Media in South Africa
Encyclopedia
The media of South Africa has a large mass media
sector and is one of Africa
's major media centres. While South Africa
's many broadcasters and publications reflect the diversity of the population as a whole, the most commonly used language is English
. However, all ten other official languages are represented to some extent or another. Afrikaans is the second most commonly used language, especially in the publishing sector.
Up until 1994, the country had a thriving Alternative press comprising community broadsheets, bilingual weeklies and even student "zines" and xeroxed samizdat
s. After the elections, funding and support for such ventures dried up, but there has been a resurgence of interest in alternative forms of news gathering of late, particularly since the events of September 11, 2001.
government, they were hampered by various amounts of government censorship
during the years. For example, journalist Donald Woods
became renowned after he fled to live in the United Kingdom
in exile after helping to expose the truth behind the death of Steve Biko
, the leader of the Black Consciousness Movement
, along with renowned journalist and current South African politician, Helen Zille
. After the end of apartheid in 1994 however, censorship ended and a new constitution
was enacted which has a Bill of Rights that guarantees that every citizen has the right to freedom of expression, which includes freedom of the press
and media, the freedom to receive or impart information or ideas, freedom of artistic creativity, academic freedom
, and freedom of scientific research.
These freedoms are generally respected in practice and the press is considered relatively free. Laws concerning the media and political control over its content are generally considered to be moderate and there is little evidence of repressive measures against journalist
s. In consequence, South Africa is ranked joint 31st (with Australia
) in Reporters Without Borders
' worldwide index of press freedom 2005.
However, there has also been criticism of certain aspects of the freedom of the press in South Africa. All the large daily newspapers are owned by the four largest media firms, which could lead to pro-corporate
bias. In addition, the South African Broadcasting Corporation
(SABC), the public broadcaster, is funded by the ANC-majority government.
Some media aspects of the Oilgate
scandal have also been a cause for concern as was the banning of the publication of the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad
in South Africa by Judge Mohammed Jajbhay on 3 February 2006.
According to media reports, the SABC blacklisted certain commentators and analysts which may be critical of the government.
Recently, the Protection of Information Bill
and the proposed Media Appeals Tribunal
has caused controversy both domestically and abroad with allegations that press freedom is under threat.
initiated the publishing of the government-controlled Cape Town Gazette and African Advertiser. The first privately owned newspaper, the SA Commercial Advertiser was published in 1824, with Thomas Pringle
and John Fairbairn as editors. The first Dutch language
newspaper, De Zuid Afrikaan, was published in 1830, the first African language newspaper, Umshumayeli Wendaba, in 1837 and the first Afrikaans language newspaper, Die Afrikaanse Patriot, in 1876.
The current newspaper industry is in a fairly healthy state. According to a South African Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) survey in 1996, there were 36 daily and weekly urban newspapers in the country — 29 in English
, four in Afrikaans, two in Zulu
and one in Xhosa
. The dichotomy between demographics and publishing languages can be explained by different literacy levels, the widespread popular use of the English language, as well as South Africa's history of censorship, which curbed the development of a culture of newspaper readership. There are also a large number of free (advertising-funded) local and community newspapers in several different languages. An estimated 1.3 million newspapers are sold in South Africa daily.
There are several independently-owned newspapers, most notably Mail & Guardian
, however the majority are owned by four large publishing groups: Avusa
, Naspers
, Independent News and Media, and CTP/Caxton.
1.7 billion.
While the mass consumer market sector is dominated by only a few publishers (Naspers, Perskor, CTP Holdings, TML), the specialist consumer and trade & technical sectors are very fragmented and contain a large number of small- and medium-sized publishers in addition to the aforementioned major players.
As could be expected from South Africa's recent history, its magazine market is (still) characterised by definite differences in the readership of magazines amongst the country's different race groups. A decline in traditional mass consumer magazine titles versus the growth of specialist titles also characterizes the industry, as does the growth of magazines specifically aimed at black South Africans, such as Drum.
Naspers is the dominant player in the mass consumer magazine sector and sells about two thirds of all the magazines read in South Africa, including imported magazines. The company publishes large national titles such as Fair Lady, Sarie, Insig, SA Sports Illustrated
, Kickoff, Huisgenoot, You and Drum. The Afrikaans language family magazine Huisgenoot
has the largest circulation of any South African magazine and is followed by You, its English language
version; these two magazines have a combined circulation of almost one million copies a week. Fair Lady and Sarie are South Africa's largest selling English- and Afrikaans-language women's magazines, respectively.
Other large mass market publishers are Perskor (Republican Press), CTP Holdings and Times Media. Specialist consumer magazines are also published by the aforementioned publishers, as well as by Primedia Publishing, Kagiso Media and Ramsay Son & Parker. In the trade and technical sector Primedia is the largest publisher.
es, non-governmental organization
s and one-person privately owned publishers. Of the 120 publishers who are members of the PASA, about 12 are classified as large publishers, 7 as medium-sized publishers and the remaining 101 as small publishers.
Books are published in all eleven official languages of South Africa as well as in some non-official and foreign languages. Works published include fiction, non-fiction, children's books, reference works as well as school and university textbooks. Electronic publishing
is also a growing segment of the publishing industry. While some publishers specialise in the type of books they produce (for example textbooks), the majority of the large and medium publishers publish in several categories.
There are also a number of book importers and distributors active in South Africa as the great majority of books sold in South Africa (especially fiction) are still imported, mostly from Britain and the United States
. This has resulted in relatively high prices being charged for books in comparison with the income of the average South African.
The South African publishing industry employs about 3,000 people full-time, as well as many freelance workers. In addition, it is estimated that the South African publishing industry employs about 9,000 authors (full- and part-time), who together earn an estimated R 150 million in royalties annually. The book-printing and bookselling are also largely dependent on this industry.
is the most tightly regulated media sector in South Africa and is (along with radio) regulated by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa
(ICASA). Broadcast rights, especially for television, are issued by invitation only and only two independent television broadcasters have been permitted to operate up to now. Broadcast licenses mandate percentages of local, community and educational content and broadcasters are required to include such content as a condition of their license.
As a result, there are only four free-to-air terrestrial television channels in South Africa, the South African Broadcasting Corporation
's SABC 1, SABC 2 and SABC 3 as well as e.tv. The South African Broadcasting Corporation or SABC is South Africa's state-owned public broadcaster
. All broadcasters are subject to the Broadcast Complaints Commission.
Multichoice
is the oldest provider of pay TV and satellite broadcasting in the country, with one terrestrial pay TV channel, M-Net
, and DStv
, a digital satellite television
network with over 55 local and international channels that broadcasts to over 2 million subscribers throughout Africa. In November 2008 four new licenses were granted, from a total of 18 applications, for the operation of pay-TV services. Walking on Water
(a Christian broadcaster), On Digital Media and e-Sat (the satellite arm of e.tv) were all expected to start direct-to-home satellite broadcasts in mid-2008. This did not happen as only On succeeded in launching its Top TV service. Even Telkom Media
which was supposed to operate satellite services as well as IPTV services such as video-on-demand, never took off and was subsequently sold to Shenzhen Media South Africa. On Digital Media is 68% black owned.
Radio has always been South Africa's biggest broadcast medium and the sector's deregulation in 1996 led to an even bigger proliferation of radio stations. For example, there are about 40 radio stations available to Johannesburg
listeners. South Africa's mass market station Ukhozi FM broadcasts nationwide and is by far the most popular, appealing to isiZulu-speaking South Africans with 6.38 million listeners per week.
Broadcasts range from the country-wide and regional radio stations of the state-owned and funded SABC to fully commercial privately owned stations to community stations that target specific cities, towns, neighbourhoods or ethnic groups.
The majority of radio stations broadcast in English, although the other official languages of South Africa are represented on the airwaves as well. The industry is regulated by ICASA.
Telkom, which has been criticized in recent years for hampering further growth. Telephone and internet access is also available via mobile network operators, such as Vodacom
and MTN, but is an even more expensive option.
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
sector and is one of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
's major media centres. While South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
's many broadcasters and publications reflect the diversity of the population as a whole, the most commonly used language is English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. However, all ten other official languages are represented to some extent or another. Afrikaans is the second most commonly used language, especially in the publishing sector.
Up until 1994, the country had a thriving Alternative press comprising community broadsheets, bilingual weeklies and even student "zines" and xeroxed samizdat
Samizdat
Samizdat was a key form of dissident activity across the Soviet bloc in which individuals reproduced censored publications by hand and passed the documents from reader to reader...
s. After the elections, funding and support for such ventures dried up, but there has been a resurgence of interest in alternative forms of news gathering of late, particularly since the events of September 11, 2001.
Press freedom
Press freedom has a chequered history in South Africa. While some sectors of the South African media openly criticised the apartheid system and the National PartyNational Party (South Africa)
The National Party is a former political party in South Africa. Founded in 1914, it was the governing party of the country from 4 June 1948 until 9 May 1994. Members of the National Party were sometimes known as Nationalists or Nats. Its policies included apartheid, the establishment of a...
government, they were hampered by various amounts of government censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
during the years. For example, journalist Donald Woods
Donald Woods
Donald James Woods, CBE was a white South African journalist and anti-apartheid activist.As editor of the Daily Dispatch from 1965 to 1977, he befriended Steve Biko, leader of the anti-apartheid Black Consciousness Movement, and was banned by the government soon after Biko's death, which had been...
became renowned after he fled to live in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in exile after helping to expose the truth behind the death of Steve Biko
Steve Biko
Stephen Biko was a noted anti-apartheid activist in South Africa in the 1960s and 1970s. A student leader, he later founded the Black Consciousness Movement which would empower and mobilize much of the urban black population. Since his death in police custody, he has been called a martyr of the...
, the leader of the Black Consciousness Movement
Black Consciousness Movement
The Black Consciousness Movement was a grassroots anti-Apartheid activist movement that emerged in South Africa in the mid-1960s out of the political vacuum created by the jailing and banning of the African National Congress and Pan Africanist Congress leadership after the Sharpeville Massacre in...
, along with renowned journalist and current South African politician, Helen Zille
Helen Zille
Helen Zille is the Premier of the Western Cape, a member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, leader of South Africa's opposition Democratic Alliance political party, and a former Mayor of Cape Town.Zille is a former journalist and anti-apartheid activist, and famously exposed the truth...
. After the end of apartheid in 1994 however, censorship ended and a new constitution
Constitution of South Africa
The Constitution of South Africa is the supreme law of the country of South Africa. It provides the legal foundation for the existence of the republic, sets out the rights and duties of its citizens, and defines the structure of the government. The current constitution, the country's fifth, was...
was enacted which has a Bill of Rights that guarantees that every citizen has the right to freedom of expression, which includes freedom of the press
Freedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
and media, the freedom to receive or impart information or ideas, freedom of artistic creativity, academic freedom
Academic freedom
Academic freedom is the belief that the freedom of inquiry by students and faculty members is essential to the mission of the academy, and that scholars should have freedom to teach or communicate ideas or facts without being targeted for repression, job loss, or imprisonment.Academic freedom is a...
, and freedom of scientific research.
These freedoms are generally respected in practice and the press is considered relatively free. Laws concerning the media and political control over its content are generally considered to be moderate and there is little evidence of repressive measures against journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
s. In consequence, South Africa is ranked joint 31st (with Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) in Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
' worldwide index of press freedom 2005.
However, there has also been criticism of certain aspects of the freedom of the press in South Africa. All the large daily newspapers are owned by the four largest media firms, which could lead to pro-corporate
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
bias. In addition, the South African Broadcasting Corporation
South African Broadcasting Corporation
The South African Broadcasting Corporation is the state-owned broadcaster in South Africa and provides 18 radio stations as well as 3 television broadcasts to the general public.-Early years:Radio broadcasting began in South Africa in 1923...
(SABC), the public broadcaster, is funded by the ANC-majority government.
Some media aspects of the Oilgate
Oilgate
Oilgate is a South African political scandal in which the petrol company Imvume Holdings was accused of paying R11 million of state money to the ruling African National Congress shortly before the elections...
scandal have also been a cause for concern as was the banning of the publication of the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad
Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after 12 editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005...
in South Africa by Judge Mohammed Jajbhay on 3 February 2006.
According to media reports, the SABC blacklisted certain commentators and analysts which may be critical of the government.
Recently, the Protection of Information Bill
Protection of Information Bill
The South African Protection of State Information Bill, formerly named the Protection of Information Bill and commonly referred to as the Secrecy Bill, is a highly controversial piece of proposed legislation which aims to regulate the classification, protection and dissemination of state...
and the proposed Media Appeals Tribunal
Media Appeals Tribunal
The Media Appeals Tribunal was proposed in an African National Congress 2010 discussion paper, which, in turn, builds upon a resolution adopted at the African National Congress' 2007 National Conference in Polokwane...
has caused controversy both domestically and abroad with allegations that press freedom is under threat.
Newspapers
The history of newspapers in South Africa dates back to 1800, when the governor of the Cape ColonyCape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
initiated the publishing of the government-controlled Cape Town Gazette and African Advertiser. The first privately owned newspaper, the SA Commercial Advertiser was published in 1824, with Thomas Pringle
Thomas Pringle
Thomas Pringle was a Scottish writer, poet and abolitionist, known as the father of South African Poetry, the first successful English language poet and author to describe South Africa's scenery, native peoples, and living conditions.Born at Blaiklaw , four miles south of Kelso in Roxburghshire he...
and John Fairbairn as editors. The first Dutch language
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
newspaper, De Zuid Afrikaan, was published in 1830, the first African language newspaper, Umshumayeli Wendaba, in 1837 and the first Afrikaans language newspaper, Die Afrikaanse Patriot, in 1876.
The current newspaper industry is in a fairly healthy state. According to a South African Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) survey in 1996, there were 36 daily and weekly urban newspapers in the country — 29 in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, four in Afrikaans, two in Zulu
Zulu language
Zulu is the language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority of whom live in South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa as well as being understood by over 50% of the population...
and one in Xhosa
Xhosa language
Xhosa is one of the official languages of South Africa. Xhosa is spoken by approximately 7.9 million people, or about 18% of the South African population. Like most Bantu languages, Xhosa is a tonal language, that is, the same sequence of consonants and vowels can have different meanings when said...
. The dichotomy between demographics and publishing languages can be explained by different literacy levels, the widespread popular use of the English language, as well as South Africa's history of censorship, which curbed the development of a culture of newspaper readership. There are also a large number of free (advertising-funded) local and community newspapers in several different languages. An estimated 1.3 million newspapers are sold in South Africa daily.
There are several independently-owned newspapers, most notably Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
The Mail & Guardian is a South African weekly newspaper, published by M&G Media in Johannesburg, South Africa, with a strong focus on politics, government, the environment, civil society and business.- The Mail & Guardian newspaper :...
, however the majority are owned by four large publishing groups: Avusa
Avusa
-History:Avusa is a media company in South Africa, formerly known as Johnnic Communications. Avusa means "to rouse feelings, to revive and evokes action"...
, Naspers
Naspers
Naspers is a South Africa-based multinational media company with principal operations in electronic media and print media Naspers is a South Africa-based multinational media company with principal operations in electronic media (including pay-television, internet and instant-messaging subscriber...
, Independent News and Media, and CTP/Caxton.
Magazines
South Africa has a very robust magazine industry with an estimated 280 locally-published titles available; imported magazines add to this number considerably. The industry's annual turnover in 1998 was estimated to be about RZAR
ZAR may refer to:* South African rand, ISO 4217 currency code* South African Republic, * Zairean Airlines, Democratic Republic of the Congo ICAO code...
1.7 billion.
While the mass consumer market sector is dominated by only a few publishers (Naspers, Perskor, CTP Holdings, TML), the specialist consumer and trade & technical sectors are very fragmented and contain a large number of small- and medium-sized publishers in addition to the aforementioned major players.
As could be expected from South Africa's recent history, its magazine market is (still) characterised by definite differences in the readership of magazines amongst the country's different race groups. A decline in traditional mass consumer magazine titles versus the growth of specialist titles also characterizes the industry, as does the growth of magazines specifically aimed at black South Africans, such as Drum.
Naspers is the dominant player in the mass consumer magazine sector and sells about two thirds of all the magazines read in South Africa, including imported magazines. The company publishes large national titles such as Fair Lady, Sarie, Insig, SA Sports Illustrated
SA Sports Illustrated
SA Sports Illustrated is a South African sports magazine published in print monthly.Founded in 1986, it is today South Africa's most popular sporting periodical...
, Kickoff, Huisgenoot, You and Drum. The Afrikaans language family magazine Huisgenoot
Huisgenoot
Huisgenoot is a weekly Afrikaans-language general interest family magazine. It has the highest circulation figures of any South African magazine and is followed by sister magazine YOU, its English language version. A third magazine, Drum, is directed at the black market...
has the largest circulation of any South African magazine and is followed by You, its English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
version; these two magazines have a combined circulation of almost one million copies a week. Fair Lady and Sarie are South Africa's largest selling English- and Afrikaans-language women's magazines, respectively.
Other large mass market publishers are Perskor (Republican Press), CTP Holdings and Times Media. Specialist consumer magazines are also published by the aforementioned publishers, as well as by Primedia Publishing, Kagiso Media and Ramsay Son & Parker. In the trade and technical sector Primedia is the largest publisher.
Books
The book publishing industry in South Africa is relatively small, but it is nevertheless a key factor in its economy. There are more than 120 publishers in the country, according to the Publishers' Association of South Africa (PASA). Among these are commercial publishers, university pressUniversity press
A university press is an academic, nonprofit publishing house that is typically affiliated with a large research university, and publishes work that has been reviewed by scholars in the field. It produces mainly scholarly works...
es, non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
s and one-person privately owned publishers. Of the 120 publishers who are members of the PASA, about 12 are classified as large publishers, 7 as medium-sized publishers and the remaining 101 as small publishers.
Books are published in all eleven official languages of South Africa as well as in some non-official and foreign languages. Works published include fiction, non-fiction, children's books, reference works as well as school and university textbooks. Electronic publishing
Electronic publishing
Electronic publishing or ePublishing includes the digital publication of e-books and electronic articles, and the development of digital libraries and catalogues. Electronic publishing has become common in scientific publishing where it has been argued that peer-reviewed scientific journals are in...
is also a growing segment of the publishing industry. While some publishers specialise in the type of books they produce (for example textbooks), the majority of the large and medium publishers publish in several categories.
There are also a number of book importers and distributors active in South Africa as the great majority of books sold in South Africa (especially fiction) are still imported, mostly from Britain and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This has resulted in relatively high prices being charged for books in comparison with the income of the average South African.
The South African publishing industry employs about 3,000 people full-time, as well as many freelance workers. In addition, it is estimated that the South African publishing industry employs about 9,000 authors (full- and part-time), who together earn an estimated R 150 million in royalties annually. The book-printing and bookselling are also largely dependent on this industry.
Television
TelevisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
is the most tightly regulated media sector in South Africa and is (along with radio) regulated by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa
Independent Communications Authority of South Africa
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa is an independent regulatory body of the South African government, established in 2000 by the to regulate both the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors in the public interest....
(ICASA). Broadcast rights, especially for television, are issued by invitation only and only two independent television broadcasters have been permitted to operate up to now. Broadcast licenses mandate percentages of local, community and educational content and broadcasters are required to include such content as a condition of their license.
As a result, there are only four free-to-air terrestrial television channels in South Africa, the South African Broadcasting Corporation
South African Broadcasting Corporation
The South African Broadcasting Corporation is the state-owned broadcaster in South Africa and provides 18 radio stations as well as 3 television broadcasts to the general public.-Early years:Radio broadcasting began in South Africa in 1923...
's SABC 1, SABC 2 and SABC 3 as well as e.tv. The South African Broadcasting Corporation or SABC is South Africa's state-owned public broadcaster
Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
. All broadcasters are subject to the Broadcast Complaints Commission.
Multichoice
MultiChoice
MultiChoice is a South African company which operates the DStv satellite television service, the main satellite TV service in Sub-Saharan Africa. It was formed out of the subscriber-management branch of the M-Net terrestrial pay TV company, and broadcasts the full range of M-Net channels on the...
is the oldest provider of pay TV and satellite broadcasting in the country, with one terrestrial pay TV channel, M-Net
M-Net
M-Net is a subscription-funded television channel in South Africa, established in 1986 by Naspers....
, and DStv
DStv
DStv is MultiChoice's multi-channel digital satellite TV service in Africa, launched in 1995. It operates from two satellites over Africa, broadcasting on Ku band via Eutelsat W7 and Intelsat 7 , which only requires a small satellite dish...
, a digital satellite television
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
network with over 55 local and international channels that broadcasts to over 2 million subscribers throughout Africa. In November 2008 four new licenses were granted, from a total of 18 applications, for the operation of pay-TV services. Walking on Water
Walking on water
Jesus' walks on water, or Jesus walking on water, is one of the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels. Accounts of the miracle appear in three Gospels: Matthew 14:22-33, Mark 6:45-52 and...
(a Christian broadcaster), On Digital Media and e-Sat (the satellite arm of e.tv) were all expected to start direct-to-home satellite broadcasts in mid-2008. This did not happen as only On succeeded in launching its Top TV service. Even Telkom Media
Telkom Media
Telkom Media is a pay-TV company based in South Africa. It is intended to be the first provider of IPTV services in South Africa.-History:South African fixed-line telephone operator Telkom announced the creation of Telkom Media in August 2006, when it also applied for commercial satellite and...
which was supposed to operate satellite services as well as IPTV services such as video-on-demand, never took off and was subsequently sold to Shenzhen Media South Africa. On Digital Media is 68% black owned.
Radio stations
- See also List of radio stations in South Africa.
Radio has always been South Africa's biggest broadcast medium and the sector's deregulation in 1996 led to an even bigger proliferation of radio stations. For example, there are about 40 radio stations available to Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
listeners. South Africa's mass market station Ukhozi FM broadcasts nationwide and is by far the most popular, appealing to isiZulu-speaking South Africans with 6.38 million listeners per week.
Broadcasts range from the country-wide and regional radio stations of the state-owned and funded SABC to fully commercial privately owned stations to community stations that target specific cities, towns, neighbourhoods or ethnic groups.
The majority of radio stations broadcast in English, although the other official languages of South Africa are represented on the airwaves as well. The industry is regulated by ICASA.
Internet and telecommunications
In comparison with the rest of Africa, this sector is fairly big and robust. However, it is dominated by the fixed line monopolyMonopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
Telkom, which has been criticized in recent years for hampering further growth. Telephone and internet access is also available via mobile network operators, such as Vodacom
Vodacom
Vodacom is a pan-African mobile telecommunications company, and was the 1st cellular network in South Africa. It provides GSM service to more than 35 million customers in South Africa, Tanzania, Lesotho, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Revenue for the year ended 31 March 2008...
and MTN, but is an even more expensive option.
Internet
- News24
- In4Ride
- IOL
- Destiny Man
- The Citizen
- Times Live
- Eyewitnessnews
- Fromtheold
- East Coast radio
- Business Day
- Weekend Post
- Sowetan
- Mail and Guardian
- Dispatch
Magazines
Newspapers
- The Mail & Guardian
- The Cape Argus
- Die Burger, an Afrikaans paper
- Business Day
- The Star
- The Sunday Times
National
Regional/Local
- Bush Radio
- Cape Talk
- EAST COAST RADIO
- Good Hope FM
- Highveld Stereo
- (http://www.kayafm.co.za Kayafm 95.9
- Impact Radio
- Kfm
- Radio 786
- Radio Oranje
- Radio Pretoria
- Radio Pulpit
- Talk Radio 702
- The Voice of the Cape
- YFM
- TuksFM
- iGagasi 99.5 FM