Media Development and Diversity Agency

Lobbying around the promotion of media diversity in South, including the establishment of a Media Development Agency and the implementation of a media diversity-friendly Competition Bill.

The FXI will continue to engage with the Government Communication and Information System around the establishment of the Media Development and Diversity Agency. The original timelines for the establishment of the MDDA were overshot and public hearings were held in March 2002. The founding Act has been enacted, the Board selected and regulations governing its funding priorities have been promulgated by the Board.

Through the Policy Unit, a briefing document was produced for community radio and a number of submissions were made on the MDDA. As mentioned earlier, the policy unit will be undertaking the production of a popular booklet on the MDDA, which will then be used to conduct training around lobbying and advocacy for community radio stations.

One of the key issues is the lack of funding support that has been forthcoming from commercial media. Initially faced with a statutory levy, the latest position forthcoming from the Portfolio Committee has been released commercial media from such an obligation on the assumption that funding will be forthcoming in the future. This however is not guaranteed and will require constant lobbying from FXI.

Not only will the FXI and NCRF undertake this work, we will also continue to organise other civil society organisations to ensure the establishment of a viable, sustainable MDDA. Not only will this work involve us in ongoing meeting and publicity, but ongoing engagement with key stakeholders in the process (such as the GCIS and the media industry). In partnership with the NCRF, the FXI will also ensure that the community radio sector continues to shape to MDDA so that it serves the sector's needs.

The FXI will aim to ensure that the MDDA is established free of vested interests, that funders make an on-going financial commitment to the MDDA and that all processes leading up to the establishment of the MDDA are transparent and open to participation. The FXI will also need to ensure that community radio stations are fully informed about the role of the MDDA, through educational and informational workshops.