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From: INTER PRESS SERVICE
Subj: SOUTH AFRICA-MEDIA: BROADCASTING CORPORATION TO TALK BLACK

DATE: 02-14-95 (17:49)

BY GUMISAI MUTUME

JOHANNESBURG, FEB 14 (IPS) - THE SOUTH AFRICAN BROADCASTING
CORPORATION (SABC) MAY SOON BOW TO THE WINDS OF CHANGE BLOWING
ACROSS THIS NEWLY INDEPENDENT NATION AND OPT FOR A MORE
'AFRICAN' IMAGE.

SOURCES IN THE CORPORATION QUOTED BY THE LOCAL MEDIA SAY THE
SABC IS PLANNING A "RADICAL CHANGE" IN PROGRAMMING.

UNDER THE PROPOSED SHIFT, AFRICAN LANGUAGES - MAINLY ZULU AND
XHOSA - ARE BILLED TO PLAY A LARGER ROLE ON THE PREDOMINANTLY
ENGLISH AND AFRIKAANS TELEVISION STATIONS OWNED BY SABC.

THE CORPORATION, WHICH DOMINATES THE ELECTRONIC MEDIA, RUNS
THREE OUT OF THE FIVE TELEVISION STATIONS IN THE COUNTRY. MORE
THAN 12.5 MILLION ADULTS LISTEN DAILY TO THE SABC RADIO SERVICE
WHICH, UNLIKE THE T.V., BROADCASTS IN MORE THAN 20 LANGUAGES.

ACCORDING TO THE CORPORATIONS'S MEDIA LIAISON OFFICER, WILLIE
BISAGIE, SABC IS NOT YET READY TO COMMENT ON THE PROPOSED
CHANGES.

THE BROADCASTING HOUSE HAS OFTEN COME UNDER FIRE FOR
SHUTTLING IRRELEVANT WESTERN MATERIAL. AN EVENING DOSE OF LOCAL
TELEVISION WILL TAKE YOU THROUGH THE TRIAL OF O.J. SIMPSON,
BRITISH WEATHER, SOAP OPERAS AND PROFILES OF THE ROLLING STONES.

LOCAL CHAT-SHOWS ARE PRESENTED BY SLICK, BUBBLE GUM CHEWING,
AMERICAN-ACCENTED BLACK PRESENTERS.

"WHILE MAGNIFICENT PROFILES OF OVERSEAS ARTISTS INCREASE ON
TELEVISION, ESPECIALLY SABC-TV, ONLY ONE PERCENT OF LOCAL
MATERIAL IS SHOWN ON TELEVISION," CHARGES NEWSPAPER COLUMNIST
VICTOR METSOAMERE.

"FORGET ABOUT THE ARGUMENTS OF QUALITY BECAUSE MOST OF THE
OVERSEAS STUFF PLAYED ON RADIO AND SHOWN ON T.V. IS TRASH --
ONLY HIDING BEHIND THE HACKNEYED NOTION OF 'FOREIGN IS
BETTER'.''

CRITICS SAY THE SABC NEEDS TO MAKE A SHIFT FROM THE
PROPAGANDA INSTRUMENT IT USED TO BE DURING APARTHEID RULE.

MAJORITY RULE CAME TO SOUTH AFRICA IN MAY LAST YEAR, WHEN
NELSON MANDELA WAS SWORN IN AS PRESIDENT. NEARLY A YEAR LATER
THE VESTIGES OF APARTHEID ARE YET TO BE REMOVED.

IN THIS COUNTRY OF ABOUT 40 MILLION PEOPLE, 75 PERCENT ARE OF
AFRICAN ORIGIN. THE APARTHEID LEGACY HAS LEFT MORE THAN NINE
MILLION ADULTS WITHOUT EVEN BASIC EDUCATION.

TOWARDS THE END OF 1993, IVY MATSEPE-CASABURRI, THE FIRST
CHAIR OF A 25- 25-MEMBER SABC BOARD SET UP JUST WEEKS BEFORE,
HOPED THE CORPORATION WOULD BE QUICKLY TRANSFORMED INTO A PUBLIC
BROADCASTER, "ACCOUNTABLE TO THE PUBLIC."

"THE TENSION OR CONFLICT THAT IS THE REALITY OF THE SABC, AS
WELL AS GENDER INEQUALITY, GEOGRAPHICAL IMBALANCE AND POLITICAL
INTOLERANCE MUST BE CONFRONTED," SAID MATSEPE-CASABURRI.

THINGS HAVE NOT BEEN EASY FOR MATSEPE-CASABURRI, WHO TOOK
OVER AN ORGANISATION WITH A STAFF THAT WAS 70-PERCENT WHITE AND
70-PERCENT MALE.

AS THE BROADCASTING HOUSE FINDS ITS FEET, CHANGES ARE ALSO
EXPECTED IN ADVERTISING, WHICH SHOULD BEGIN TO USE THE COUNTRY'S
ELEVEN MOST SPOKEN LANGUAGES -- AFRIKAANS, ENGLISH, NDEBELE,
PEDI, SOTHO, SWATI, TSWANA, TSONGA, VENDA, XHOSA, ZULU.

NEWSCASTS ARE TO BE READ IN ZULU, THE MOST WIDELY SPOKEN
BLACK LANGUAGE HERE AND CRICKET COMMENTARIES IN XHOSA.
(END/IPS/GM/KB/95)