Palesa Motanyane visits Classic FM to find out how it is coping with local content provision
While radio stations such as Ukhozi FM boast of an extensive reservoir of maskanda or isicatamiya music, Classic FM scrapes the surface in search of recordings of locally produced classical music. The ever-decreasing financial support for symphony orchestras around the country bodes ill for the radio station as the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) has increased quotas for local content to 40% for public and community radio stations, 25% for private radio, 55% for public television, 25% for free-to-air and 8% for subscription television.
Classic FM station manager Mike Ford says: “We will strive to achieve the 25% quota, but with so little classical music being recorded we may struggle to achieve this quota.
“We desperately need access to more local classical music recordings and so far the SABC, which has access to a considerable archive of local classical music, has not made any of its repertoire available to other broadcasters. If it appears to be impossible due to the lack of locally recorded material, we will then approach Icasa to apply for a different ruling.”
Ford’s views are echoed by Classic FM’s deputy general manager Zanele Magoso, who says there is an abundance of local classical music and performers. “The problem, however, is that record companies are not willing to produce local classical music as this type of music is not commercially viable.”
Programme producer Iliska Crossley, who is in charge of compiling content for the radio station, says that in the five years of Classic FM’s existence “there has probably been about two releases [of recordings]. Thus, the station has had to rely largely on the initiative of the musicians themselves to produce their own music for broadcasting.”
Classic FM caters for the higher-income group, most of whom are over the age of 30. In addition to classical music the station broadcasts specialist economic and business content.
“Two hours a day, Monday to Saturday, are dedicated to broadcasting local content of home-grown classics featuring South African artists and composers. This makes up approximately 50% of the local content broadcast on the station,” says Magoso, “and the balance is spread throughout the daily broadcast. But Classic FM will not consider playing other music genres as ‘they are already covered by other radio stations’.”
Meeting quotas seems to be easier where television is concerned. According to Icasa’s Monitoring and Complaints Unit, both SABC and e.tv were exceeding the local content quotas in 2000 when content review was conducted. SABC1 had a 32% local content, SABC2 57,6% and SABC3 48,8%. All the stations had a minimum quota of 25%. And e.tv’s total local content was 27,9% 7,9% more than its required minimum.
In its 2000/2001 annual report, the SABC says it has spent R233-million on local programming, which includes the game show Greed, Generations and 208 new episodes of Isidingo.
Strides made in local content, however, don’t impress independent producers, who say the few big companies get all the work.
According to a study conducted for the National Film and Video Foundation, fewer than 15 companies out of a pool of 150 registered producers produce more than 90% of commissioned television programmes. In many instances, small production companies are questioned about their capacity, available resources and experience when they offer productions.
Kethiwe Ngcobo of Fuzebox sees this as “a bit of a red herring because they are supposed to allocate you a budget that will provide you with the capacity as well as the experience [and] the budgets allocated to producers are often very limited”.
Ngcobo says this results in the production of programmes that do not meet international standards.
In addition, there are no guidelines or terms of trade setting out the rules of engagement between broadcasters and independent producers. This is very disempowering for producers who are not treated as professional by the broadcasters, says Brigid Olen of DO productions.
“We are seen as nothing but facilitators,” she says. “With the way the industry works at the moment, producers do not keep the copyright of their work and they therefore do not receive any royalties on what they have produced.”
The problem is exacerbated by the commissioning procedures, which are seen as not being transparent. Icasa intends to set up a forum drawing in various industry stakeholders to “further investigate the issue”.