SABC mandate

News Research

Presentation to RhodesAugust 2004

Board’s goals and News deliverables

SABC mandate

News Research

Content

• Governance of Corporation• Board appointments• Responsibilities• New Board• PBS roles and obligations• Public broadcasting strategy• Board goals• Board priorities• Management and staff mandate

SABC mandate

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Governance of Corporation

• Broadcasting Act established SABC as public broadcaster

• Broadcasting Charter outlines the broad responsibilities of the SABC– “6.2 In terms of this Charter, the

Corporation will … enjoy freedom of expression and journalistic, creative and programming independence.”

• SABC Board appointed via a public process– “14. … to control the affairs of the

Corporation …

SABC mandate

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Board appointments

• Twelve non-executive members:– Public nominations– Interviews and shortlisting by

Parliamentary Portfolio Committee– Endorsed by National Assembly and

appointed by the President– President appoints a chair and deputy

• CEO, COO and CFO are executive members of the Board

SABC mandate

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Responsibilities

• Board determines SABC objectives and policy

• Board appoints Executive Committee: CEO and six other members, including MD: News

• Executive Committee – administers the Corporation– is accountable to the Board– perform functions as determined by the

Board– execute objectives and policy

SABC mandate

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New Board

• Appointed end 2003 and took office end January

• After intensive review of SABC, Board formulated the way forward for its term, until 2008:– PBS roles and obligations– Public broadcasting strategy– Goals– Priorities

SABC mandate

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PBS roles and obligations 1/3

• Inform, educate and entertain citizens

• Promote national identity and contribute to nation building

• Provide a diversity of programmes, thus serving all audiences, young and old, men and women, rural and urban, able and disabled, and serve all national languages and cultures

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PBS roles and obligations 2/3

• Give special attention to serving minorities

• Showcase national cultures and arts, through helping to build local production industries

• Nurture democracy

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PBS roles and obligations 3/3

Board chair:• “But these roles and obligations can only be

achieved authentically and substantially when editorial independence and journalistic freedom is guaranteed and practiced, fundamental public service broadcasting principles that this Board is determined to uphold and defend.

• “In summary, public service broadcasting is therefore charged to undertake that which is valuable but not valued by the market place; that which makes a difference in our lives and responds to our essential human needs.”

SABC mandate

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Public broadcasting strategyExcerpts:• “… public broadcaster must surely be the source

for the public good, and for an empathic, patriotic and thoughtful citizenship.”

• “… cannot be the source for a culture that is anti-democracy and anti-politics,

• “… offering programming that is simultaneously modern and impactful on the one hand, and empathic, patriotic and serving of the public good on the other …”

• “… nation and democracy is best served by programming that is described here within the fundamental principles and essential requirements of editorial independence and journalistic freedom”

SABC mandate

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Board goals 1/3

• Ensure the SABC promotes democracy and non-racialism by building empowerment through innovative programming that is informative, entertaining and educative in all official languages

• Align SABC operations with the Broadcasting Charter, the Corporation’s objectives as set out in the Broadcasting Act, and the Editorial Policies

• Create a financially sound corporation built on a sustainable business model within a specified timeframe that enables it to fulfil its mandate

SABC mandate

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Board goals 2/3

• Revitalise the Corporation, particularly the News Department by making it a preferred place of employment, attracting, retaining and nurturing the best available talent in the country

• Ensure full statutory and regulatory compliance by all divisions of the public broadcaster

• Ensure that appropriate Employment Equity and Black Economic Empowerment Policies are in place

• Create an SABC that enjoys the support and respect of its shareholder, viewers, listeners as well as other stakeholders

SABC mandate

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Board goals 3/3• Ensure compelling, professional and

authoritative news and current affairs programming that tells the South African story accurately, fairly and in a balanced way while reflecting the world, in particular Africa, to all South Africans in line with the SABC’s Editorial Policies

• Ensure that the SABC plays a meaningful role in supporting the objectives of African Renaissance and Nepad

• Ensure that the SABC has in place the technology platform that will enable it to deliver on its mandate

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Board priorities 1/3

• Consider and define the role of the SABC as a public broadcaster and align policies andstrategies accordingly

• Ensure compliance of the SABC’s activities with the provisions of the Broadcasting Act, as amended, and the Editorial Policies

• Ensure that the corporatisation requirements of the Broadcasting Act, as amended, have been disposed of timely and successfully

SABC mandate

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Board priorities 2/3

• Ensure that various business units comply with local content quotas in television and radio and even exceed these

• Extend the investment in SABC Africa• Ensure that coverage of Africa is enhanced• Establish an appropriate organisational

model that separates the public and commercial services portfolios of the SABC as required by legislation

SABC mandate

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Board priorities 3/3

• Operationalise the regional television channels

• Encourage regional skills development and regional productions

SABC mandate

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Management and staff mandate

• Board’s goals and priorities

– constitute the mandate of the organisation

– must drive daily operations in the News Division

– determine MD and News management’s KPAs

– must cascade down to all levels of the division

SABC mandate

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End