You're in the Position

You're in the position ... MULTIFACETED BROADCASTING: AN ANALYSIS INTO LOTUS FM'S ROLE AND IDENTITY AS A "NATIONAL PUBLIC SERVICE-CUM COMMERCIAL BROADCASTER WITH COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY" Sunita Kaihar Graduate Programme in Cultural and Media Studies University of Natal, Durban March 2001 DECLARATION 1, Sunita Kaihar, decl are that the work presented in thi s dissertation is my own and has not been submitted previously to any ot her university or technikon. Any work done by other persons has been duly acknowledged , Graduate Programme in Cultural and Media Studies (GPCMS) University of Natal, Durban March 2001 ACKNO~EDGEMENTS I am grateful to each and everyone who's been a pillar of strength and support for me over the past few months. 1 would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to my family. as well as to my dear friends, Susan Govender, Tasneem Seedat, and Rene Smith who were the driving force behind the timely completion of this research. To my supervisor, Professor Ruth Teer Tomaselli, who was my 'guiding light'. I sincerely thank you for your valuable time and knowledge of broadcasting imparted to me in the course of the past year and a half. To the Manger of Lotus FM, Dr Naresh D Veeran, 1 extend my heartfelt gratitude for all your time and assistance in helping me obtain relevant and pertinent information relating to Lotus FM. At the same time, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for granting me time off from the radio to work on this document. This thesis would never have seen completion without the invaluable contribution made by the management and select few presenters of Lotus FM. To all my friends, near and far, and my colleagues at University of Natal, I extend my sincere appreciation for your support and encouragement over the past few months. Last, but not the least, to my father, Mr K B Kaihar, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your help and support. THANK YOU! ABSTRACT Radio broadcasting is usually classified as either a public broadcasting service or as being commercially driven. In the South African context, the concept of community radio has further complicated the definition of a public broadcasting service. While profit motivation and niche marketing characterize a radio driven by commercial means, community radio is predominantly non-profit oriented, directed towards a particular community. A public broadcasting service is, amongst other elements, typified as being geographically accessible to all and of paying particular attention to minority groups. Lotus FM, a radio station that came into existence on 16 January 1983, for the South African Ind ian community, describes itself as a "national public service-curn-commercial broadcaster with community responsibility", The South African Ind ian community, a minority group within the broader South African population, comprises of five language groups (Hindi , Gujarati, Urdu, Tamil and Telegu) and three religious groupings (Hinduism, Islam and Ch ri sti anity). This research aims to explore the feasibility with which Lotus FM is accommodating the conflicting interests of being a melange of all three forms of broadcasting and reflecting it via it s programmes. ABBREVIATIONS FM Frequency Modulation RAMS Radio Audience Measurement Survey SAARF South Afiican Advertising Research Foundation SABC South African Broadcasting Corporation TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. Declaration Acknowledgements Abstl'a ct Abbl'cviatiolls I. lntl'oduction 01 Importance of Radio as a Broadcasting Medium 03 History of Lotus FM 04 Table I. J Population of South Africa - Racial Breakd('lwn 05 Chart I . J Population of South Africa - Racial Breakdown 05 Table /.2 Provinciallndian Population of South Africa 07 Chart 1.2 Provinciallndian Population of South Africa 07 Table 1.3 Proportional Home Language of South Africans by Race 08 Charr 1.3 Proportional Home Language of South Africans by Race 09 Methodology 11 2. Lotus FM as a Public Service Broadcastel' 15 Universal Geographi c Accessibility 18 Table 2. 1 Provincial lndian Population of South Africa 20 Char' 2. 1 Provincial In dian Population of South Africa 21 Universal Appeal (General Tastes and Interests) 22 Particular Attention to Min orities 24 Contribution to Sense of National Identity and Community 28 Di stance from Vested Interests 3 1 Direct Funding and University of Payment 32 Competition in Good Programming rather than for numbers 33 Guidelines that liberate rather than restrict programme makers 35 Conclu sion 36 3. Lotus FM as a Co mmunity Broadcaster 38 Table 3.1 Proportional Home Language of South African lndians 47 CharT 3. j Proportional Home La nguage of South African Indians 48 4. Commercial Viability of Lotus FM 53 5. Multifaceted Broadcasting: Balance Three Acts In One 60 TABLE OF CONTENTS(cont'd) Page No. 6, Findings and Concl usion: T he Way FOI'W 3 1'd For Lo tus FM 74 Table 6.1 Proportional Age Profile by Race: South Africa 80 Char' 6. / Proportional Age Profile by Race: South Africa 80 EI)il ogue 83 Bibliognlphy 84 Appendix Appendix A: Transcriptions of InteIViews AI : Or Naresh D. Veeran, Station Manager, Lotus FM A2: Tansen Nepaul, Programmes Executive, Lotus FM AJ ' Vl mla Frank, Marketing Manager, Lotus FM A4: Amravathi Maistry, Presenter, Lotus FM A5: Hamesh Seegobin. Record Librarian (SABC) A6: Raeesa Mohamed Maiek, Announcer, Lotus FM A7: Saffee Siddiqui, Presenter, Lotus FM A8: Fahim lamadar & Sureshnie Govender, Presenters, Lotus FM Appendix B: E·mail correspondence of Ex·Lotus FM Staff Member, Amitha Anand Appendix C: Post Newspaper Articles: 10111 199-13111 199 and 1511 1100- 1811 1100 Appendix 0 : Radio Audience Measurement SUlvey (RAMS) fig ures Appendix E: SABC Editorial Code Appendix F: Sunday Times Articles: November 7,1999 & March 4, 2001 Appendix G: East Wave Radio (Johannesburg) Appendix H: Voice of the Cape (Cape Town) Appendix I: Radio 786 (Cape Town) Appendix J: Lotus FM adverts You're in the position .... 87. tfm -106.8fm Chapter 1- INTRODUCTION Lotus FM has a public broadcast responsibility as well Dj' a community responsibility without ignoring its commercia! viability. (POST, 29/09/99 - 211 0199: 1) In 1996, the then Station Manager of Radio Lotus, Khalik Sheriff, stated "Radio Lotus is a unique station dri ven by a team of dynamic, dedicated individuals who share a common credo - to uplift Indian culture, integrate the community and provide the best infomlation, education and entertainment possible" (hup:l/www.sabc.co.za). In 1999, with the coming of the new Station Manager, Dr Naresh D Veeran, Lotus FM was described as having "a public broadcast responsibility as well as a community responsibility, without ignoring its commercial viability" (Post, 29/9/99 - 211 0199: 1). The newly constructed Lotus FM website states, "Lotus FM is a comm ercially·driven, metro·national Public Broadcast Service catering for the needs of South Africans of Indian descent" (http://www.lotusfm.co.za). Both the statements clearly indicate that Lotus FM is balancing three acts in one: public service broadcasting, community broadcasting and commercial radio. The feasibility with which Lotus FM is able to strike a balance in all three forms of broadcasting through its programming schedule, in serving its highly niche community. is what this thesis aims to explore and analyse. The community being catered for by Lotus FM, i.e. the South Africans oflndian origin, is a niche community that accounts for just 2.6% of the population of South Africa (South Africa Survey, 199912000: 6) and comprises of fi ve language groups, i.e. Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu, Tamil and Telegu, and three religious groupings, i.e. Hinduism, Islam and Christianity (http://www.lotusfm.co.za). Programming to such a niche but culturally rich audience is a challenging task as each religious group and each language group has its own culture, own valu es and its own traditions. While catering for the needs of the various religious and linguistic groups, Lotus FM has also to ensure its survival and growth in a highly competitive market; a market wherein other commercial and community radio stations are competing for the same audience, i.e. the South Africans of lndian descent. The aim of the present research is to examine the feasibility of Lotus FM being a public service-cum-community-cum-commercial broadcaster. As will be estab li shed later in the thesis, there are great contradicti ons in being a melange of all three forms of broadcasting. Where profit motivation and niche marketing characterize commercial radio and non-profit interest exemplifies community broadcasting, public service broadcasting is typified by, amongst other elements, universal geographic accessibility and attention to minOrities. A combination of even community and commercial broadcasting would create a conflict of interest between profit motive and community interests. Thus, research into the feasibility with which Lotus FM is balancing such conflicting dynamics via its programming is of considerable interest. Lotus FM is currently in a dilemma where, after having functioned exclusively as a public service broadcaster, because of it's position in the SABC's radio portfolio, it has been entrusted with showmg a financIal surplus in its operations. This implies that Lotus FM must schedule its programmes and content in such a way as to ensure maximum listenership and advertising revenue, while not withdrawing from the responsibility it has to its community (Appendix AI). The researcher deems it necessary to mention at the outset that, at the time of writing this thesis, Lotus FM is at a threshold where it is debating the way forward; it may either become totally commercial or a public service commercial broadcaster (Appendix A I ). Lotus FM has been in existence for the past seventeen years but the focus here is on the performance of the Station in its past year, i.e.

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