Marion Edmunds
South African Broadcasting Corporation Radio Chief Govin Reddy is fighting shy of releasing a foreign consultant’s report critical of the way change has been managed at the SABC’s controversy-ridden English- language radio station SAfm.
Reddy wants to keep an Australian-funded report, which criticises change management at SAfm over the last year, confidential until he has discussed it with senior management — despite mounting interest in the report from SABC unions, staff and the media.
The report, written last month by Australian media consultant Ann Tonks, is a follow-up on recommendations made by her and other international experts last year, just after the elections. Sources in the SABC charge Reddy is “sitting on the report” and “keeping it close to his chest”.
Tonks’ spokesperson in Australia said she would not talk about the report because she respected the SABC’s desire for confidentiality. The Australian Embassy, which facilitated funding for Tonks’ work, would not comment either.
Tonks initially made recommendations in 1994 to help ease the transition from Radio South Africa to SAfm. These are not confidential, but Reddy’s office said this week the 1994 report containing those recommendations had been mislaid. The follow-up report — the one deemed “sensitive” and treated as confidential — followed Tonks’ visit last month to assess the station’s progress after a year.
According to sources, Tonks expressed disappointment that few of her recommendations had been implemented and has suggested more.
The transition of Radio South Africa to SAfm provoked squeals of outrage from listeners who felt alienated by the changes, and strong defence from those who supported the new approach. Reddy justifed the changes, saying that SAfm needed to broaden its appeal to all English-speakers and that much of the criticism was generated by a group of white, ageing racists.
While letters of protest from both sides filled newspapers and flooded SAfm, SAfm’s listenership has dropped.
Reddy remains defensive about the Tonks report, saying it was not unduly critical; that the major criticism had been that the station had not marketed itself properly, and that the staff needed more training. He said the report praised the progress made by SAfm in repositioning itself and in strengthening the current affairs programmes.
He said that some of her initial recommendations were not implemented because they would have cost too much.
When asked if he would be happy to have Tonks back for a third evaluation, Reddy said that he did not think that they needed her any more.