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MDDA COMMUNITY MEDIA SUSTAINABILITY REPORT AND PRESS STATEMENT

MDDA COMMUNITY MEDIA SUSTAINABILITY REPORT AND PRESS STATEMENT ​ 

31 October 2024


  • On 29 October 2024, the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA), released a groundbreaking Sustainability Model aimed at revitalizing the Community and Small Commercial Media (CSCM) sector in South Africa. This model is a strategic initiative to address the long-standing challenges faced by community radio, television, and print media organizations across the country.

    The research highlights that despite over 20 years of development efforts by the MDDA, only 7% of research respondents considered their organizations to be sustainable; whilst 74% indicated that their organisations were partially sustainable. Community radio had a higher sustainability score (55/100) when compared to community television, community and small commercial print. Key challenges were funding constraints, lack of skilled personnel, limited access to advertising, and inadequate infrastructure

    What was interesting to find when looking at overall sustainability by province is that no survey respondents in KwaZulu Natal & Gauteng considered their organisation to be sustainable. This is interesting because these are the two provinces where the MDDA has the largest footprint/presence which forces us to introspect on the impact we are making generally and the impact we are making in these provinces. Similarly, no survey respondents in the Free State, Northern Cape and Mpumalanga considered their organisation to be sustainable.

    On the other hand, 33% of survey respondents from the Northern Cape indicated that their organisation is not sustainable, followed by 29% who indicated the same in Gauteng. Similarly, 25% of respondents from the Free State indicated that their organisation was not sustainable, while 20% of respondents from Mpumalanga indicated the same. These results indicate that the community and small-commercial media (CSCM) organisations most in need of targeted, focused support from the MDDA are located in the Northern Cape, Gauteng and Free State provinces. The provincial analysis indicated above is the lowest level of geographical analysis possible with the available data.

  • A Multi-Faceted Sustainability Model

  • The new Sustainability Model incorporates the UNESCO Media Viability Indicators and the MDDA’s own Six Sustainability Pillars, providing a comprehensive framework to measure and enhance the sector’s sustainability across economic, political, content, technology, and community dimensions. The model promotes shared service centers to reduce operating costs, introduces targeted training programs through accredited providers, and encourages stronger government and private sector support.

  • Pathway to Tranformation

  • The MDDA’s Sustainability Model focuses on developing a robust CSCM ecosystem by:

  • 1. Mandating 30% of government advertising budgets toward CSCM organizations.
    2. Facilitating access to critical skills and technologies through shared service centers.
    3. Supporting regulatory compliance and governance reforms to enhance credibility.

  • A Call to Action for Stakeholders

    The MDDA urges both public and private stakeholders to support the CSCM sector’s transition towards long-term sustainability. “Our aim is to create a thriving community media sector that serves as a reliable platform for local voices and promotes diversity in media ownership,” stated Shoeshoe Qhu, MDDA’s Chief Executive Officer

    Download a copy of the report: Click to Download and Get Report

    Download the press statement: Click to Download

    Download the Key Findings Presentation: Click to Download


    Ends



Access to diversified media for all