Upcoming Events

Invititation to Seminar: Regulating Broadcasting in the Digital Age - 27 February 2012

24 February 2012

Our broadcasting sector is on the brink of a new age: moving from an analogue to a new multi-channel digital environment. The big question is, is our independent Regulator, ICASA, up for the challenge? ICASA has been under fire in the last few years for lack of monitoring and regulation of the broadcasting and telecommunications sectors, and for facilitating the dominance of some big commercial players. To begin to rectify this, Government has tabled legislation - the Broadcasting Amendment Bill - which gives significant new powers to the Minister to oversee ICASA’s work. However, civil society organisations and others have fought strongly against this, calling for ICASA to be strengthened through better resourcing etc, while simultaneously fighting for its independence to be jealously safeguarded.

Key Questions:
• Is this the correct approach?
• Does departmental control need to be strengthened/reduced?
• Does ICASA’s funding need to be increased?
• Given ICASA’s weaknesses, should we be thinking of abolishing sector specific regulation altogether?

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Agenda

10.00am – 10.05am WELCOME Kate Skinner (Coordinator, SOS: Support Public Broadcasting coalition) & Allister Sparks (founder, Institute for the Advancement of Journalism)
10.05am - 12.00pm PANEL DEBATE: Survival Tactics for Broadcasting in the Digital Age
                MODERATOR: Tawana Kupe (Dean of Humanities, Wits University)
PANEL:
•      Dimakatso Mashile – ICASA, Senior Manager Markets and Competition
•      Faith Muthambi – Member of Parliament, Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications
•      Lumko Mtimde – CEO Media Development and Diversity Agency, member of the SABC Board
•      Shan Ramburuth – CEO Competition Commission
•      Akiedah Mohammed - Co Chair South African Screen Federation
•      Kate Skinner – SOS: Support Public Broadcasting Coordinator

LIVE-TWEETED by MEDIAMATTERS and SOS: #digimi
         
12.00pm – 12.30pm Q&A: with our Panel CHAIR: Tawana Kupe (Dean of Humanities, Wits University)
12.30pm -1pm Finger lunch and networking Hosted by the IAJ caterers

The Sparks Seminars are an IAJ-FXI public policy initiative supported by Media Monitoring Africa and funded by the Foundation for Human Rights (FHR), the Open Society Foundation for South Africa (OSF), the Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation (HIVOS), and The Raith Foundation.
 
For more information:
Kate Skinner
Coordinator
SOS: Support Public Broadcasting
(082) 926-6404

Sign onto our public broadcasting principles petition on the SOS home page - http://www.supportpublicbroadcasting.co.za

Twitter: sos_za