The
role of broadcasting in the future - principles and policy
Presentation
to Broadcasting Policy Colloquium
Kopanong Premier Protea Hotel, Benoni
by
Guy Berger, March 1998
The
role of broadcasting in South Africa is integrally bound up with the role of
the state, and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. In this paper,
the relation of the state to society forms the first level of analysis of the
role of broadcasting. An understanding of principles and policy follows as the
second level. The third level highlights specific state policies and recent
historical trends. Within this contextual framework, many third level issues
are relevant: various models for the future, the place and scope of the IBA
and the SABC, and questions of national culture and funding. The continuing
thread is that broadcasting policy should not be overly ambitious, and that
the role of broadcasting itself should not be over-emphasised. A modest approach
is more in keeping with constraints and complexities on the ground. The importance
of research in policy formulation and evaluation is continuously underlined.