Skip to main content

How to improve local radio stations so that all members of the community benefit

 

Community radio stations should be improved to benefit all the members of our communities

Since the born of Media Development Diversity Agency (MDDA), we have seen the mushrooming of radio stations in our communities. The MDDA was set up by an Act of Parliament (Act 14 of 2002) to enable “Historically disadvantaged communities and persons not adequately served by the media” to gain access to the media. Its beneficiaries will be community media and small commercial media.

One amongst the ways in which MDDA can achieve all these objectives is: To encourage the channeling of resources to community and small commercial media. Now, those who have been to our community radio stations like me can attest that if not all the community radio stations but some, do not comply with all that is said in the MDDA documents with regards to how radio stations should include communities in some of their decisions. I have done my Work Integrated Learning (WIL) at a community radio station, and my experience is that: Community members are not benefitting from the radio stations , nor consulted in some of the decision that are taken on behalf of their community stations. My idea is that, a community radio station should be a bridge or a cornerstone of success to the members of communities. Starting from local artists, community radio stations should promote local artists and their music free of charge.

What I have seen is that; some of our local radio stations charge local artists for live interviews when promoting their music and it should be free so that our local artists can also benefit. Community radio stations are important tools to discover hidden talents around our communities, and they should do so without any cent.

Another problem with some of our community radio stations is that; sometimes workers spend months without their salaries, now how on earth can a person work for months without getting paid? Stations get funding from MDDA every year, and they also earn income by advertising for local businesses.
At the end I have a suggestion on how some of these problems may be prevented. My suggestion is that; there should be an organization that deals directly with the finances of community radio stations, the question is how?, What should happen is that: MDDA should not pay the funding for the whole year to our community radio stations but to the organization. Now the organization should be the one  paying the money every month to the radio stations. If there is anything the station needs, then the organization must be informed. I believe there will never be a problem if this suggestion is taken into consideration.
I am very hopeful that in few years we shall see our local radio stations  be transformed and do good to our community members.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kgoshi Letsiri Phaahla narrates history of 410 years old unknown tree

  Ga-Phaahla- In celebration of heritage month, Kgoshi Letsiri Phaahla, from Ga Phaahla area narrates the history of unknown tree, believed to be planted by the late 1 st  chief Makadikwe Phaahla in around 1610. According to Letsiri, the late chief Makadikwe Phaahla had an abnormal protruding belly and he was terrorised and tormented by his community at Madibong village back in the days until he got angry and secretly decided to leave his tribe, headed north to seek assistance from any community he could come across. Letsiri said the late Makadikwe wanted to be assisted to wipe all Phaahla men because they were unfairly terrorised him. “The late Makadikwe walked for months without meeting any community until he crossed Limpopo River in Zimbabwe where he met Karanga tribe. On his arrival, Makadikwe explained his situation to Karanga tribe. “He promised Karanga tribe livestocks owned by Phaahla tribe only if they could assist him in Killing men who tormented and terrorised him f...
Post a Comment
Read more

The review of JJ Onkgopotse Tabane's book 'Let’s Talk Frankly'

Let’s Talk Frankly: Letters of influential to South Africans about the state of our nation. South Africa has been in a grip of worrying culture of acquiesce and silence after 1994. Such silence is largely driven by patronage and a misplaced sense of loyalty, to party politics in a political spectrum. It is clear that speaking out has been left to a few voices that are seen as having nothing to lose. This situation has seen a culture of debating degenerating. The addresses of the letters are South African people of influence who are called upon to their public presence and role to change the course of events in society and improve the level of public discourse. They receive praise for work well done and are castigated for poor judgement and omission in their public life and deliberations. The book ‘Let’s talk Frankly’ expresses some home truths in a satirical and tongue-in-cheek manner and is meant to offend sensibilities as well as things that people often say around dinner ta...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is South Africa throwing a good love away like Zimbabwe did?

  South Africa used to seen as a last hope by many investors in the SADC region. This might be due to it’s historical background, some of the names that made this country  to be respected, are the names of Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Desmond Tutu, Andrew Mlangeni and other political stalwarts. Who have fought  wholeheartedly for this country to be free today. Now the question remains, “is South Africa still a hope for investment?”. Following the looting of shopping malls this week and in the past. It does not need a political or economic analyst to see that the South African economy is in trouble. From the experience that we have, with our neighbor country, when we saw Zimbabwean people aided by their government to loot farms and supermarkets in the early 2000s. Thousands of white farmers were forced out of their land, often violently between 2000 and 2001.One can tell, that most supermarkets will close their stores permanently in South Africa. Rumors ha...
Post a Comment
Read more