The rise and fall of public service broadcasting in South Africa: a motivation for a new broadcasting model (television)

Abstract

In the article it is argued that South Africa needs a new broadcasting model. Such a model should go beyond the present three-tier system and the Reithian model. A single level with distributed or wider-dissemination public service broadcasting is suggested. The motivation is set against the background of the present (July 2013) (systemic) governance and managerial problems of the South African public service broadcaster (the SABC), the changed nature of public service broadcasting in the new media environment and a discussion of the changed thinking underlying broadcasting policy and public service broadcasting research related to, inter alia, the changed and changing nature of “public service”, “social responsibility” and the changed political economy of public service broadcasting.