Thesis (MPhil) -- University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Community radio stations in South Africa are faced with a huge challenge to become
sustainable in the process of serving their communities. The issue of sustainability itself
is complex and shaped by a range of conditionalities. These include community
participation, funding, regulatory and licencing factors, staff and management expertise,
and the strategic planning and management capacity of a station. Often the communities
themselves are materially poor and unable to contribute in monetary terms to the radio
station. However, these same communities are also a source of wealth when it comes to
experience, ideas, human power and time. A major challenge is for station management
to develop organisational strategies that facilitate full utilisation of this community
resource in the process of sustaining their stations.
The focus of this study is on two stations in the Western Cape - Bush Radio and Radio
Zibonele - and how their management is responding to the challenge of sustainability.
Bush Radio has evolved a diversification strategy based on providing formal training
and development as an income-generator, and Radio Zibonele has responded through a
strategy of selling airtime to advertisers. This work describes these sustainability
strategies and explores whether they constitute 'building a brick column or a brick wall'.
The conclusion suggests that while both radio stations demonstrate varying degrees of
community participation, clear internal systems of monitoring and control of resources,
they differ in some fundamental respects of strategy. Bush Radio, on the one hand,
shows a clear commitment to consciously diversifying income sources in a way that
does not leave the station highly dependent on any single source. This, the writer
submits, constitutes an attempt at building a "brick wall". Radio Zibonele, on the other
hand, shows a clear commitment to consolidation and reliance on advertising revenue
as a single source of income for the station. To the extent that this station relies on a
single source of income and does not demonstrate any strategic objective of diversifying
sources, the writer submits, it is building a "brick column".
The basic assumption of this study is that while the challenge of sustainability constitutes
an objective reality facing community radio stations in South Africa today, the subjective
responses developed by station management to deal with this challenge can and often
do make a difference. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Gemeenskapsradiostasies in Suid-Afrika staan voor 'n groot uitdaging om volhoubaar te
ontwikkel. Volhoubaarheid as sulks is kompleks en word deur 'n verskeidenheid faktore
beinvloed. Dit sluit in gemeenskapsdeelname, befondsing, regulerings- en
lisensierinqsfaktore, personeel- en bestuursvernuf en die strategiese beplanning en
bestuurskapasiteit van die stasie. Meestal is die gemeenskappe self arm en nie daartoe
in staat om in rnonetere terme 'n bydrae tot die stasie te lewer nie. Dieselfde
gemeenskappe is egter ook 'n bron van rykdom in terme van ondervinding, idees,
mannekrag en tyd. Een van 'n stasiebestuur se grootste uitdagings is om
organisatoriese strateqiee te ontwikkel wat die volle gebruik van die
gemeenskapshulpbron sal fasiliteer in die proses om hul stasies volhoubaar te
ontwikkel.
Die fokus van die studie val op twee stasies in die Wes-Kaap - Bush Radio en Radio
Zibonele - en hoe hul bestuur op die uitdaging van volhoubare ontwikkeling reageer.
Bush Radio het 'n diversifiseringstrategie ontwikkel wat op formele onderig en
ontwikkeling as 'n inkomstegenereerder gebaseer is. Radio Zibonele, daarenteen,
konsentreer op adverteerders. Die werk beskryf die volhoubaarheidstrategiee elk van die
radiostasies. Die gevolgtrekking word gemaak dat albei radiostasies wei verskillende
grade van gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid, duidelike interne monitorsisteme en beheer van
hulpbronne het. Tog verskil hulle ten opsigte van sekere fundamentele strategiee. Aan
die een kant het Bush Radio 'n duidelike verbintenis tot 'n bewustelike diversifisering van
inkomste op so 'n manier dat die stasie nie afhanklik is van een bron van inkomste nie.
Die skrywer vergelyk dit met die bou van 'n "baksteenmuur". Radio Zibonele, aan die
ander kant, is verbind tot advertensies as die enigste bron van inkomste. Aangesien die
stasie op 'n enkele bron van inkomste vertrou en nie enige strategiese doelwitle vir die
diversifisering van hulpbronne het nie, vergelyk die skrywer dit met die bou van 'n
"baksteenpilaar" .
Die basiese veronderstelling van die studie is dat die reaksie van die stasiebestuur In
deurslaggerwende verskil kan maak om die uitdaging van volhoubare ontwikkeling Suid-
Afrikaanse radiostasies die hoof te bied.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/52153 |
| Date | 04 1900 |
| Creators | Mati, Shepherd A. |
| Contributors | Retief, Johan, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Journalism. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 90 p. : ill. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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