More state advertising spend ‘would save community media’
The Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) says the stand-off between Sentech and community radio stations could be resolved if the state commits to spending 30% of its advertising budget on community media outlets.
Sentech, the state-owned signal distribution company, has switched off 15 community radio stations that are in arrears. These operators owed Sentech R33m for signal distribution services, the state said this week.
This revenue shortfall could have a “negative effect in the legal and administrative functioning of Sentech”.
Communications Minister Nomvula Mokonyane planned to meet Sentech, the National Community Radio Forum (NCRF) and the MDDA on Friday to resolve the impasse.
The NCRF’s website has also been suspended because of non-payment.
MDDA acting chairman Musa Sishange said community radio stations could not afford to set up their own signal distribution infrastructure.
The statutory development agency provides funding for these indebted stations, although a meaningful portion of those funds ends up at Sentech.
Sishange said the MDDA would reiterate its call that national and provincial government, including state departments, should direct 30% of their advertising spend towards community media — including radio, television, newspaper and digital outlets.
That would ensure the sustainability of these stations and would create jobs.
“After all, community media is the most transformed. It has the highest level of women ownership and youth ownership, and that’s really where advertising revenue is needed.”
The MDDA estimates the state spends less than 10% of its advertising budget on the community media sector, which is seen as an important source of information for many segments of the population.
The agency would also propose it pay Sentech directly, rather than through the radio stations it funds, “to try and aggregate the costs and maybe reduce them if we pay such costs in an organised way between Sentech and MDDA”.
Mokonyane said the meeting was aimed at finding short-term solutions and “a long-term and sustainable fiscal framework for community media” that would promote the sector’s growth, its ability to generate revenues and sound governance.
On Thursday the Right2Know Campaign (R2K) said Sentech should restore the signals of the 15 stations. Forte FM had been off air since April 12 and QwaQwa Radio was to be switched off on Thursday, R2K said.
It said the state, which had “lacked the political will” to support community radio, needed to develop “a public funding model” for the sector.