These efforts will culminate in a roundtable discussion between the sector and advertising stakeholders in the 3rd quarter of 2009. In addressing the financial sustainability challenges, the latter is crucial towards establishing a code of good practice for advertising within the community radio sector. 

There has been a proliferation of a rural/urban divide within the community radio sector over the last few years, specifically around the access to advertising and sponsorship as well as access to resources. Some rural community radio stations have been successful in diversifying their income streams by utilising their larger broadcasting footprint as an advantage. This however is not a formula that can be easily duplicated due to critical variation of factors such as population density and economic activity in these districts. An average rural community radio station’s monthly income is standing at R40 000 vs an average urban station income of R120 000.    

Organisationally the community radio sector has faced various governance challenges amongst others conflicts between board and staff as well as boards and community groups, principally due to lack of policy clarity regarding their roles. There also is a perceived conflict created by the interpretation by stations of the Sovereignty of ICASA regulations vs Companies act. A majority of stations are registered as section 21 institutions. So in addressing the institutional sustainability component the one and a half decades of community sound broadcasting experience, presented very interesting case studies that assists in shaping the future for this sector especially around the possible amendments to the current Ownership and Control policy. 

Community Radio stations have been successful in serving communities through broadcasting dialogues on local development. Although the latter has not always been synchronised with the priority areas as highlighted within the Integrated Development Plans (IDP’s) of district and local municipalities, the sector has been able to partner civil society organisations in addressing socio economic issues. This effort contributes towards the social sustainability component of the sector.    

The community radio at the coalface of community interaction, experiences the challenges posed by weak broadband and telecoms infrastructure at rural level. This is a barrier as it is critical to the quality of broadcasting services and feedback mechanisms within that community. Especially in the light of the statement made by President Zuma in his state of the nation address, “We have to ensure that we do not leave rural areas behind in these exciting developments. As part of social infrastructure development we will provide suitably located and affordable housing and decent human settlements. We will proceed from the understanding that human settlement is not just about building houses. It is about transforming our cities and towns and building cohesive, sustainable and caring communities with closer access to work and social amenities, including sports and recreation facilities.”

Community radio have a clear development objective and section 34(4) of the Broadcasting Act (1999) prescribes a public service mandate to be carried by Community broadcasting services, though relegated to community level. The sector is thus ideally placed to ensure civic education, democracy and social cohesion as well as act as a vehicle to drive local economic development in communities. My recommendation is that the sector should actively engage with the plight of poor communities around poverty and service delivery through their program offering and collaborate with partners to implement projects in an effort to become the voice of the voiceless.