The SABC’s expansion into rural bureaux has provoked a mixed response from radio stations, writes Jacquie Golding-Duffy
SABC radio news is planning to expand its operation by establishing eight rural bureaux at an initial start-up cost of about R3,2-million.
SABC radio news managing editor Alwyn Kloppers says increasing the number of newsrooms in rural areas is part of an “expansion drive” by the corporation to improve radio coverage of previously neglected areas.
The bureaux, says Kloppers, should be seen as “contributing centres”, which will feed news to both African language radio stations as well as English and Afrikaans stations.
Increasing news resources and setting up satellite stations “are part and parcel of upgrading the SABC radio stations” and are being made in a bid to bring African language news coverage on par with that delivered on English and Afrikaans radio stations, he says.
“The SABC has nine African language stations which in the past were ignored, but the time has come to improve these stations,” Kloppers says, adding that the establishment of newsrooms in rural areas would enable listeners to be kept up to date with events in these areas.
Kloppers, who is responsible for resourcing radio news countrywide, says the eight bureaux are planned for Soweto, Hammanskraal, Harrismith, Upington, Newcastle, Bisho, Umtata and Thohoyandou.
He says the contributing bureaux, costing R400 000 each, will hopefully be set up by the beginning of next year, after the budget proposal has been approved by SABC group chief executive Zwelakhe Sisulu and SABC board members.
Two reporters will be posted at each of the bureaux.
The satellite stations planned in Bisho, Umtata and Thohoyandou will be temporary and will function as completely separate entities to the existing homeland broadcasters, until such time as the integration process is completed, he says.
Once integration is finalised, reporters will probably be housed in the former homeland broadcasting station and use its facilities.
However, SABC’s plan to set up a bureau in Soweto has not been welcomed by the Soweto community radio station.
Acting station manager Tebogo Pooe says community radio stations have tapped into markets previously ignored by the SABC. Now that niche listenership has proved to be a viable market, the SABC is “jumping on to the bandwagon”.
“I will have a problem with the SABC setting up newsrooms in Soweto if it intends to focus on finer community issues. I would encourage the SABC to stick to being a public broadcaster and leave the details of community broadcasting to community radio stations.”
Voice of Soweto news editor Leo Manne says the corporation’s intention to set up in Soweto comes as “no surprise”, but is proof of community radio stations “keeping the SABC on its toes”.
“I think it is a good thing to have competition and it does not threaten us in any way. It does, however, concern me that the SABC has a huge financial backing while we are trying as hard as we can on what little we have got,” Manne says.
Kloppers argues that the planned move does not aim to undermine community radio stations in rural areas, but aims to increase healthy competition which, he says, “can only enhance editorial production”.