Bearing in mind the principles linked to the very existence of public broadcasting and the threefold task incumbent upon it; information, education and entertainment; Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) with the support of the Open Society Foundation monitored and assessed the quality of SABC news content as well as carried out a schedule analysis to assess diversity. Within news and programming the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) by and large, remains a vital source of information for the majority of people in South Africa. It is critical that the SABC as the public broadcaster broadcasts content that not only reflect the diverse nature of South Africa but also helps South African’s learn and react to the world and issues around them.

South Africa is a country rich in diversity and it is not only important that the SABC celebrates South Africa’s national identity and culture but also reflects South Africa’s diverse languages, cultures, and people in its programmes, as required by its mandate. This report assesses the quality and diversity of all SABC programming and news content across different mediums.

As one of its main findings, the research found that there is a high level repeats of recently aired programmes, SABC 1 uses 28 percent of its broadcasting time for repeats, SABC 2 utilises 21 percent of its time, while SABC 3 allocates 15 per cent of its broadcasting time to repeats.

For more, get the download version of the full report by clicking here. Alternatively, download sections of the report on the links provided below:

Executive Summary
1. Introduction
2. SABC’s Commitments to Quality & Diversity
3. How the research was conducted
4. Research Findings
5. Conclusion
6. Appendices
6.1. Appendix 1: Topic Codes
6.2. Appendix 2: SABC Editorial Guidelines
6.3. Appendix 3: About SOS: Support Public Broadcasting Coalition