NO national commercial licences on FM. A number of=20 private radio stations will be licensed at a regional,=20 provincial and local level on both FM and MW. According=20 to an IBA official these could be licensed “within nine=20
Regional windows should also be provided for on public=20 service radio stations (duration unspecified). Several =20 radio stations will be sold off to private hands. SABC=20 will retain Radio Metro and 5FM.
A multilingual youth station for the 13-to-25 year age=20 group should be accepted subject to a feasibility study=20 and frequency availability.
Radio Transkei, Radio Ciskei, Radio Xhosa to be merged=20 into one Xhosa-language service. Thohoyandou and Venda=20 to be merged. Radio Mmabatho to be merged with Setswana=20 Stereo. Radio Sunshine will be closed down. Regional=20 windows to be provided for by national public service=20 radio stations.
Public broadcasting services to be funded through a mix=20 of advertising and sponsorship, licence fees,=20 government grants and other income such as leasing of=20 facilities and merchandising of products.
Parliament to provide funding on triennial basis for:=20 the cost of provincial split time on radio; the cost of=20 increasing African language and local content=20 television programming on SABC; the cost of funding=20 educational broadcasting.=20
CROSS-MEDIA CONTROL
No person who controls a newspaper may acquire or=20 retain a financial control in both a radio and a=20 television licence. Control means a 15 percent=20 shareholding. If the newspaper has an average issue=20 readership of 15 percent or more in a particular area,=20 then its owner may not control either a television or=20 radio station in that area. There should be less than a=20 50 percent overlap. M-Net, held in substantial share by=20 the major newspaper groups, may not be affected until=20 its current licence comes up for review in seven years’=20
LOCAL CONTENT
Television: 50 percent local content for public service=20 television, of which: 20 percent of drama; 80 percent=20 of current affairs; 50 percent of documentary and=20 informal knowledge building; 60 percent of educational=20 programming. Should be achieved within three years.
Thirty percent local content for private terrestrial=20 broadcasters, of which: 15 percent of drama;70 percent=20 of current affairs; 40 percent of documentary and=20 informal knowledge building; 30 percent of children’s=20 programming. These quotas apply between 5am and 11pm=20 each day, to be measured weekly. Forty percent of local=20 content programming to be commissioned to independent=20
Radio: Stations which devote 15 percent or more of=20 their airtime to music will be required to provide 20=20 percent local content, to be increased to 40 percent by=20 the year 2000 for commercial stations and 55 percent=20 for full-spectrum PBS stations and community stations.