South Africa as a regional media power

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The contradictions of broadcasting reform in post-apartheid South Africa

This paper examines the process of mass media reform in South Africa during the 1990s, with particular reference to broadcasting. It identifies tensions between the attempt to restructure broadcasting as a public sphere capable of supporting national unification and democratization and i). the existence of socio-economic differentiation and cultural diversity at sub-national scales; and ii). the pressures which impinge upon the broadcasting sector as a result of policies aimed at internationalizing the South African economy. The formulation of broadcasting policy between 1990 and 1995 is reviewed, and the changes that have taken place during the implementation of restructuring and re-regulation from 1996 to 1998 are critically assessed. The paper concludes that the intensified commercialization of broadcasting is at odds with political objectives of transforming the mass media into a public sphere supportive of a diverse and independent civil society

The limits of media democratization in South Africa: politics, privatization, and regulation

This paper critically examines the processes that have limited the development of a democratic media system in post-apartheid South Africa. After a brief overview of the formation of the Independent Broadcasting Authority, the evolution of the ANC’s economic policies and approach to privatization is discussed. This provides the context in which the transformation of the broadcasting system since 1994 Africa can be understood. The privatization of radio stations in 1996 indicates the political tensions that shape media reform. It is argued that the progress of democratic broadcasting reform is increasingly being dictated by the state’s programme for restructuring the telecommunications sector. In conclusion, it is suggested that the post-1994 period has witnessed a diminution in the influence of independent civil society organizations over media policies, consequent upon an increasingly centralized and bureaucratic emphasis in policy formulation and implementation