Smaller media to get bigger GCIS slice

Wiseman Khuzwayo THE GOVERNMENT Communication and Information Systems (GCIS) has committed to an increased spend for advertising in small commercial and community media for the next financial year. GCIS announced this on Tuesday at the parliamentary portfolio committee meeting on communications.

Lumko Mtimde, the chief executive of the government’s Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA), said the planned advertising for the current financial year would only be known at the end of March.

The committee had requested that the GCIS commit a percentage of its advertising procurement to this sector in the next financial year and the amount would be revealed when the GCIS presented its business plan, he said.

The MDDA was set up by an act of Parliament to “enable historically disadvantaged communities and persons not adequately served by the media” to gain access to it. It is funded by large publishers and broadcasters.

The MDDA and the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) were making a joint presentation as part of a response to the committee’s oversight visits to 30 community radio stations in six provinces last year.

Mtimde and Nkwenkwe Nkomo, the chairman of the ACA, said a marketing procurement agency should be established to facilitate access by small media to government communications contracts.

The committee noted with concern during oversight visits, that there were still challenges facing the advertising industry.

It found that community media projects lamented the lack of advertising support for community radio stations, small commercial media and community print media projects.

It said this lack of support was as a result of the lack of understanding of the community media sector by the advertising industry.

Mtimde and Nkomo proposed a range of sustainability strategies, including research into a national advertising procurement agency; a new system for circulation verification; a new arrangement for printing procurement; the securing of a discounted rate for connectivity and the establishment of the sectoral investment institution.

Mtimde said the MDDA board of directors had approved the establishment of an online advertising booking system to enhance professionalism, accountability, record keeping, reporting and good community radio management.

He said the sector had voiced its dissatisfaction with the role played by certain advertising brokers regarding media campaigns that never reached the intended community radio stations.

In some cases, clients had reports submitted to them which were likely not generated by the community radio station concerned.