MARKET-DRIVEN MEDIA

An analysis of market-driven media, especially in Africa has to be

framed within an understanding of globalisation and economic
liberalisation. Since the early 1980s economic liberalisation has
emerged as the predominant policy reform worldwide. In Africa this
was manifested in the adoption of Structural Adjustment Programmes
(SAPs) by many governments in the 1980s and early 1990s. These
reforms were sponsored by the MFIs. The SAPs were among other
things expected to “promote a free-enterprise market system and
allocative efficiency by disengaging the state form productive and
commercial activities through privatisation of publicly owned assets…”
(Mengisteab, 1996: p.29). Most importantly, however, the reforms were
expected to integrate economies of developing countries more closely
into the global economy by encouraging foreign direct investment
(FDIs).

In terms of media and communications, liberalisation and globalisation

is supposed to ensure competition which fosters wide access to diverse
viewpoints and allows individual consumers to decide what is their
interest (Keane, 1991). Information is viewed as a commodity to be
bought and sold. Proponents of market-driven media argue that
governments have no business in media and that the dismantling of
legal controls would provide the adequate conditions for a healthy
competitive business environment.

Deregulation and privatisation are the new buzzwords in the area of

communications. Alongside the media transformation, there has been
an adoption of economic policies in the region which promote
integration into international networks of commodity production and
distribution (Barnett, 2000). In most cases, the media have been
opened up to penetration by foreign capital. This is most noticeable in
the area of telecommunications.

The question that has been posed by many academics (Keane, 1991,
Murdock 1990; Collins and Murroni, 1996; Mosco, 1996 and freedom of
expression activists is whether unregulated and privately owned media
deliver diversity and pluralism of views. Deregulation has seen media
organisations being transformed into large-scale commercial
organisations. Therefore freedom of expression is facing another form
of threat NOT from excessive state power, but from an unbridled
market. In the United States of America and Western Europe, media
ownership is increasingly being concentrated into fewer and fewer
companies (Bagdikian, 1992). It is argued that because the same
interests own the many different media, the views expressed are more
or less the same. This has reduced diversity and pluralism of views.
Murdock (1990) has argued that competition does not promote
diversity of views- “more does not mean different”. It just means the
same basic commodity appearing in different formats (Barker and
Minnie, 2000). In Southern Africa, South Africa gives the best example
of media monopoly and conglomeration. It is difficult for new titles to
penetrate the media market.

When it comes to broadcasting, African governments have been

reluctant to liberalise. Radio in Africa reaches the majority of people as
it breaks geographical and linguistic barriers. Most African
governments want to control the flow of information and as a result are
reticent about opening up the airwaves to other players. However
economic, political and technological pressures have forced many
governments to deregulate the broadcasting sector. What has
happened is that most government have commercialised and not
necessarily opened up the airwaves. Several forms of broadcast
liberalisation exist in the region and indeed Africa –the main form is
that channels on public owned broadcasters are leased to private
companies. Paterson (2000) has argued that this “permits
governments to reduce their financial burden by turning money losing
channels into money earners, while maintaining a significant degree of
influence over programme content…” (p.7). The best example of this is
in Zimbabwe when in 1997 the cash-strapped Zimbabwe Broadcasting
Corporation (ZBC) leased its money-losing channel 2 to three private
broadcasters – Joy TV; LDM TV and MABC.

It is also obvious that commercialisation of the public media has

reduced informative and educational programmes. In most cases, time
devoted to news and public affairs has been reduced. There has been a
proliferation of programme content consisting sports, American
movies, European and American newscasts such as BBC; SKY News
and CNN (Paterson, 2000). In many African countries, the advent of
liberalisation has seen the demise of public service broadcasting in
favour of new private and commercial broadcasting stations.