Is this SA's broadcasting revolution?
There’s been plenty of chatter over the last couple of days over a new bill which seeks to scrap our existing television licence system and replace it with a new income tax to fund public broadcasting in South Africa.
While many will welcome an end to the hassles of dealing with television licence it is inevitable that the new system will impose a fee substantially higher than the R250 a year currently levied.
A careful reading of the Public Service Broadcasting Bill reveals that this proposed legislation does not merely envisage a new funding model, but a complete revolution in the the public broadcasting landscape of South Africa.
Among the many proposals of the bill is a plan to expand the number of television channels available to South Africans with the SABC having to introduce channels specifically focused on education, health, youth, parliamentary services and interactive government services.
It also imagines a network of community-based broadcasters run by community members but with the active involvement of local municipalities who will assist in providing content, infrastructure and support services. It further proposes using the Public Service Broadcasting Fund to finance extensive local content development.
Specialist channels will be licensed on a free-to-air basis which will carry children’s programming, local ethno-documentaries and wildlife material.
There is also an international leg where Channel Africa (the SABC’s external service) will be moved into a new division with a mandate similar to that of Voice of America, promoting South African foreign policy objectives on the African continent as well as pushing a strong Afro-centric news and content agenda.
The scope of this bill is grand and imagines a broadcasting environment which truly lives up to a public service mandate. Many will welcome these proposals which theoretically will open up the airwaves to new and diverse voices as well as ensuring that community media will thrive.
Embattled local content producers may see themselves blossom in this new model. However, this new landscape will carry a significant price-tag which, it is clear, will overwhelmingly be carried by the taxpayer.
By way of example, existing British television licences cost £142.50 a year (about R1800) and generate nearly R40bn in revenue annually. That is what it costs to produce broadcasting with the range and scope of the BBC. SABC television licences currently generate about R900m annually.
The Public Service Broadcasting Bill clearly imagines a BBC-style mandate, but what price will South Africans be prepared to pay to see such a mandate delivered?
