Tim Zunckel takes a full spectrum overview of the challenges and changes across the industry – and believes there’s reason to invest in the dynamic resilience of radio.
I recently had a ‘come to Jesus’ moment about my lifestyle. Although not a sudden realisation, there was a definite recognition and understanding that something major needed to change.
It was one of those internal conversations where you acknowledge that you’re not all bad and you might even give yourself some fake props to feel a bit better about the state you’ve found yourself in.
The first step is accepting that you have a problem. Then comes the introspection, which serves as a bridge to the plan. How did I get here? How do I become a better version of myself, ME version 2.24?
Does radio, as a medium, need such a moment?
The evolving media landscape is moving faster than before. The media context is constantly changing, as are budgets, external pressures, and the political environment. It is impossible to review a sector in isolation; context remains critical, and the ability to stay relevant is key to ongoing success.
Back to the future
The Government of National Unity has appointed its 10th minister of communications in 10 years. Carrim, Muthambi, and Dlodlo are long gone, but some of the legacy issues in the broadcasting sector remain.
In recent years, the shift of community media portfolio to the minister in the presidency – intended to give the sector more meaningful attention – has also created a curious parallel structure, which I believe further isolates the community media sector.
It is hard to argue that the communications and digital technologies portfolio has enjoyed the stability the media sector requires, and the effects are evident.
The analogue TV switch-off has been a 13-year rolling disaster, with the final deadline set for 31 December 2024. The ineffective use of this spectrum has long been criticised by mobile operators, who believe the space could have been used more effectively to accelerate digital access.
The ongoing switch-off see-saw has also wreaked havoc for the SABC, which cites this as one of the reasons for its poor financial performance in recent years.
The radio industry is also heavily reliant on the state-owned Sentech, which also falls under the minister of communications’ umbrella.
Load shedding, diesel shortages, cable theft, infrastructure damage and ageing equipment are all challenges that Sentech must contend with while trying to maintain transmission services.
The Sentech site footprint is costly to operate, with many sites located in rural and remote areas.
Mixed signals
While many commercial radio operators still use Sentech for signal distribution, it is no secret that these groups consider the signal distributor a high-risk factor in their business operations.
However, the critical nature of their service has also strengthened the relationship between Sentech and the commercial radio sector, with regular communication and knowledge-sharing.
The community radio sector has long cited onerous monthly transmission fees as one of the main issues threatening its viability. The ongoing conversation seems to yield little success – despite the sector’s elevated position to the minister in the presidency.
Meanwhile, the SABC appears to be the biggest defaulter to Sentech, with both SOEs locked in a protracted debate over cost and coverage.
Let’s hope the new minister of communications and digital technologies can send a clear signal to both entities to find a resolve and ultimately strengthen the broader radio sector.
State of play
As a key player in the radio industry, ICASA continues to navigate the complexities of its role in the communications space. From a radio perspective, the authority seems to have a love/hate relationship with the community sector.
For stations that are licensed and on-air, ICASA appears to have made strides in strengthening relationships. The monitoring and compliance officers working with the sector seem to have a better understanding of the challenges stations face, both operationally and in terms of licence conditions.
Improved communication from both sides appears to be the major driver of these stronger relationships.
However, the authority has adopted a much stricter stance on the community radio licence renewal process.
Where flexibility was once part of the authority’s approach, this has now changed to a rigid adherence to deadlines. This shift has led to the closure of several well-known community stations.
The South African Community Radio Organisation (SACRO) has taken ICASA to court to challenge its strict interpretation of the deadline provisions, arguing that the authority can provide more leeway.
As for licensing, it seems that Beat and Rhythm FM will provide neither beat nor rhythm for the areas they were licensed to serve 10 years ago. An April 2020 judgement by the Complaints and Compliance Committee gave the station 180 days to submit an implementation plan.
More than 1 400 days have passed since then. Let’s give someone else a chance to serve that audience or use the spectrum.
Waning watchdogs
From a representational perspective, SACRO has certainly been punching above its weight for the community radio sector, while the National Community Radio Forum (NCRF) has all but collapsed. Although some active provincial branches of the NCRF remain, there is no united national group championing the sector.
Now in its 31st year, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has remained a consistent voice for the local broadcasting industry. The recent establishment of the NAB’s Women’s Forum highlights the need for a more formal approach to mentoring and training the next generation of women in the broadcast sector.
Data and research remain vital tools for the radio business. From a commercial perspective, BRC RAM remains a staple for agencies looking to invest in radio. The challenges surrounding RAMS are well known, and over the last year, commercial groups have intensified their own research efforts to better tell their multi-platform story and collective reach.
The Infinite Dial research done in 2022 still offers valuable insights for audio creators, showing healthy consumption across devices.
Public vs community
For community radio, which remains data-challenged and underrepresented, AI seems a good starting point to help stations use and analyse data received at studio level to build audience profiles.
Despite not being able to monetise their audience effectively, the SABC continues to dominate local listenership, holding more than 70% of the radio market.
A colleague recently told me that my attitude towards the SABC mirrors an abusive relationship, and that I need to accept that things will never change. I’m still in two minds. Did they lose the wrong people in the S189 process, or is the operational structure hindering progress?
It’s hard to have faith when their latest projection shows them losing R1.6 million a day – though that’s an improvement on the R3.1 million per day lost in the previous year.
Imagine the impact on broadcasting if every single community radio station received a grant of R1.6 million a year: more broadcasters, greater media pluralism, more local language usage, sport and content, greater representation of communities and marginalised groups, and a thriving sector…
We could use the remaining R184 million to support audio and language development, creative writing, and the overall development of the radio ecosystem.
I truly want Nomsa Chabeli and her team to succeed – the sector needs it, and audiences deserve it.
More power to radio
I think we are at a pivotal moment for content and contributors as an industry. We can engineer our next layer of success, both financially and with audiences, by investing in people, ideas, concepts, and creativity.
Or we can continue with the status quo.
As an industry, I think we must do better. Audiences are being served vibrant content on multiple platforms, yet we’re still doing “this day in history” and “top ten lists.” Audio is dynamic, immediate, intimate, and accessible. Radio is no longer just a noun – it’s an action, a verb.
Any process of conceptualising, creating, manipulating, working, and sculpting audio is what we as an industry know and understand. We need to amplify the experience for the audience to remain their go-to choice.
We must invest in the heart of our operations: talent.
If the Springbok rugby team has taught us anything, it’s that the right talent wins. It’s a process that requires time, effort, and input. Talent needs to be discovered, nurtured, trained, developed, exposed and rewarded.
It’s a process that will sometimes disappoint, but remember: we lost to Japan, then went on to win the World Cup.
I love the resilience the radio sector has shown in the last few years. As a mature industry, the sector continues to prove its worth to audiences and advertisers.
Let’s not underestimate the trust relationship we’ve built with listeners and how powerful that is for us.
We’ve built trust by being accurate, consistent, and meaningful. We’re not an industry of filters, frames, and instant fame. We remain relevant because we meet the needs of our audiences, in good times and bad.
We mirror and reflect sentiment in real-time, with real people.
We respect the audience that grants us the privilege of being in their homes, cars, earbuds, and workplaces.
We’re a business of moments that create memories. Let’s not become a memory by missing the moment.
Tim Zunckel is an audio ambassador and lover of stories. He currently works for Internews as the regional media business advisor for Africa.
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