Internal policy – case study of

SABC

J3,PGdip: 2004

Coming up

1. Review2. Background, Bill, Policy:

consultation process.3. Process and place of exercise4. Implementation5. Key issues6. Conclusion

1. REVIEW OF ISSUES

• Who, what, where, when, etc.?• What paradigm specs do you use?

– Functionalist?– Liberal pluralist?– Power?– Participatory?– Chaos?

• Steyn’s issues: liberalistn, pbs, etc.

Review cntd.• Policy ethos: content & structure• Interventionist vs liberal.• Systems: Authoritarian, Libertarian,

Regulatory, Free Market+State.• Singling out broadcasting• Convergence – does internal policy

need platform nuances?.

2. BACKGROUND

2002 Broadcast Amendment Bill• “Board … ensure reporting …

which advances the national & public interest of the Republic”

• Board should prepare policies and submit for Ministerial approval.

Bdcst Amend Bill cntd:

• SABC needs jist code of conduct• Bill dropped clause in old Act

which had guaranteed SABC free expression, and journalistic, creative and programming independence.

Bdcst Amend Bill cntd:

•Minister should split Board and prescribe functions through Articles of Assoc of the new corporatised body.

•There should be 2 state TV channels in African languages.

Govt comments:• “Journos need to account”.• “Cannot be allowed to report in a

manner that can damage economy or trigger rand collapse”.

• “Content should be more local”• “Our leaders, not foreign rulers,

should be shown”. (Ivy)

Assessment:

•Govt control agenda.•Govt vote of no-confidence in

SABC language delivery.•Undermines public

broadcasting, accountable to public, not the govt.

Outcry:• Opposition, Civil Society • Media (Sanef, Misa), SABC,• Icasa – only needs to consider Minister’s

policy, not accept. – No directive from govt that may interfere

with independence, power, function, and licensing autonomy.

– Therefore: unconstitutionality on Minister approval of SABC policy and new TV stations.

Changes made:

• Broadcast to serve both national and public interest.

• New TV stations to be based at SABC and be public-funded.

• Icasa to be asked to licence.• One SABC board, tho PBS and

PCBS division in corporation.

Govt comments:

• “We tried for 2 years to engage SABC on role and obligs” (Ivy)

• “What seemed extreme was intended to focus attention on accountability.”

• “No regulator can operate without direction”

Changes made to Bill:

• SABC fxi & independence clause reinstated - “but this right is correctly placed in the context of, and is to be balanced with, other rights of all citizens” (Ivy)

Changes cntd:• Board must prepare policies,• Should accord with Icasa’s code of

conduct, licence conditions, Broadcasting Act objectives.

• Icasa must approve,• Public participation must be enabled.• Also: “… Board must … institute

regular & effective means to solicit public opinion … and give due consideration to it” (Ivy)

ANC policy change:

51st congress - Dec 02.• Pro state funds for public &

community broadcasting.• Also pro cross-subsidy• Parliament TV, Africa link-ups• Gender, culture, kids progrs.• Captions for deaf.

3. SABC PROCESS• Draft done, consultation commences. • Unfortunate: no indication given to

public that consultation was not a foregone matter.

• Question: “Trust that SABC consulting because it truly believes the people have an NB role to play, and not merely to comply with the law” Ngoako Ramatlhodi

Place of exercise

• Draft correctly lays out parameters (Icasa, Legislation, BCCSA, etc.).

• But within these limits, there is enormous scope for interpret-ation and elaboration

• Public input can make a meaningful impact.

Consultation principle

• South Africans = co-authors of history in the making

• Legacy of struggle in SA• Commendable for publishing

the Draft in main SA languages.

Purpose of policies• To give guidance to SABC

employees.• To clarify what the public is

entitled to expect from the broadcaster.

• Be communicative & transparent.• Responsive and adaptive.• Clarify accountability.

Basic Assumptions• Draft links SABC to Constitution

–But omits reference to right to FXI

– Thus misses that right to send and receive info is fundamental to citizenship.

–Ignores inequalities of expression in language, and access.

Basic AssumptionsGenesis of initiative assists in analysing

why policies are shaped as they are, what might be informing them, and what their impact might be. (FXI) – namely:

• SABC = Commercial broadcaster.

• Macro economic climate.

• PBS starved like other delivery areas.

4. IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES?

Appropriate training strategies: • Staff knowledge and

understanding• Skills to implement the guidelines.Monitoring mechanism: • How know if actioned?• How know degree of excess?• Who will do it, when?

Indicators• Indicators needed to audit

whether all of the proposed policies are having effects.

• Language policy lacks detail (ANC)

– Needs targets– Three year operational plan

• Detail on practical measures to meet needs of deaf & blind (ANC)

Economics

• Cost of policy on language programming and local content.

• Danger of noble policy goals, undermined by economic model

• Shortfall can undermine credibility • Editorial policies should not be pure

wish-list or unachievable goal.

Alternative economics

• Imperative of redress should inform resource allocation, not vice versa.

• Eg. SABC should ID a need, eg. Tsonga language, and seek funds for it.

• Without plans, hard to convince govt to invest.

• (Policy stretch view)

Power: Who?

• Draft Policies suggest CEO should be Editor in Chief, and new MD of News be part of the line of accountability.

• “Upward referral” for “extraordinary events”

– “Mechanism for consultation”– ALSO: notify top managers of controversy or

impact on SABC

5. KEY ISSUES

• PBS and CPBS• Advertising• Platforms• News• Programming• Holism

6. CONCLUSION

• Reviewed policy theory• Background to process• Process• Implementation• Key issues• Fakir Hassen (Tues) READ: SABC policy booklet: draft,

Submission, Berger (MG), and final.