Lumko Mtimde is not a latter-day “Please sir, I want some more” kind of person. He certainly does want a double helping, but this seasoned media activist isn’t begging for extra funds for the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA).
Instead, his tactics are strategy, charm and persuasion. As MDDA CEO, he ran a round-table session with broadcasters in Johannesburg this week, and presented the agency’s annual report to Parliament.
The background is a quest to drum up more funds for media development. Demand, says Mtimde, is four times higher than what the MDDA can meet.
Legislated in 2002, the agency’s slogan is: “Every South African should have access to a choice of media.” Since 2004, it has given R45-million in support for 135 projects — mainly local-language community radio stations and small newspapers. Still, says Mtimde, millions of South Africans do not yet enjoy real options in media.
The MDDA’s record of enabling a level of media diversity is in contrast with another statutory body intended to boost the media. This is the Media, Advertising, Publishing, Printing and Packaging Sectoral Training Authority (MAPPP-Seta), whose disarray has led the government to suspend the board and appoint an administrator.
Mtimde’s agency is also doing much better than its equivalent in telecoms development — the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (Usaasa). That body received R31-million last year, but its performance fell by 50% on the previous year.
For the MDDA, the major constraint is a paltry budget. Funds come from three sources: the government, print media and broadcasters. Respectively, they put about R10-million, R5-million and R5-million into the agency last year.
The private-sector support is a strategic calculation by corporate media. Unless they help the industry grow and diversify, the government might just force their unbundling.
Yet there’s not much impact the MDDA can have with just R20-million. To make matters worse, the media’s five-year agreement to chip in comes to an end in the 2008/09 financial year.
Mtimde’s plan is to institutionalise at least the broadcasting contribution. This has become possible under last year’s Electronic Communications Act, which requires broadcast licensees (including the new pay-TV broadcasters) to contribute to either the MDDA or Usaasa.
The levy on each broadcaster is proposed at 0.2% of annual turnover, in terms of draft regulations from the country’s licensing body, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa. That figure could see the broadcast inflow to the MDDA quadruple to between R18-million and R22-million.
Hence Monday’s MDDA meeting to encourage broadcasters to support the 0.2% scenario.
With extra broadcast money potentially in the bag, Mtimde is also looking to some of the funds in Usaasa, inasmuch as joint projects in new media reflect convergence with telecoms.
But there will then be two tougher nuts for him to crack — print media and the government.
First up is the challenge of keeping the print media “on side” — and keeping pace with broadcast involvement. Print’s initial participation was put together by Connie Molusi, ex-Johnnic boss and chairperson of the industry body. This MDDA ally has now left the sector.
Second for Mtimde is the task of getting the government to come to the party more properly. The state’s contribution to date, via Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad’s office, has increased slowly over time — but slowly.
In making the MDDA’s case for a greater rise, Mtimde will be able to cite the African National Congress’s June policy conference. That event recommended that the agency should be strengthened — although the pitch does compete with a similar one for the South African Broadcasting Corporation, which is also hoping for state funding.
Another stream of government funding comes from the Department of Communications, which gives separate grants to community radio stations. It would make sense for these to go via the MDDA.
What the MDDA CEO will need to negotiate with all donors, however, is not just more money. He also needs to ensure that these funds come without strings attached. If the current contributors do cough up more in future, they may — understandably — want more influence, not least because of the mess at MAPPP-Seta and Usaasa being in mind.
On the other hand, each donor has very specific interests — not just a general interest in media development. For the MDDA to succeed, its point of reference has to be its small-scale media clients, and not its contributors.
Ultimately, only an autonomous and impartial MDDA can ensure that the real beneficiaries of more money are not just the direct grant recipients. They need to be the South African audiences for this emerging media.