TV that “makes the heart knock faster —.”, just like Braam, the sexy number ten player in the radio ad for SABC2’s 7de Laan. It’s a matter of opinion (mine) that the 7de Laan ad is brilliant. It translates to radio what 7de Laan does on screen: Afrikaans, but subtitled for all South Africans. Maybe the ad works best if you’re a bit tweetalig and can follow the literal translations of dialogue, like this discussion of a potjiekos recipe: “Matie se mens gooi die wortels sommer heel in” (He throws the carrots by unupchopped).
The ad is what got me to watch 7de Laan. The discomfort I feel at having to admit that I have now crossed the line to become a soap fan is quickly cancelled out by the sheer enjoyment of guilt-free Afrikaans TV, which really feels like it’s for all South Africans. Yes, it’s overlit, like most soaps are, storyline predictable, pregnant pauses for effect, and so on, but it is lekker local stuff.
What’s significant about the 7de Laan campaign, comprising outdoor, print, radio and TV, is that the soap has become the mouthpiece for SABC2, specifically Afrikaans programming on SABC2.
SABC2 wants to be a street where “everyone can find parking”, and it’s strictly “for South Africans only”. But there is a behind-the-scenes story to this careful positioning of Afrikaans. Despite campaigns portraying SABC2 as a “family channel” that depicts the “bigger South African picture”, research has shown that viewers perceived SABC2 as an Afrikaans channel. And though SABC TV’s repositioning in 1996 made SABC2 the only channel broadcasting in Afrikaans, the channel shares with SABC1 the responsibility of broadcasting in 11 official languages. Of course in time English- and vernacular-speaking audiences started to grow (because of the nature of programming) despite distinct Afrikaans and Sotho blocks on SABC2. This crossover suited the SABC, yet perceptions stuck that SABC2 was Afrikaans.
So it was 7de Laan with its phenomenal viewership figures to the rescue: year-on-year growth in the all-adult market is 11%, and viewership is becoming more racially mixed. During its prime-time slot it has a 75% share of the Afrikaans market, and significantly, now attracts 33% of the all-adult market. Only Generations manages to achieve a higher viewership. What SABC2 could now tell its audience was that Afrikaans was okay, that it was for all South Africans. Importantly, it communicates this message in English (or Afrikaans, with subtitles). 7de Laan allowed SABC2 to be both proudly Afrikaans, and not. But why is it really important to be both?
According to the SABC audience research department, Afrikaans delivers up to 4-million television viewers. Though the 2001 census showed that Afrikaans speakers comprise 13,6% of the South African population, Tiaan Ras, Ads24 research manager, says their research shows that this population segment makes up 25% of the country’s total household expenditure. Ras says the total rand value of Afrikaans spending is R181,6-billion. This figure is split further into white Afrikaans spending – R145-billion – and coloured Afrikaans spending — R33-billion — with the remainder coming from other groups.
So per capita, Afrikaans-speakers are (still) the country’s biggest spenders. Of course white Afrikaans-speakers no longer have political power. Their language can no longer be seen to be dominating a public broadcaster that is for all South Africans. TV in South Africa is now radically different from the days of Koffiehuis-konsert, Nommer Asseblief, Spies & Plessis, Liewe Heksie, Haas Das se Nuuskas, and of course dubbed German crime series and French historical dramas.
Not surprisingly, the SABC faces criticism over “the decline of Afrikaans”, mostly presented by delegations arguing for greater language and culture diversity on TV. The action group Tabema (“Taakgroep vir die bemagtiging van Afrikaans op televisie” [Task group for the strengthening of Afrikaans on television]) says the SABC’s language policy is based on the myth that English is the only lingua franca and bridging language in South Africa. They point out that Afrikaans gets under 8% prime-time airtime, even though Afrikaans-speakers comprise a much larger percentage of television viewers.
But SABC2 channel head Aletta Alberts says if SABC2 wasn’t serious about Afrikaans, it wouldn’t have made an additional R7-million commitment to 7de Laan, which is what it costs just to extend the programme from four to five days a week. The channel has also just placed Noot vir Noot into a prime slot on Friday night, and of course Afrikaans news remains in prime position at 19H00 (18h00 during weekends).
Alberts acknowledges it’s a difficult channel. “While I cannot foresee an increase of Afrikaans programming, Afrikaans is important, because of our mandate. We don’t want to alienate our traditional audience. At the same time, we’ve been working hard on making Afrikaans acceptable for all, so we’re able to move away from any negativity around Afrikaans.”
The “for all South Africans” thread also runs through news programming on SABC2. With the appointment of Eben Jansen as newsreader, Afrikaans news now looks (and sounds?) more like its viewership. Jansen says people should get used to his accent, as that’s how he speaks his moedertaal. The SABC Audience Research division confirms that it’s extremely important for viewers to identify with presenters. News audience diagnostics repeatedly show Afrikaans news outperforming English news on SABC3. The audience is also larger than the e.tv news, and only 3% smaller than that of Nguni news on the mighty SABC1. Afrikaans news viewership is becoming increasingly multi-cultural, with up to 12% of Nguni viewers available at this time preferring the Afrikaans version.
The current affairs programme Fokus (or Focus) has specifically been mandated to target the broader Afrikaans community. Yet in many cases people in authority cannot speak the language. As a result, it also accommodates interviews and programming in English when the majority of the speakers or newsmakers in a story are English (or non Afrikaans-speaking).
Says Fokus executive producer Freek Robinson: “While there is no scientific breakdown of the racial component of viewers, we presume it is in line with the 2001 census figures – in other words, at least 56% of Afrikaans-speakers (and therefore also Afrikaans viewers) are coloured and black.” Robinson believes, while Fokus must try to satisfy the broadest spectrum of viewers, irrespective of colour or income, it should specifically include stories about issues in the coloured community, as they represent the majority of the programme’s viewers.
In contrast to the SABC’s careful positioning of Afrikaans, KykNet, the Afrikaans channel on DStv, invites their viewers to “just be Afrikaans”. KykNet channel head Theo Erasmus says: “We don’t force Afrikaans down anybody’s throat, we don’t make statements about the language, we don’t fight for its survival.” The audience KykNet is able to reach depends mainly on the number of Afrikaans speaking DStv subscribers. 907,000 homes in South Africa have DStv. They assume four members per household, so the entire universe is just over 3,6-million – of this, their research shows that the Afrikaans universe is 874,000 people. The latest Amps data breaks this KykNet market into 89% white, 2% black, 8% coloured and 1% Indian.
KykNet will be running three locally produced dramas this season: Amalia, Hart van Staal and Villa Rosa. But the channel has come under fire for doing too much too cheaply, thereby compromising quality. Of course, for both public and commercial broadcasters, the high cost of indigenous language production will always be an obstacle, whereas English-speaking viewers’ language needs are easily satisfied through cheap imports from the UK or US.
Afrikaans radio is much more diverse, but by far the biggest player is the SABC’s RSG (Radio Sonder Grense). RSG has 1,83-million listeners, but station head Magdaleen Kruger is not one to rest on the laurels of performance. She says while RSG brand loyalty is high, her team is keeping an eye on competition ahead, as the market opens to more commercial and community stations, which can woo niche audiences.
“Nevermaaind Afrikaans”, says Kruger, “if the quality of a rival station is good, audiences will go there, even if it’s in English.” Indeed, Afrikaans audiences are not imprisoned by language. Many indigenous and English-language radio and TV programmes boast significant Afrikaans audiences. In seeking to keep the edge, RSG recently toyed with the idea of becoming a music and personality-driven station, to compete with Jacaranda and KFM. But the station decided to stick with its content-driven format. They’d rather “offer unique programming, make it more attractive and concentrate on being a home for all Afrikaans-speakers”.
RSG hopes to grow its coloured audience significantly in this financial year. The station is also keenly watching for signs of Afrikaans becoming destigmatised. Since RSG has an LSM target audience of 7 to 10, the station must continue to appeal to those with influence, while at the same time become a vehicle for the many strains of Afrikaans.
And that’s what the commercial radio stations catering for Afrikaans-speakers are aiming at too. OFM, for example, boasts strong non-white growth in listenership. Based in Bloemfontein, the station is now 51% black and coloured and 49% white.
It could be argued that such trends have stimulated the proliferation of Afrikaans community stations. Travel around the country, and you can tune in to Radio Pretoria, Radio Lichtenburg, Radio Laeveld, Radio Platorand, Radio Ermelo, Radio Rosestad, and many more.
Christa van Louw, a socio-linguist and transformation expert, believes as long as these stations don’t offend they’re a good thing. It means Afrikaans broadcasting, even in the smallest of towns, is finding its rightful place as an inclusive South African voice.
Ida Jooste is a specialist current affairs producer for Fokus on SABC2, documenting socio-political issues, science, development and HIV/Aids. Awards incl: Vodacom News Feature 2003, Commonwealth Broadcasting Assoc. News Feature 2004.