FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: TV LICENCES & PROGRAMME ISSUES (Part 2)
2. TV PROGRAMME ISSUES
2.1 There is Nothing for Me to Watch on Television
Television is a demand-driven medium. What that means is that no one can be forced to watch a particular programme or TV channel: if viewers don’t like what they see, they switch off or retune to another channel. The SABC has to screen shows with mass appeal to attract mass audiences, otherwise its viewers would simply migrate to other broad-casters such as e-tv, M-Net and the satellite service DStv, and the SABC would lose its advertising revenue.
Popular shows are viewed by millions of people. Those numbers, in turn, attract the advertising that pays for the less popular shows (quality British, European or Australian films, wildlife and scientific series, documentaries, in-depth news/political/social/ religious/economic discussions, etc) that discerning viewers prefer. Were the SABC to cut down on the advertising that many viewers find so irritating, it would be unable to finance those programmes that they like.
The SABC′s television channels could be compared to a single newspaper or magazine, in 11 languages, for all South Africans. In such a publication a reader would have to look for those reports or items in a language he understands and that interest him, and skip those in other languages or those of no interest to him – realising that they are intended for readers who speak different languages and whose interests differ from his. Precisely the same applies to the SABC′s television programmes serving viewers in different target audiences, from different cultures and backgrounds, who speak different languages and have divergent interests.
2.2 The SABC Does Not Stick to Advertised Programmes
Information on TV programmes published in newspaper supplements and magazines are provided to those publications up to six weeks before the date of broadcast to allow for delays caused by printing and distribution. Once printed, these schedules obviously can not accommodate inevitable late programme changes. That is precisely why the SABC's own monthly printed guide, Radio & TV Talk, was discontinued in December 2002 and replaced with on-screen information at regular intervals throughout the day. These schedules can be updated up to shortly before the time of broadcast and are accurate.
2.3 Why are TV Programmes Rebroadcast?
- Programmes are sometimes repeated by popular demand. Inevitably, large numbers of viewers cannot watch when a show is screened for the first time. When hundreds (even thousands) of requests are received for a re-broadcast, the SABC would give favourable consideration to doing so. However, a programme cannot be repeated at the request of an individual or a handful of people.
- The SABC would also consider a rebroadcast when, as sometimes happens, a widespread power failure has caused thousands of households in a particular part of the country to miss a top movie or an episode of a mini-series. This was the case some years ago in parts of KwaZulu-Natal, and in the Western Cape.
-Most popular "soap serials" are aired in the late afternoon/early evening when working people are still on their way home; when others are having supper or are preparing to go out for the evening. For their convenience, "soaps" are re-screened in omnibus form on weekends – over lunchtime on Saturdays, or late on Sunday mornings. Many people with little time in the evenings prefer to watch the omnibus over weekends. It also allows viewers who have missed an episode during the week to catch up.
-When TV programmes are purchased for broadcasting, the SABC does not buy the film or video itself, but only the right to broadcast it once. For a re-broadcast further payment must be made to the distributor – a repeat broadcast is not, as some people believe, gratis and free of charge because the SABC already has the material. Re-broadcasting rights are, however, offered at a discount. Bearing in mind that even the cheapest shows (soap serials such as Days of Our Lives or The Bold and the Beautiful) cost in the region of R1 000.00 a minute, this is a financial consideration that cannot be ignored.
2.4 Why Does SABC TV Not Cater for the Elderly?
In terms of its mandate, the SABC has a duty to cater for the needs of all South Africans, senior citizens included. Across the spectrum of languages on all TV channels there are indeed programmes targeting senior citizens. However, with more than 50% of our population being younger than 20, the elderly constitute only a small segment of our total daily TV audience of 20 million.
Secondly, like the general viewing public, senior citizens are also not a homogeneous group, all with similar interests and tastes – but can be divided into the same diverse language, cultural and interest groups, with equally diverse tastes. Demands that the SABC should "cater for the tastes of the elderly" would mean different things to different people – depending on the language, income and lifestyle groups they belong to.
2.5 Why are Sound Levels of Advertisements so High?
Advertisements broadcast on TV are not produced by the SABC but by advertising agencies commissioned by the advertisers. The SABC has strict technical standards that all advertisers need to conform to when submitting material for broadcasting. Ads for radio or TV may not be recorded at a volume above a certain prescribed level. However, advertising agencies often use a technique known as "compressed sound" or "processed audio" – resulting in an advert conforming to the technical standards of the SABC when measured, but sounding much louder than what the control room instruments register.
Whereas not all television programmes (especially those involving speech) have sound at the maximum permitted level, advertisements do tend to use maximum volume. This contrast is usually the cause of the perceived excessive sound levels. Incidentally, this is not unique to South Africa: it is experienced world wide. British and American technicians have been trying to find a solution for years and have come up with one that is not only extremely expensive, but does not work well enough to warrant the outlay. It works on the principle that the transmission computer "reads" an advertisement and immediately reduces the volume. However, many ads are produced without processed audio, and those are then reduced to an almost inaudible level. When a real solution is found, the SABC will be sure to implement it.
2.6 Why does the SABC no Longer Cut Offensive Scenes and Language from its Programmes?
Since the advent of democracy in South Africa – with its guarantees of freedom of speech, of expression and of the media – broadcasters may no longer excise crude language or explicit scenes of violence or sex that might offend some viewers, as all censorship legislation has been abolished. Instead, broadcasters are required to provide clear consumer information on the content of age-restricted programmes, which must be shown late at night when younger children are in bed. Having been given due warning, viewers themselves have to decide whether or not to view such shows. Many movies do contain adult material and, by law, therefore have to be screened after 21:00.
All broadcasters are subject to the Code of Conduct of the BCCSA (Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa), an independent complaint adjudicating body of the broadcasting industry. The BCCSA does not form part of the SABC. It deals with contraventions of its Code that covers matters such as unfair comment; factually incorrect, out-of-context or biased news reporting; political coverage during election periods; excessive violence, explicit sex or crude language on TV (without the above directives having been complied with); material that could offend on religious grounds or incite to racial hatred; invasion of privacy, etc.
This absence of State control over programme content is a logical consequence of democracy and the greater freedoms it brings. However, these freedoms also require a greater personal responsibility from every individual – in the case of a TV viewer, this means deciding which programmes one wishes to view (or would allow one′s children to view) and which ones are intended for other target audiences with other tastes and needs.
2.7 "What do my Television Licence Fees Pay for?"
The SABC has two connections with television licences: (1) by law the SABC is responsible for collecting licence fees and managing the TV licence system; and (2) the SABC receives TV licence revenue in order to enable it to deliver the public services demanded of it by the State.
As the national broadcaster the SABC is mandated by the Broadcasting Act to provide compre-hensive broadcasting services (radio and television) for all South Africans, taking into account the population′s ethnic, language, cultural and religious diversity. To this end, the SABC must:
- inform; educate and entertain its audiences;
- support and develop culture and education; and
- as far as is possible, ensure fair and equitable treatment for the various cultural groupings in the nation and the country.
The SABC′s obligations to give effect to this mandate include broadcasting on radio and TV in all eleven official languages; providing a full spectrum of programming from cultural, religious and music programmes to news, sports coverage and entertainment; and making its services available countrywide with universal access as the ultimate aim. In terms of the Broadcasting Act the SABC may use TV licence revenue ONLY for these public service commitments.
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