Issued by: Government Communications (GCIS)
August 28, 1998
Jay Naidoo, Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Broadcasting says there is a growing misconception among community radio broadcasters that religious stations are to be shut down in terms of the draft Broadcasting Bill currently before Parliament.
"I want to make it very clear to every community of interest broadcaster - of which the religious sector is one - that there is absolutely no truth to these rumours. We have no jurisdiction to shut down radio stations - that is the domain of the Independent Broadcasting Authority. And the IBA cannot arbitrarily shut down stations if they are performing in accordance with their license conditions," he says.
"Further, I want to emphatically state that religious broadcasters are accommodated in the new law. In terms of the Constitution, there is no way that any law can be considered which suppresses the rights of any group or discriminates against any group on the basis of religion, race or creed," Naidoo said.
"In particular, I want to emphasize that the new Broadcasting Bill goes the extra mile in ensuring that community broadcasters meet the needs - including the religious needs - of all the people of their communities."
The rumours appear to have been fuelled by certain broadcasters and industry associations who have interpreted a particular clause in the draft Broadcasting Bill to be "the immediate closure of all stations broadcasting to religious audiences". This appears to have come about because the draft Bill
Legislates the change in definition of community radio broadcasters as being defined both as an "interest group" and "geographically", to just "geographically".
The changes are necessary because the number of frequencies available is limited, and the demand to participate in community broadcasting is increasing, he says.
The IBA is currently faced with a situation in which it has received more than 230 applications for 4-year community radio licenses, and the majority of these are in urban areas. Approximately 300 frequencies are allocated to community broadcasting and of these about a hundred have already been allocated. Most of the unoccupied frequencies are in rural areas whereas the demand is greatest in urban areas. "Government has a responsibility to manage this scarce resource in a way which benefits all communities in our country and in a way which gives all people a share of the resource."
Requires community radio programming to serve the needs of all people in the geographically defined community.
"The Bill seeks to include as many community interests as possible in a non- discriminatory manor. It is inclusive of all genuine community interests. There is in fact no mention of the character of the stations in the Bill. If communities want to identify themselves in a religious, cultural or any other way within a geographic area, its up to them to define themselves in that way."
The system of checks and balances is fully intact and is enhanced by a requirement in the Bill for the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) to conduct a Public Inquiry to determine the terms, regulations and conditions under which the change to geographically defined stations will be phased in.
"So there is going to be a transparent, public process before any changes are made to the existing provisions on community broadcasting," Naidoo says.
This means that current licensing processes - such as the four-year community licensing process which the IBA is to begin soon, and the continuing licensing of stations with temporary one-year licenses - will not be affected by the new legislation. "These are mutually exclusive processes. The Bill establishes a framework to govern the development of broadcasting in the long term whereas the licensing schedule of the IBA is addressing an immediate need."
Contact: Mandy Jean Woods Phone: 082 653 4211 or (021) 462-1632 Fax: (021) 462-1646 Email: mandy@doc.org.za