Clare O’Neil’s tenure as CEO of the Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRC) comes to an end in December 2018.
In a statement, the board of the BRC – Fahmeeda Cassim-Surtee, Antonio Lee, Monde Twala, Leuba Ramakgolo, Angie Hammond, Nomvuyiso Batyi and Haseena Cassim – announced that all goals set out in the formation and building phase of the BRC had been achieved.
“We are grateful for all the work that Clare has done since the inception of the BRC. The organisation remains committed to serving the radio and television industry and the BRC will ensure that its two audience measurement systems of radio and television remain in a healthy state for the future,” said chairperson, Monde Twala.
Read more: Broadcast Research Council showing the world how it transformed media research
The board said the primary focus of the BRC was (and still is) ensuring that all the principles of transformation are carried throughout the industry body, in alignment with the BRC Members’ transformation principles.
“One of the biggest tasks facing Clare was to ensure the transformation of the actual audience research methodology, meaning that all the research products of the BRC, namely TAMS, BRC RAM, the Establishment Survey & SEM as well as the newly launched ES Products and Brands module had to reflect and be representative of the South African population,” it said.
“With the restructuring of the TAMS panel, the BRC RAM tender created and managed by the NAB Radio Committee, the Establishment Survey tender (which included a new socio-economic model, the SEM), the South African media, marketing and broadcasting industry has seen, under the leadership, expertise, diligence and professionalism of Clare, that the transformation of audience research has been accomplished,” it added.
O’Neil is heading to Athens, Greece to deliver a paper at the upcoming ASI conference (a global radio and television audience measurement convention) on The transformation of audience research in South Africa; the challenges and the results.
“I see the BRC as a learning organisation, where people from the industry come to participate and contribute,” she said. “I feel proud of the BRC’s delivery to the industry, particularly over the past two years, as the datasets have all settled into quite predictable patterns. It has certainly been challenging and rewarding, but overall, an honour and a privilege to have worked with all the South African Broadcasters, radio and television.”
