Media
UPDATE
Education through information
MEDIA NEWS
The future is unpredictable, but that
doesn't mean you can't do something
about it. This message has particular
importance for the newspaper industry
and is the basis of a new report, "Scenario
Planning for Newspaper Companies," from
the World Association of Newspapers of Shaping
the Future of the Newspaper project . Click lhere
here for
more.
The SABC has been named one
of South Africa's Top Performing
Companies Incorporating the Public
Sector by TOPCO Media, in its 2008
National Edition on the Top 300
companies in South Africa. ClickLhere
here for more.
The Movement for Good is a network of
organisations that have come together to inspire
and mobilise South Africans to become active
citizens for good. Founding partners of The
Movement for Good; City Press, South Africa The
Good News and the SABC (to name a few), assisted in
the launch of the movement at the Apartheid
Museum in Johannesburg on 23 April. Click lhere
here for
more.
City Press' ongoing
social responsibility
initiative, 'Your South
Africa, Our Home, Our Effort' has partnered with
SABC's Encounters, a 13 part series hosted by well-
known and respected journalist, Fred Khumalo. Click
lhere
here for more.
The Business Day
Kaelo Corporate
Social Responsibility
(CSR) Conference is being positioned as the first
conference of its kind to be hosted on African soil.
Clicklhere
here for more.
The Sowetan has increased
its cover price from R3 to
R3.50 as of 29 April.
Wrapped magazine has released
its December figures to reveal the
highest ever sales for the gay
magazine, up by 60%. Publisher
Morne Ebersohn says, “This verifies
we are meeting the needs of our
readers, who know what they want to
read and are a rather niche market
interested in a diverse range of topics,
which we cater to”. Clicklhere
here for more.
May 2008
Wwww.mediaupdate.co.za
Sarie journalists have this year been awarded no
less than three out of four ATKV-Mediaveertjies in
the Magazine category for print media. The ATKV-
Mediaveertjies awards (awarded by the Afrikaans
Language & Cultural Society) honour great
achievements in different areas of the Afrikaans
media. Clicklhere
here for more.
Sarie's stand-alone food
magazine, Sarie Kos, has
become a permanent addition
to the Sarie menu, and will now
be published quarterly. The
autumn issue will be on sale from the end of April and
according to Barbara Joubert, those that enjoyed the
first issue can look forward to more “honest soul food
to complete any dinner table”. Clicklhere
here for more.
Published by CRF South
Africa and partnered by
industry giants PetroSA
(Energy), AngloPlatinum (Mining) and Microsoft (ICTe),
the 2008 edition of Careers SA is bigger and better,
filled with even more of the information graduates need
to make informed career decisions when entering the
job market. Clicklhere
here for more.
The South African television news
environment will change forever in
June with the launch of South Africa's
first 24 hour news service, the eNews
Channel. The channel will only be
broadcast on DStv's premium and compact
bouquets. Clicklhere
here for more.
Starting from Wednesday,
30 April, in the 20:30
timeslot, SABC1 Mzansi Fo Sho
introduces a series of exciting
Short African films by various African producers. The
first of the short films is Twins of the Rainforest, and
the second film; A Drink in the Passage, will be
screened on Monday, 5 May.
Nab'Ubomi meaning 'This is Life' is a platform
that facilitates the discovery and development of
new talent for the Film and Television Industry among
senior high school learners in the Eastern Cape. After
the success of Nab'Ubomi 2007, which ran in Port
Elizabeth, Mandela Bay Pictures with the support of
SABC Industry Development will now run Nab'Ubomi
2008 in the province. Clicklhere
here for more.
Oracle Airtime Sales (OATS) has
announced the commencement of
South African advertising sales on The
Style Network (DStv Channel 183), from 1
July. Clicklhere
here for more.
1
A Newsclip Media Monitoring Initiative
Ogilvy Johannesburg has won
the 2008 Roger Garlick Award
for the Best Use of New Media
(Web/Mobile), for its Cliff Jennings
campaign. The campaign created
hype around the fourth season of Idols, through the
creation of a fictitious contestant, Cliff Jennings, who
was a useless singer yet persistent and wildly
entertaining. Clicklhere
here for more.
Moneyweb's business radio
programme has returned to
SAfm. Titled 'Market Update with
SAfm', the show will run for an
initial three year contract period.
The original Moneyweb-SAfm partnership pioneered
South African business radio over a decade ago. Click
lhere
here for more.
94.7 Highveld Stereo has
three new voices on-air, thanks
to its highly successful Hot Jocks
talent search, aimed at unearthing
hot, young, undiscovered local
talent. Phillip Burt, Jerusha
Sukhdeo and Sechaba Moletsane join the station as
winners of the much-anticipated competition. Click
lhere
here for more.
Christian community
broadcaster, Highway
Radio 101.5fm hosted its
open day on 23 April, from
10:00 to 22:00. This was in
response to a promise made by management to
listenership, during its 2007 fundraising telethon in
August. Clicklhere
here for more.
The Good Hope FM Afternoon
Drive Show, The Fastlane, was
silenced for a few minutes on Tuesday,
22 April at the request of the Fire
Department. At approximately 15:00,
the station's live transmission kicked
into automatic pilot as Ryan O'Connor,
Mark Marshall and Tracey Lange joined SABC staff in
evacuating the building. ClickLhere
here for more.
MSN ZA's commitment to creating a home page
with entertaining, up-to-date and relevant
editorial content has resulted in the launch of its
new career and entertainment sections earlier this
year. As a result, the portal has had an impressive
increase in unique users and page impressions.
here for more.
Clicklhere
Cars in Action Online
journalists Jason Woosey
and Michele Lupini have
dominated the Internet
Motoring section of the 2008
Nedbank SA Guild of Motoring Journalists Motoring
Journalist of the Year competition. Cars in Action
Editor Woosey scooped the Internet Motoring award
for his efforts on partner siteLmotoring.iafrica.com
motoring.iafrica.com,
while Action Publications Publisher Lupini scored one
of his three Highly Commended awards for his iafrica
internet work, alongside similar prizes in the
competition's Motoring Magazines and Motorsport
Magazines sectors. Clicklhere
here for more.
Media
UPDATE
Action Publications is moving offices. From the
beginning of June, its new address will be Unit 1,
Bruton Office Park, 18 Bruton Road, Bryanston.
In June, Bell-Roberts Gallery and Bell-Roberts
Publishing will be moving to Fairweather House,
176 Sir Lowry Road, Woodstock.
The May issue of Runner’s World
reflects on the Two Oceans marathon
and captures some of the champions in a
special pictorial review, showcasing the
camaraderie, excitement, endurance
and rewards of this great event. Click
here for more.
The May issue of Conde Nast House
& Garden is its 10th Anniversary issue.
The record size issue encompasses all
aspects of luxury, lifestyle and decor
advertising, and is an all-South African
showcase which reflects the scope of
local design, decorating and lifestyle at its highest
standard.
For the eighteenth consecutive year,
pay-television operator M-Net and
Franz Marx Films, producers of the
South African soap, Egoli – Place of Gold have
renewed their production
agreement. Click here for more.
Input (International Public
Television) 2008, this year
themed Back to the Beginning, is
taking place from 4 to 10 May at the
Sandton Convention Centre, Sandown. The 30th
annual television showcase by Input, where the rules
of broadcasting are challenged and redefined, is
expected to be attended by 1 500 delegates from
roughly 60 countries worldwide.
Click here for more.
5FM has just launched its striking new
brand campaign across TV, outdoor,
cinema and print. “The Power of 5” is all
about the effect 5FM has on the world around you –
amplifying listeners’ everyday experiences,
adventures and senses into
larger-than-life explosions of
reality. Click here for more.
Jacaranda 94.2 CEO Alan Khan is
adamant that his station has embraced an effective
multimedia approach to ensure that it remains
relevant. He says, “Recent listening trends have
revealed a decline in Time Spent Listening (TSL),
and we’re hoping to curb this ‘consumer fatigue’”.
Click here for more.
The uptake from agencies who were recently invited
to join the Online Publishers Association (OPA)
has been very encouraging. The following online
media and creative agencies have signed up:
Acceleration, Group M, Longtail, Upstream,
Catgraphics and Digivox. The OPA initiated this
inclusion as recognition of the vital role these
agencies play in the success of the online landscape in
South Africa. Click here for more.
2
A Newsclip Media Monitoring Initiative
Snuki Zikalala, head of SABC news and current
affairs, was on Tuesday, 6 May, suspended with
immediate effect by SABC Chief Executive Dali Mpofu,
for allegedly leaking sensitive information to the media.
The outcome of an investigation into the alleged
misconduct is likely to result in a formal disciplinary
enquiry. Zikalala denies claims of a leak, and says he
will defend himself at the pending disciplinary hearing.
Following an alleged refusal and failure to 'abide by and
implement decisions of the SABC board', Group CEO
Mpofu has also been suspended. The SABC board
suspended Mpofu in the early hours of Wednesday,
following an all night special board meeting called on
Tuesday evening to deal with the Zikalala suspension.
The second annual Newsroom
Barometer, conducted by Zogby
International for the World Editors
Forum and Reuters, found that 85
percent of editors are very optimistic or
somewhat optimistic about the future of their
here for more.
newspapers. Clicklhere
On World Press Freedom Day, 3
May, the Media Institute of
Southern Africa (MISA) released
the 14th edition of its annual state of
the media publication, So This Is
Democracy? The publication
documents and comments on the 181 media freedom
and freedom of expression violations recorded by
MISA in 2007. For more information, visit
www.misa.org.
lwww.misa.org
MISA is inviting nominations for its annual MISA
Press Freedom Award. The award, with a cash
prize of US $2 500, is given to honour excellence in
journalism. Clicklhere
here for more.
Afrikaans-speakers are an affluent proportion of
our population. According to AMPS 2007B, of the
four million white people in the country, 59% are
Afrikaans and 79% of coloured people have Afrikaans
as their first language. Despite these figures,
marketers, media planners and buyers tend to
here for more.
neglect this important sector. Clicklhere
On 7 May, AMASA (Advertising
Media Association of South
Africa) hosted Peter Bruce of Avusa
and Themba Khumalo, editor of the
Daily Sun. The two print specialists
discussed whether editorial integrity can be
maintained in the newspaper tabloid format. The
debate took place at the JSE in Sandton. Media
Update attended, and will provide feedback shortly.
Media
UPDATE
Ads24, Media24 Newspapers'
national sales and trade
marketing division, recently
launched the 2008 version of
Compass24 countrywide.
Centred on dispelling old
assumptions and highlighting the
latest trends that have emerged in the South African
landscape; media planners, buyers and in-house
marketers turned out in droves to find out how to
access the latest consumer information on a micro
here for more.
level. Clicklhere
The first Mega
Media Expo is
underway at the Cape
To w n I n t e r n a t i o n a l
Convention Centre. The
expo, which runs from 7 to 8 May, is a one-stop
advertising and brand shop, offering advertisers and
brand managers the opportunity and platform to view
the latest advertising and media opportunities to
promote their products and services. It is also the
event where media buyers and brand agencies will
gather to find the latest opportunities for their clients.
here for more.
Clicklhere
Wag the Dog Publishers has
announced that it has
appointed Liesl Pretorius as the
new editor of The Media
magazine, effective 1 May. Liesl is
currently the editor of
themediaonline.co.za - The Media
magazine's online brand, and will
take over the helm from the
current editor Fienie Grobler, who
will be joining a news agency. Liesl
has been a journalist in the mainstream media industry
for over five years. She previously worked at the
Volksblad and the Beeld as an in-depth reporter. Prior to
that, she was a journalism lecturer at the University of
here for more.
Johannesburg. Clicklhere
27-year-old psychology
graduate, Dominique de
Villiers, has been announced as
this year’s Shape Sanex Cover
Look winner. This Cape Town
beauty’s passion for healthy living,
enthusiastic spirit and modest
approach to life secured her the
judges’ votes. Of the 350 entries
received this year, Dominique best
represented both the Shape and
Sanex brands. The Shape Sanex De Villiers after winning the
Cover Look competition is now in Shape Sanex Cover Look. Photo
courtesy of Shape Magazine
here for more.
its fourth year . Clicklhere
3
A Newsclip Media Monitoring Initiative Media
UPDATE

ISASA Publications, the official

Info@last reaches the Cape
national voice of the Independent
public with innovative, user-
Schools Association of Southern
friendly information. The four-week
Africa (ISASA), has moved offices to
TV guide has proven to be a hit with
cater for the company’s continued
readers. The free magazine has a
growth, and the growing number of independent
unique communication platform
South African schools which are members of ISASA.
through post box distribution and
ClickLhere
here for more.
regular reader competitions. Click
here for more.
Lhere
SABC News and Current Affairs
content will now be available for
8 Ink Media celebrated a magazine first with the
sale to local and international clients.
presentation of a gold award to Real Simple
This was announced at the launch of
magazine for its Life Made Easier stand at Decorex
the SABC News Agency in Sandton, Johannesburg.
here for more.
Cape Town. ClickLhere
ClickLhere
here for more.
On 10 May, M-Net and Dstv’s
SABC Commercial Enterprises Group Executive,
Magic World joined
Gabriel Mampone, has been appointed as acting
b r o a d c a s t e r s f r o m ove r 2 0
CEO of the public broadcaster. He temporarily
countries to share in Pangea Day, a
replaces suspended Chief Executive, Dali Mpofu,
four-hour programme broadcast
while SABC's Head of TV News and Current Affairs,
simultaneously on television,
Amrit Manga, has been appointed as acting Group
webcast and mobile phones. ClickLhere here for more.
Executive of News and Current Affairs. Manga steps
in to Snuki Zikalala's position, after his suspension
The 'South Africa - Alive will
last week.
Possibility' campaign,
produced by Kaelo Worldwide
On 11 May, the Competition Tribunal Review
Media, uses mass media as a
reconfirmed its approval of the merger between
powerful tool to educate and stimulate debate.
New Africa Investments Limited (Nail) and
Inspirational stories are featured each Wednesday
Primedia, and concluded that the merger was not
and Thursday morning at 06:42 during the e.tv
here for more.
anti-competitive. ClickLhere
Lhere for more.
Sunrise Edition. Click
Nielsen Online recently The Showbiz Report's Nicky
revealed that Creamer Greenwall will travel to the South of
Media produces three of the France this month to bring viewers
four fastest growing South exclusive coverage of the 61st Annual
Africa websites: Engineering News; Mining Weekly; Lhere for more.
Cannes Film Festival. Click
here for more.
and Polity. ClickLhere
Africa on Screen is sponsored by SABC Africa,
The Lifestyle SA Festival - Celebrating Black, and takes place from 23 to 29 May. It is now in its
which takes place at Gallagher Estate from 17 to Lhere for more.
third year and continues to grow. Click
18 May, recently scooped an exclusive media
Lhere for more.
partnership with City Press. Click Cape Town's very own television
station will start broadcasting in
Willem Pretorius, August this year. Cape Town TV
editor of Sondag, is has been awarded a community tv
adding more value for broadcasting license by the
readers after heeding Independent Communication
requests from the newspaper's latest readers poll. Authority of South Africa (ICASA).
here for more.
ClickLhere Lhere for more.
Click

Two RCP (Rapport and City Press) journalists The first Annual ONE Gospel
recently took top honours at the South African Awards will be launched in July.
Guild of Motoring’s Motoring Journalist of the Year The Awards were created by Urban
Awards, held at the Johannesburg Country Club. Brew Studios, and will be broadcast in
here for more.
ClickLhere here for more.
October. ClickLhere
4
 A Newsclip Media Monitoring Initiative
Good Hope FM will be hosting the
Inaugural Good Hope FM Foundation
Day on Thursday, 22 May. Proceeds will be
handed over to the Western Province Golf
Foundation. ClickLhere
herefor more.
Heart 104.9FM is showing its
heart and helping needy kids
with the launch of its new CSI
‘Show Your Heart' strategy. ClickLhere
here for more.
East Coast Radio is pioneering
the drive into developing new
business models based on content
across different technology
platforms, to connect niche
communities of consumers with advertisers. Click
here for more.
Lhere
MFM, celebrating its 14th year on
air, is launching a mini-version of
a new show on MK called MusIK, in
which contestants answer questions
about the local music scene. Click here
for more.
Lhere
The May issue of One Giant Man's
digital magazine, TestDriven is
now available for download. This edition
showcases tantalising sports vehicles
such as the Mercedes Benz C63 AMG,
BMW Z4 M Roadster and 335i, Mini
Clubman, Audi A5, and Chrysler 300C
here for more.
Touring Hemi. ClickLhere
South Africa's newest
online motoring resource,
Cars in Action Online, is
quickly developing into a useful
source of motoring and
motorsport news, information
and data. The online arm of
Cars in Action magazine was developed from the
ground up as a unique, focused and specialised
motoring website dedicated to the South African
here for more.
motoring enthusiast. ClickLhere
Local social bookmarking
site, Muti, launched its
mobile version on 8 May. Click
here for more.
Lhere
The Mobile Marketing Summit, sponsored by
Vodacom, Direct Marketing Association of SA and
Mobile Marketing Association, will take place for the
first time in South Africa at the Sandton Sun Hotel,
Johannesburg, on 13 August. ClickLhere
herefor more.
Media
UPDATE
NEW ON AIR
The Just Fun Toys Show
The Just Fun Toys Show begins
on 14 May on KTV at 15:55, and
aims to promote toys in an
exciting and entertaining
manner to children aged 7 to 12
years old. Running for 52
weeks, four weeks of the five-
minute long show will focus on a particular brand of
toy. The set is designed to look like an oversized toy
box. All the action will happen within this box,
surrounded by Just Fun Toys. The audience will be
situated around the set, and watch as the game is
played by contestants chosen from the audience.
There is also a viewer competition each week, where
viewers are shown a jumbled word, which is product-
specific, and must rearrange the letters to find the
word. They sms their answer to the competition
hotline, and stand the chance of winning a prize. As
an added treat for viewers, every time 100 sms’s are
received for the competition, the KTV presenter will
place a toy in a treasure chest. The heavier the chest
becomes with toys, the greater the opportunity for an
entrant to win all the toys. The final draw for the chest
takes place in the season finale, scheduled for 6 May
2009. The show aims to add value for the viewer and
the Just Fun Toys brands.
NEW ONLINE
The SA Blook
In a first for South Africa's blogosphere, Darren
Gorton has launched the first online book written by
SA bloggers as an experiment in online collaborative
writing and learning.
On 7 May, the writers for the first SA 'blook’ were
announced on LOutThink
OutThink. The SA blook (blog + book)
project will involve several bloggers writing different
chapters on different themes, all related to one topic.
Bloggers will publish their chapters on their own blogs
on the same day, at about the same time. The main
blook post will be published on OutThink, with the
introduction, contents and links to all relevant
'chapters'. The confirmed writers include: Eve
Dmochowska; Duncan Drennan; Paul Jacobson;
Melissa Attree; Nic Haralambous; Saul Kropman; and
Justin Hartman. In April 2007, Darren Gorton started
the OutThink blog as a place for people to collaborate
on idea development. He later adjusted its focus to
concentrate on realising the potential offered to
business by technology and social media. OutThink is
targeted at entrepreneurs and business leaders in
South Africa. Gorton, who came up with the idea for
the blook, sees the experiment as a brilliant
opportunity to provide a platform for some of South
Africa's best bloggers.
5
 A Newsclip Media Monitoring Initiative
NEW ON AIR
Streetbangers
Streetbangers, the new
music programme on
Channel O, sees VJ Nonhle
Thema out and about on the
streets of Los Angeles
introducing the biggest new
music videos against the
background of key
Hollywood landmarks. Like her groundbreaking O-
Access show, the VJ is fronting what promises to be yet
another must-see programme on Channel O.
Streetbangers will present a mix of past, present and
future videos, including those never-before-seen on
Channel O.The show premiered on 3 May at 12:00.
Ask the Commentators
The All Africa Poker Channel on DSTV’s 393 has
recently launched a question and answer programme
called Ask the Commentators. Viewers can email their
problems and queries which will then be tackled by an
expert panel of poker players and commentators,
including Ryan Dreyer, David Dadic and Ryan Brauer.
The panel also looks at interesting issues and recent
tournaments and cash games taking place in the world
of poker. Footage from previous tournaments such as
the All Africa Poker Tournament Series is also
screened, so that brilliant, or not so brilliant, tactics
and plays can be analysed and discussed. Aimed to
educate and entertain, the monthly programme is one
hour in length and repeated regularly on the Poker
Channel after the initial screening. Questions can be
emailed to questions@allafricapoker.com, and one
lucky email each month wins an iPod.
The Amazing Date
The Amazing Date starts on Saturday, 10 May, at
18:30, on SABC1. The series was commissioned by
SABC1 and developed and produced by Urban Brew
Studios. The Amazing Date is a 48-minute live-to-air
interactive dating game show, where the viewing
public become contestants playing on their phones via
a new interactive technology, called “In Live”. Every
week, two “Amazing Dates”, one male and one female
contestant, in studio to be won, while the show
features fun and informative interactive games for
viewers to play. Viewers dial into the show and play to
win an ‘Amazing Date’ with the studio contestant using
their phones as remote controls by pressing the
numbers on their keypads in response to the voice
prompts. Trevor Noah and Pabi Moloi will be the hosts
of The Amazing Date on Mzansi Fo Sho.
B4 da Fame
B4 da Fame starts on Tuesday, 6 May, at 19:00 on
SABC1. This local series focuses on those who inspire
the youth through the quality of their lives. Presented
by Loyiso Mangena, B4 da Fame tracks the celebrity’s
journey from when they are born to the moment of
magic in their lives. These are the untold, true stories
behind the headlines, the fortune, the heartache, the
struggle, the glitz and the glamour, and B4 da Fame
will be the platform connecting people to this
narrative. B4 da Fame tells these intimate stories
through the eyes of family members, childhood
sweethearts, former school teachers, old friends,
former employers, archive footage and anyone else
who had the privilege to be close enough to the guest
to have vivid memories of their journey.
Song vir Katryn
Song vir Katryn, SABC2’s latest drama, tells the
story of an unconventional doctor, who mainly
pursues his passions through an after-hours rock
band. Valiant Swart is the libertine medical doctor,
named Jinx, who has his own band and gallivants
through the world on his bike. But then his path
crosses with a poor vixen waitress, named Katryn
(Therese Benade), who lost her job the night they
met and hates all men. Legendary
writer/director/producer Jan Scholtz presents a
work that looks at all the pitfalls looming in the
world of music, showbiz, publicity and everything
that makes it tick (often in a very destructive
manner). Although Song vir Katryn is a romantic
drama, it is also realistic as it investigates very
relevant social problems such as, drugs, HIV/AIDS,
prison sentences, pornography on the internet and
child prostitution. Co-starring are some of South
Africa's top acting talent - Marius Weyers,
Antoinette Kellerman, Fezile Mpela, Mel Botes,
Dawn Matthews and Francois Coertze. The show will
be broadcast in Afrikaans with English subtitles.
Catch Song vir Katryn on Tuesdays, at 19:30.
Sweepslag
SABC 2’s Sweepslag is a response to an audience
need for more content showcasing the best-known,
best-loved, new and upcoming Afrikaans artists.
The music show began on Friday, 2 May, at 19:30,
and will run through to 25 July. Sweepslag is a live
one-hour music programme, filmed at the
Rendevous Theatre at the State Theatre in Pretoria.
The show consists of 80% music and 20%
interviews. The programme is presented by well-
known radio personality, Maurice Carpede. In every
show there are two main stream Afrikaans artists,
along with a newcomer on the music scene. The
artists each do four songs with the six-piece
Sweepslag band. The newcomer performs one song
in the show. Jaconell Mouton (from Noot vir Noot) is
the leader of the live band. Personalities featured in
the show include Theuns Jordaan, Juanita Du
Plessis, Kurt Darren, Nicholis Louw, Eden, Nadine,
Chris Chameleon, and Shine4.
NEW ONLINE
TechLeader
Vincent Maher of M&G Online recently announced on
his blog that the Thought Leader concept will expand
over the next few months, with Tech Leader as its first
addition. Tech Leader is an edited group blog, aimed
at thinkers in the South African technology industry.
It will have the same editorial values as Thought
Leader, and offer insightful analysis on issues ranging
from consumer technology to e-governance, open-
source and industry best-practices. Maher says, “The
goal of Tech Leader is to aggregate quality comment
about technology, and to create a hub for ideas and
critique that will become a valuable resource.
Because it is be a communal platform, we expect that
the level of discussion will make it an invaluable
knowledge resource for readers trying to make sense
of the disruptive chaos that technologists have to
deal with every day”. The site already has over thirty
contributors, including Matthew Buckland, Gino
Cosme and Dave Duarte. Visit
www.techleader.co.za.
6
A Newsclip Media Monitoring Initiative
PROGRAMMES IN THE MAKING
Tavern TV
Provantage Media has announced the launch of
Provantage Tavern Media, a new media platform
enabling brands to reach a large segment of the
young, fashionable black population through targeted
brand activations in township taverns and bars. The
launch of Tavern Media bolsters Provantage Media's
ability to deliver focused and integrated township
marketing campaigns. Provantage Tavern Media will
be going live with Tavern TV in August this year. This
will be a narrowcast television channel that will reach
over four million consumers a month by the end of
2009. Provantage Tavern Media will develop the
content, which will host a 60/40 content/ad split, with
ads repeating every 30 minutes and content every two
hours. Provantage Tavern Media is a subsidiary of the
Provantage Group. For more information, email
Loffice@provantage.co.za
office@provantage.co.za . range of media products, from customer publications
MEDIA REVISITED
lpulse@tppsa.co.za
Poultry Bulletin
Poultry Bulletin, the monthly
magazine for all poultry people, is
fully committed to the fortunes of
the southern African poultry
industry. It is the official house
magazine of the Southern African
Poultry Association (SAPA),
functioning as SAPA's face to its
members and outside
subscribers. Poultry Bulletin has
been published in various formats
since 1906: in-house since 1937;
and by present editor Zach Coetzee since 1974. The
editorial board addresses all aspects of the poultry
industry, from technical poultry information at the
egg, broiler, and hatchery level, through to the
veterinary, university, research and beginners' level.
It also covers issues dealt with by SAPA on behalf of
the poultry industry, and provides a reflection of how
the poultry industry is seen from the outside by the
general media and society. Editorial includes features
and opinions, as well as readers' views. The magazine
is linked to Avi Africa and SAPA's annual industry
congresses, and annual SAPA/ YTA training courses.
The publication has a distribution of 3 100, to
Lwww.eaglepub.co.za
individuals with a direct interest in poultry throughout
South Africa, and to neighbouring states on a closed
circulation basis. The magazine has achieved
penetration of over 90% of the industry. Poultry
farmers and decision-making managers comprise the
primary readership of Poultry Bulletin, but the
magazine is also read by contract growers,
commercial and small developing farmers, abattoirs
here for more.
and advertisers. Click Lhere
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
Nic Haralambous joins M&G Online as Business
Manager of its Mobile and Recruitment divisions.
Ramsay, Son & Parker has appointed Stuart Lowe
Lhere for more.
Managing Director. Click
Roger Jardine, Chief Operating Officer of Kagiso
Trust Investment, has resigned. ClickLhere
here for more.
Media
UPDATE
MEDIA REVISITED
Pulse (monitored)
(Entertainment: Music & Sound)
Pulse, Musica's free custom
magazine, targets 'Digital
Natives' in the 18 to 26 age
group. Pulse tracks these fast-
paced individuals by combining
a d v e r t i s i n g w i t h
entertainment, and creating an
honest and powerful
connection that merges music
and lifestyle brands, and links
image to leisure and culture.
Published bi-monthly by The
Publishing Partnership, Pulse has a circulation of
29 550 copies (ABC June 07 -Dec 07). Established in
1997, The Publishing Partnership offers a broad
to customer insight. For more information, email
pulse@tppsa.co.za or call 021 424 3517.
Boardroom (monitored)
(Service: Management and Consulting)
Boardroom is the official journal
of Chartered Secretaries
Southern Africa, as well as its
associated and subsidiary
institutes. The 24 page glossy A4
title is published bi-monthly, by
The Eagle Publishing Company.
Boardroom offers news of
developments in corporate
governance, accountancy, and
business management; as well
as institute news. With a
circulation of 7 500, Boardroom is distributed in
South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana and
Namibia. The magazine is primarily read by decision
makers with affluent lifestyles, such as company
secretaries, financial directors, and accountants.
Boardroom is also distributed to members of the SA
Institute of Chartered Secretaries and
Administrators, subsidiary institutes, the Chartered
Institute of Business Management, and companies
listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. For
details, call 011 325 2920 or visit
www.eaglepub.co.za.
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
Woman360 has appointed Gregg Dunn as key
account manager, effective 5 May. He will be
responsible for through-the-line campaigns for titles
Sarie, Sarie Kos, Fairlady and True Love.
Popular 94.5 Kfm breakfast show host Nic Marais will
be leaving the station at the end of June. Marais (27),
plans to further his studies at a top United States law
here for more.
school. Clicklhere
Sbusiso 'DJ Sbu' Leope returned to YFM on 5 May, to
resume his position as host of the breakfast show,
Unfinished Business. He resigned from his position at
Ukhozi FM in March.
DJ T BO Touch is the latest face on SABC1’s weekly
music show Live. The show airs every Friday evening
at 21:00.
7
A Newsclip Media Monitoring Initiative Media
UPDATE

A new industry resource - Newsclip’s Target Media

How does it work?

Target Media Launches - and publishers are As publishers and other media owners, you will log in
called on to contribute data to the system as a user with the right to update your
own details. Media owners will be taken to a screen
About Target Media where their publications’ details are displayed.

Target Media is a list-based, interactive source of all
the information you could possibly need on the
media in South Africa. The database includes over
2500 publications (inclduing main sections, sub-
sections, supplements and extra editions), main
broadcast stations and key online sites. An arsenal
full of information, at your fingertips!
This way, you have control over the data that is listed -
you can update your publication’s profile as well as the
main contact details you would like clients to use. As an
additional safeguard to assist and faciliate the upload
process, the edited data will be sent through to
Newsclip's Media Department, who will verify the entry.
Once this is done, the data will go live.

Users can keep their target market squarely in the

crosshairs by defining searches by genre, LSM,
gender, demographics or simply by using keywords.
Data is constantly updated, with figures from all the
major industry surveys including SAARFs LSMs, AMPs,
as well as the ABC figures, and more.

Contact details for publications, distributors, and

advertisers are standard. In the case of broadcasters,
station and programme managers, among others, are
included. AVE and full rate cards are available at the
touch of a button.

Where you can get involved?

A database is as good as the data that is in it. Newsclip

has a team of seven people constantly updating the
database, ensuring it is as accurate as can be.

Supplementary to that, Newsclip invites publishers to

register for a login so they can assist in updating their
own information. This is particularly important when it
comes to assisting people in the communications
world who want to contact you.

Registration for this update service is free of charge,

and can be obtained by sending an email to
info@targetmedia.co.za
info@targetmedia.co.za. You will be contacted with
the relevant details.

You can also visit www.targetmedia.co.za

www.targetmedia.co.za.
8
A Newsclip Media Monitoring Initiative
Have tabloids killed the quality press?
By Pat McClelland and Leigh Andrews
Whether it is accused of: insulting the intelligence of its
readers; encouraging apathy and intellectual laziness;
concentrating on the bizarre and trivial; or simply
being sensationalised ‘trash’ – the Daily Sun has faced
a hostile reception from many critics, as well as much
of the South African public. But 4.3 million people are
reading the paper every day, and in many ways, it does
fulfil important roles- even if they aren’t in-line with the
traditional pillars of journalism.
AMASA (Advertising Media
On Wednesday, 7 May, LAMASA
Association of Southern Africa) hosted a debate at the
JSE in Sandton on the topic ‘Have tabloids killed the
quality press?’ In what turned out to be more of a
discussion than a debate, Themba Khumalo, Editor of
the Daily Sun, represented tabloid journalism, while
Peter Bruce of Avusa and Editor of Business Day
represented ‘quality’ newspapers Business Day and
The Weekender. Rob Smuts, outgoing chairperson of
AMASA, acted as chair.
Khumalo starts off with a brief
history of the Daily Sun – currently
the biggest newspaper in South
Africa and south of Cairo. Launched
in July 2002, the tabloid was created
to fill a gap in the market – to provide
a daily tabloid newspaper targeted at
the huge, largely non-reading black
working class (LSM 1-4) population
of South Africa. It was created with the intention to
excite people; tell their stories; and present the news
of the day in more simple, friendly language. Khumalo
says the paper has evolved through the years, and has
been largely shaped and guided by its readers.
The Daily Sun has come under criticism for its often
wildly sensational stories about ‘sex goblins’;
tokoloshes; and ‘white ghosts’. Khumalo says people
often ask him whether his readers really believe and
talk about these things. The answer, according to him,
is yes, many readers do. And the tabloid does not only
dwell on the supernatural and sensational – it also
places a large focus on celebrating the small victories
that people achieve in their day-to-day lives – things
that for the most part, would go unnoticed by other
newspapers. What about political and economical
issues? Khumalo explains the Daily Sun does cover
more serious topics, but takes the story of the day and
makes it easier to understand, largely through
featuring the political issues in terms of how they
influence the individual directly – “We deal with politics
at the cold place where the rubber hits the road.” At the
end of the day, even many of the sensationalised
stories carry a responsible message.
The People’s Watchdog
Khumalo says that part of what the Daily Sun does is
push the authorities to do what they should be doing –
or expose the things that they shouldn’t be doing.
Readers often call the Daily Sun to report crimes or
social problems before they call the police – a good
indication that the paper is not only seen as a
community watchdog, but also, as being close to its
readers and taking their problems seriously.
Media
UPDATE
If the Daily Sun does then carry a variety of content,
and not just sensationalised stories, would Khumalo
say that the paper has a balance between ‘real’ news
and the sensational stories?
Khumalo says that the front page obviously carries the
most sensational stories, simply to draw attention and
attract readers – after all, it is the spear-point that gets
people to continue reading the paper. But for the most
part, the rest of the paper covers a variety of issues and
stories covered in the more established press- just told
in a different way, using different language.
New newspaper readers
In terms of competition, Khumalo describes how before
the Daily Sun was launched, the Sowetan catered to
some of its current market – and when it was launched,
he says, “Sowetan ran away and said “We’ll go off to the
suburbs”,’ to cater for the black middle-class, losing its
working-class readers to the Daily Sun. But Khumalo
adds that the paper also covers a newly emerged
market, as a large proportion of the Daily Sun’s current
readers did not read newspapers at all before the
launch of the tabloid.
Peter Bruce then describes how the Weekender, like
the Daily Sun, was launched to cater for what it saw as a
gap in the market – high LSM newspaper readers who
were unsatisfied with the Saturday print offering. The
Weekender not only broke the weekend newspaper
convention by being available on Saturdays and
Sundays, but also opted for the narrow broadsheet
format. Bruce says it is likely that many papers will
eventually change to tabloid format for convenience
purposes, as has happened in Europe. He says that the
Weekender always intended to have a small circulation,
but goes on to say that its target of 20 000 copies is
enough for the paper to remain profitable, given that it
is an expensive paper, with higher LSM readers. It’s
about finding a niche and understanding your
audience, and Bruce goes on to say he doesn’t really
think the notion of the ‘tabloid-broadsheet dichotomy’
is real, or that the two are at war. Neither does he have
anything against them – he explains that they
encourage brevity, and thus understanding,
mentioning his admiration for tabloid editors who are
tasked with condensing the complex into the simple,
while retaining meaning. “More people are reading
newspapers than ever before, partly due to papers like
Themba’s, but also due to the quality papers which
have adapted to meet their readers’ needs”. Quality
tabloids like the Mail & Guardian and The Times prove
that the format does not necessitate sensationalism.
Will readers graduate beyond tabloids?
Smuts refers to the point that the Daily Sun gained
many readers who previously did not read newspapers.
He asks whether these readers will then perhaps
‘graduate’ to other more ‘quality’ newspapers, like the
Citizen or Star? Khumalo says hopefully not, as the
Daily Sun is constantly reinventing itself and ‘growing’,
in order to remain relevant to its readers. In 2004 the
paper didn’t have features stories on the latest
technology and gadgets, whereas it now does (the
Daily Sun recently ran a story on the iPhone). Also, it’s
not a trend overseas – tabloid readers generally don’t
move on to other newspapers.
To read the rest of the article, clickLhere
here.
9
A Newsclip Media Monitoring Initiative
EDITOR’S CLIP
The online press portal is now a reality... Several
weeks ago, Standard Bank adopted the new
concept of the social media press release, otherwise
known by its acronym, SMPR, to share news about
the 2008 Standard Bank Pro20 cricket series. The
site it created is an adjunct to the main Standard
Bank website and features a host of multimedia and
social networking elements.
Standard Bank’s press release quoted: “For the
2008 Standard Bank Pro20 cricket series, Standard
Bank has adopted an integrated online social media
strategy as part of the ‘We got the Kaboom’
marketing campaign. News of the fifth annual
series is smartly packaged in an information rich
Social Media Press Release (SMPR). The custom-
created SMPR is a marketing first for South Africa
and includes multimedia content, as well as links to
the various Standard Bank Pro20 online social
networks.
As the communication landscape changes and new,
cutting edge ways of consuming information
emerge, brand custodians and marketing
professionals need to re-think the way they format
and deliver news. The customised SMPR developed
by Standard Bank facilitates rapid and widespread
sharing of news, information, images, audio, video,
and other content”.
There are no better words to describe exactly what
this new media development is. Some sceptics
believed this phenomenon would take much longer to
be a reality in South Africa, but Standard Bank has
proven otherwise.
The reality and success of the SMPR will be evident
with time, as more journalists become comfortable
using these new multimedia press releases in their
daily lives.
The SMPR included the following elements: quick
facts; recent photos; video; text of the release;
suggested tags; quotes for quick use; social
network sharing; ‘join the conversation’ links; other
Standard Bank news; cricket-related websites and
blogs; RSS feeds; opt-in email alerts, and contact
details.
Media
UPDATE
Those who have been following Media Update and
Publicity Update for the past year or so, would have
noticed that these are the very elements we have
been discussing with regards to the make up of a
strong online press portal and multimedia press
release.
Following this link to visit the Social Media Press release:
Lstandardbank.socialmediarelease.co.za
standardbank.socialmediarelease.co.za.
The International Association of Business
Communicators (IABC) has even set up a task team
to discuss this new phenomenon and make
recommendations on standardisations that all
communicators can implement, in their efforts to
launch SMPR sites.
On 5 March, the IABC said, “The social media
release (SMR) has been in development for two
years, ever since online journalist Tom Foremski
called for a change to the traditional narrative press
release to accommodate the needs of those
reporting on the Web, including the incorporation of
multimedia elements, the addition of social media
tools, and the development of tags that make it
easy to find and use the information contained in a
release. This visionary rethinking of the traditional
press release is designed to take advantage of
emerging technologies while also making it easier
for people to share the company's news with others
through their blogs, web sites or traditional media
outlets”.
10
A Newsclip Media Monitoring Initiative Media
UPDATE

EDITOR’S CLIP Mother’s Day Open Day

As part of our series of Editor’s Clips that address
Newsclip’s corporate social initiatives, I would like to
take the opportunity this week to address the
company’s support of the South African Ballet
Theatre (SABT).
Newsclip provides the SABT with year-round
monitoring to ensure that they are aware of all the
exposure they are getting. We noted with pleasant
surprise that the SABT was mentioned in no fewer
than 230 print articles since November 2007, ranging
from national business dailies to community
newspapers and consumer magazines.
Most recently, we attended a performance of Autumn
Enchantment at the Opera Stage, SA State Theatre,
in Pretoria. The South African Ballet Theatre and the
Black Tie Ensemble with Maestro Graham Scott and
an Orchestral Ensemble put on a spectacular
afternoon show.
Autumn Enchantment is a programme of romantic
excerpts from popular operas, musicals and ballets in
the tradition of the highly popular Valentine
Enchantment performances. Banish the looming
winter blues and be swept up in an autumn sunlight
swirl of magical, enthralling theatrical highlights
combining dazzling dancing, sublime singing and
memorable melodies!
The South African Ballet Theatre hosts an Open Day
at its Braamfontein studios prior to each of its four
annual seasons. The Company is pleased to
announce that an additional Open Day has been
scheduled for Saturday, 10 May, in honour of Mothers'
Day.
This special Open Day will run from 10h00 to 12h00
at SABT's studios and will be the perfect way for
families, particularly mothers and daughters, to
begin early celebrations for Mothers Day. Patrons will
have the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the
behind- the-scenes activities of the country's largest
professional ballet company.
The morning will commence with a shortened warm-
up class followed by a studio performance in costume
of highlights from SABT's Autumn Enchantment
performances plus excerpts from their upcoming
production of Don Quixote, to be performed at The
National Arts Festival in Grahamstown in July.
The SA Ballet Theatre Friends will be hosting a sales
table in order to raise funds for the Company and will
be selling a variety of goodies.

About the SABT

Established in 2001 after the closure of The State

Theatre Ballet in 2000, this company has defied the
odds and silenced the skeptics by forging a central
niche in South African dance using imaginative
funding strategies and a vibrant artistic vision.

SABT celebrated its sixth birthday in February this

year. The company's principal sponsor is FNB
Corporate, which through its support seeks to
honour SABT's spirit of entrepreneurship and to
allow talented South African dancers the chance to
advance their careers in their own country.

SABT is South Africa’s largest professional ballet

company; aiming to bring the glamour, escapism
and magic of ballet to all.

11
A Newsclip Media Monitoring Initiative Media
UPDATE

EDITOR’S CLIP SPECIAL - ONSET WITH Theunissen adds, “we are looking at producing ten
ASWANG! movies a year and encouraging local production. Our
ultimate objective is to have all local stars, not just
Local and international film talent in joint SA- international celebrities”.
UK production, Aswang!
There is a long way to go before that is achieved, but
marketing the SA film industry both to itself and to
mFilms, a relatively new company that is involved in the
consumers is the first crucial step.
logistics and production marketing of films in the South
African film and production landscape, invited top
We have the skills
entertainment journalists down to the set of Aswang
during the last week of filming.
Producer Anton Ernst says that one of the most
important things in South Africa is to “help build
Aswang is a joint South African-UK production
stars, not just celebrities”. He notes the exceptional
(Focus Films UK and Anton Ernst Entertainment
talent and skills-base that reside in South Africa.
SA), starring Billy Zane, Colin Moss, Louise Barnes, Most of the equipment used in the film was local, with
Christina Cole, Natalie Mendoza and other talented some international technology being imported. Skills
actors. Aswang tells the story of a TV crew that for specialised jobs were imported from Joburg and
arrives on a deserted island to make a survival Cape Town, to the set in Durban.
special, only to encounter the legend of the Aswang
: horrifying, mythical creatures that live in trees Ernst notes that it is in fact cost effective to film in
and can change shape, living off human flesh. South Africa, especially when looking at the balance
of quality and quantity. “We have some of the most
How did they decide on Durban for a filming-location? beautiful scenery for movies.”
The movie was originally scheduled for the Philippines,
but a coup there prevented the plan from going ahead.
With the producers being ex-South Africans who have
been in the UK production industry for some 20 years,
they chose SA as the ideal place to film.

Encouraging local talent

On set, Johan Theunissen, GM of mFilms, noted the

lack of marketing for local films and the need to
provide movie houses with the production
assistance, financing and marketing tools to make
movies appeal to the audience. “Only 5% of the
audience will appreciate the technicalities of the
movies, such as sound and cinematography. The
balance look at the movie as a whole and how it
makes you feel... this is why the marketing and
packaging of movies is important”, explains
Theunissen. Film shooting with state-of-the-art Thompson
Viper cameras
mFilms looks at movies from conception to final
production and has been involved in all of the The picture is being filmed with Thompson Viper's
logistics of filming from the beginning through to state-of-the-art High Definition cameras that were
the post-production marketing and sales revenue brought out from the UK for their first outing on a
strategy for DVD rentals and sales. The company is 'tropical' shoot.
able to reduce the costs of film-making, as they
rent out the equipment needed to create a motion Viper has been a good Digital Cinematography camera,
picture and amortise the cost over its lifespan. as in FilmStream mode, next to nothing is done to the
image - what the lens sees is what the camera delivers.
Every pixel is there in full resolution. This is the magic of
digital technology almost no CGI needs to be done in
post-production due, to the quality of the image.

This provides the director and camera crew with the

freedom to create a look in post-production that
matches their artistic vision. There is no irreversible
camera processing such as gamma, knee, contouring,
white balance, or clipping. Everything can be digitally
mastered. The camera also has the ability to shoot
native 3.25 without anamorphic lenses, which will be a
huge bonus when working on cinematography
projects.

Above: the set on a beach north of Durban;

Left: Johan Theunissen, GM of mFilms and Anton Ernst,
Aswang producer
12
A Newsclip Media Monitoring Initiative
Not just another horror
Producer Malcolm Kohil says that director Terence
Daw's script was so well developed that it lifted above
the traditional genre. Kohil describes it as having a
well-rounded plot, a good script, and a correlation to
Filipino mythology. “For this reason it's not plucked
out of fresh air... there is a collision between reality
and fantasy in a real way”.
The production pressure was enormous, with only a
five week filming time on set. This schedule also
posed serious challenges to the key prosthetics
designer, Brendan Lonergan, who was tasked with
creating the monster (which we cannot show!), and
dressing the actors in it day in and day out, under the
treacherous Durban sun.
What the team has pulled off, however, is something
to be proud of.
In a director's comment, Daw said, “As fans of the
genre, we have in recent years felt the lack of a good
creature-feature. The benchmark was set by pictures
like Aliens, Predator and Tremors, and has to some
extent been eclipsed by more psychological horror
movies. Ours is visceral without being gratuitous,
exciting without being too gory, and with a well-
honed script and rounded, believable characters, we
have created a film that thrills and entertains at all
levels.”
Daw describes the creature as “a creature of
unspeakable evil and ugliness... a shape-shifting
hellish beast that feeds on human flesh... the Aswang
has been terrifying generations of Filipino kids as the
dreaded figure of the nether world that would come
and haunt their waking dreams”.
Actor Billy Zane speaking to Media Update editor, Daniel
Munslow, on set outside Durban
Media
UPDATE
Media Update editor, Daniel Munslow, on set
Chatting to Billy Zane
During the set tour, I had the opportunity to chat with
Billy Zane for a brief period, and asked him about his
experience in filming in South Africa with local actors.
Zane poetically said he likes the “sense of resonance
in the land, which is very powerful. You have a
national character that is enticing and inherent. The
grace of all people is refreshing and there is a great
social landscape”.
During his stay in South Africa, Zane enjoyed a stint
with a holistic healer and visited a meditation centre.
He also enjoyed the picturesque scenery of the Valley
of a 1000 Hills, a Zulu show and a visit to the Croc
Farm. All memorable experiences on Billy's
standards!
And local talent? Zane noted that he thoroughly
enjoyed working with Colin Moss on set. “Colin is
immensely talented and a wonderful actor. It is good
that he made the transition from presenting to
movies, because presenting is more demanding. He
is wonderfully dedicated. I cannot remember a more
happy or friendly group. The cast has bonded very
nicely”.
Of Louise Barnes, Zane added, “she has a great
future and I was moved by the depth of her work. She
is a national treasure and could be the Meryl Streep of
South Africa”. He went on to say that he finds that
many actors tend to nothingness and that there is a
need for more depth in people's acting - something
he found and noticed in our local actors.
Zane is currently working on his directorial debut - a
commercial arts movie - and plans to do some more
production work in the near future. He has already
filmed several movies in the first half of this year.
The supernatural thriller will be released to coincide
with the Halloween weekend on 31 October. An age
restriction is still to be confirmed.
* Any questions about the movie can be directed to
Claire Clark Communications at
claire@claireclark.co.za
* Visit Facebook to view images from the set of the
movie.
13
A Newsclip Media Monitoring Initiative
EDITOR’S CORNER
There is no doubt that with the advent of new
communication technologies and methodologies, the
role of the communications practitioner has, and
constantly is, changing. A communications manager
can no longer be excluded from the core decision
making process at a strategic level, nor can they
implement company-wide communication plans
without fully understanding the objectives and out-
takes that are being aimed for.
Studies in the past have revealed that while
communications practitioners at different levels felt
well technically-equipped to operate at a functional
and operational level, they did not feel that they were
represented at the strategic level of the organisation.
It is at this level that strategic assessments are done
and the target market is assessed at a macro level,
taking external and environmental factors (the
traditional PEST factors, if you like), into account. Many
communicators are guilty of skipping these initial steps,
because they feel they have already identified their
market and that there is no point in going through the
research phase again.
This is a mistake that many fall into, on account of the
day-to-day rush of completing the technical portion of
the task. It is likened to giving more attention to urgent,
rather than important problems. But attention to
urgency at the expense of importance, creates
additional problems.
Obviously, the extent to which one segments the
market will wholly depend on the nature of the
business, product, or service industry one is in. No two
markets are the same, and even within the purview of a
single communications manager within a single
company, can be, and usually are, multiple markets.
This could be on account of internal versus external
audiences; different business units; different products;
different levels of audiences within a similar group, etc.
Therefore, going back to basics and looking at the
consumer, the market, and the company and its
competitors is always crucial.
At this stage, one runs the risk of mis-aligning multiple
brands that fit under one banner, if integrated
communications are not maintained.
It is at this higher organisational level that public
relations and communication methodologies become
strategic rather than simply operational. The myth that
‘PR’ is nothing more than organisating events and
writing stories, must be dispelled. This obviously needs
to start at the universities, where students must be
exposed to basic business decision making skills and to
the ‘bigger picture’ within which public relations
functions.
Speaking as an employer, I cannot run the risk of
employing someone who is simply technically sound
but does not have the strategic thinking to identify not
only the outcome of the task but also the out-take
relative to the company’s objectives. True, this can be
taught within the company, but a basic foundation
needs to be inherent from the years of studying people
complete before entering the world of communications.
Refresher courses at institutes like PRISA and the IABC
are very useful to skills development and CPD.
Media
UPDATE
I find the view that communicators are excluded from
taking part in strategic decisions because of their field
of expertise, to be an outdated approach.
Communicators need to be multi-skilled and provide
strategic positioning advise at board level (which is
indeed an increasing trend).
The role of communication research in organisational
development cannot be over-emphasised, with
changes taking place almost daily. The role of mobile
communications and web-based interfaces is in a
constant state of flux. The creation of online press
portals on corporate websites is gaining momentum,
and communication to staff via an sms is also on the
increase.
For a modern-day communication manager to not
share this information and obtain the buy-in of top
management, would be a gross oversight.
Management is there to implement ideas, but it is not
their job to know the technicalities of every area of
specialisation. It is because of this, that specialist
roles, like that of communications mangers and the
like, are so important to the strategic direction of any
company.
This is especially the case in markets where there is
multiple media available in various niche markets,
and knowledge thereof becomes the power to engage
with the various audiences.
The phrase, ‘education through information’, should
never be underestimated.
See you next week.
DANIEL
GET TO KNOW THE TEAM
EDITOR Daniel Munslow
DEPUTY EDITOR Pat McClelland
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Stefanie Jason
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Leigh Andrews
MEDIA RESEARCHER Roane Booth
MARKETING MANAGER Vanessa Evans
Media Update is published by Newsclip.
Daniel is a member of the MPASA PICA Awards
Committee.
GET IN TOUCH
Want to make a contribution? Want to share your opinions
and stories about the media industry? We want to hear
from you.
You can email us at updates@newsclip.co.za or call
us on (011) 288-6600.
WE’RE ONLINE...
Media Update -Wwww.mediaupdate.co.za
Publicity Update -Wwww.publicityupdate.co.za
TotallyMAd - Wwww.totallymad.co.za
Data is provided for information purposes only. Newsclip shall not be responsible for any
direct or indirect or other damage of any kind whatsoever suffered or incurred by you
related to your use of, or your inability to access or use, the content of this publication.
Although we have taken all possible steps to ensure the validity of our sources, reliance on
the information contained in this update is used at your own risk.
MEDIA UPDATE IS A
NEWSCLIP MEDIA MONITORING INITIATIVE
14