Icasa tells parliament: Perhaps community TV stations in South Africa should be converted to provincial TV broadcasters to help pay for DTT.

You're reading it here first. 

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) told parliament that community television stations in South Africa should possibly be converted to provincial TV stations so that they can help pay, help lower, and help offset the cost of digital broadcasting when South Africa eventually switch from analogue to digital television broadcasting.

Icasa which regulates broadcasting in South Africa, is raising the option of changing the community TV licenses issued to the growing number of community TV stations in South Africa to provincial TV licenses.

With a bigger footprint, and broadcasting to a bigger audience across an entire province instead of a city, a community TV station will get more viewers, higher ratings and more advertising and sponsorship income.

Icasa reasons that these provincial TV stations will then have to pay more and contribute more to the overall cost of broadcasting signal distribution in South Africa.

In terms of South Africa's migration from analogue television to digital terrestrial television (DTT), a process known as digital migration, Pakamile Pongwana said it is expensive and that "more broadcasting entities" are needed to help pay for the infrastructure being set up for digital terrestrial television.

Icasa has had discussions with Sentech, the parastatal broadcast signal distributor, about the DTT rate card because the prices that will be charged to broadcasters for making their digital TV channel signals available are costly.

"It is costly. Even Sentech has indicated that it is costly, but says it is because they're forced to distribute their cost among a few entities".

"If we licence more entities in free-to-air (FTA) TV broadcasters then there's more entities who can share the cost," said Pakamile Pongwana.

"Some possibilities is that there are TV channels available in certain provinces. Perhaps we need to licence at provincial level. Perhaps we need to make sure that there's free-to-air TV broadcasters at provincial level. And even consider converting community TV stations to provincial licenses," said Pakamile Pongwana.

"Then Sentech has got a huge number of entities that they are able to charge for the infrastructure that they've rolled out".

"We provide signal distribution services to most of the community TV broadcasters in South Africa. We understand their problems," Setumo Mohapi, Sentech CEO, told parliament on Friday.

"We understand the sensitivity of the signal distribution costs to the cost of operating their services. We have previously reduced our tariffs. But we understand that that might not be enough".

BREAKING. Community television in South Africa takes a giant leap forward, forms new Association of Community Television South Africa.

The growing community television sector in South Africa is taking a giant leap forward with the formation of a new association, the Association of Community Television South Africa, which will be known as ACTSA and will represent the interest of community television and community TV stations in South Africa.

All of the existing community television licensees in South Africa - Soweto TV, Cape Town TV (CTV), Bay TV, One KZN (1KZN), Tshwane TV, North West TV and Bara TV - have signed a joint memorandum of understanding to create the Association of Community Television South Africa which will act to protect and promote, support and canvass for the community television sector in the country.

ACTSA will lobby for the community television sector in South Africa - under threat from a litany of challenges ranging from high signal distribution fees, undue influence and take-over threats from big corporate conglomerates, a lack of skilled personnel and training issues, soaring programming costs and even massive upcoming frequency disruption and viewer confusion as South Africa transitions from an analogue to a digital broadcasting space where community stations have to vacate their analogue frequencies and hope that viewers will be able to find them again.

Then there is also the South African government's interference. The government has started talk about the possible "regionalisation" of community television in South Africa to "provincial level" - something community TV stations don't want or need.

The government also wants to change the law to give the department of communication sweeping powers to appoint the boards of community television stations in South Africa - something else community TV stations are opposed to.

ACTSA will try and help with programme syndication, content exchange, the maximising of possible commercial opportunities as well as training and capacity building between community TV stations in the country.

ACTSA has elected an interim steering committee led by Motse Mfuleni from Bay TV as the chairperson, Karen Thorne from CTV as the deputy chairperson and Colin MacKenzie from Tshwane TV as the general secretary.

"ACTSA will make an important contribution to building media diversity and development in South Africa," says Motse Mfuleni. "Now we as the community television sector have a body that provides support and guidance for community TV stations and we are able to address our issues with one voice representing all the stakeholders in the sector."

ACTSA says all community TV stations joining the association have agreed to "a range of common values". These include a people-centered rather than a profit-driven approach to broadcasting, editorial and fiduciary independence, freedom of speech and community participation.

ACTSA will formulate a charter to help guide the activities of South Africa's community television sector which will include issues such as the mandate of community television in the country, programming, revenue streams and distribution platforms, governance, ownership and control and licensing categories.

CTV marching to parliament on Wednesday in 'Free The Airwaves' march.

The struggling community television station Cape Town Television (CTV) is marching to parliament on Wednesday to demand cheaper signal distribution fees and protection during South African television's migration to digital broadcasts.

In what CTV calls a ''Free the Airwaves'' march - the struggling broadcaster wants to draw attention to its plight as it says CTV is ''now coming under THREAT due to government's lack of support for community TV''.

CTV has to cease broadcasting early in October due to a cash flow crisis since it couldn't pay it's broadcasting transmission costs to Sentech, and also held a telethon at the end of October to raise funds. The public is now asked to join CTV's public march to parliament tomorrow (Wednesday), starting at 10:00 at Keizersgracht Street in Cape Town (opposite the Castle).

CTV that started broadcasting just over a year ago, says that it's ''critical that everyone stand up for its right to communicate'' if community television like CTV is to be saved ''from commercialisation''.

CTV claims that ''Icasa plans to take CTV off air early next year to make way for cellphone TV because it has not allocated any frequencies for CTV use'' and that community TV stations like CTV ''are charged commercial rates for transmission costs'' making it virtually impossible for community TV stations to viable continue to operate.

CTV also says community television stations are not protected during and after the migration to digital terrestrial television (DTT).

CTV demands that the station is (1) ''not switched off next year but that a frequency is located for its use'', (2) the channel wants immediate government support for community broadcasters' signal distribution costs and that (3) Sentech lowers its transmission fee or scrap it for community television stations. CTV also (4) wants community television to be protected during and after the migration to digital terrestrial television.