Botswana Radio is neither plural, representative nor diverse
Thapelo Ndlovu | Friday February 14, 2020 13:35
Proclaimed in 2013 by the United Nations as a World Radio Day, it is a time when, not only the industry professionals but, the community at large must reflect on whether radio serves them right.
This year, the day runs under the theme, ‘Pluralism, Representation, Diversity’. Quite a loaded theme that speaks to Botswana directly. Botswana has 4 radio stations – 3 private commercials and 1 state owned with two channels, RB and RB2.
All these are national radios with different reach capabilities. This alone reflects on the pluralism, representation and diversity of radio in Botswana. State radio serves the interest of the government of the day while private radios have their profit chasing owners too. It is apparent then that in theory and practice there is no public owned radio, let alone community run stations in the country. So it can be argued that radio ownership in Botswana is barely plural, narrowly representative and not diverse.
This trickles down to operations. Has radio improved in terms of gender balancing? This question probably needs a formal study but a cursory look will still do for now. Of the three private radios, only one has a woman Station Manager. In fact, there has never been a point where there were two female run radios against one male run. The trend remains the same in the immediate senior positions, notably the Programme Manager equivalence.
This begs the question whether there are no qualified females or the market has no confidence in them. Whatever the answer, it creates a blot in the country’s representation drive and cast aspersion on the industry’s commitment to transform with the times. The state radio is however, an exception as there has been senior female managers in various positions for a long time; they even progress to departmental directors.
All these culminate into the kind of voice the radio represents. Is it plural and diverse? The state owned RB reaches almost all corners of the country and hosts rotational broadcasts in different communities. But RB is one dimensional as it avoids hard subjects such as politics and those that reflect the government in bad light. Opposition politics and Trade unions often find their voice stifled.
Only when programmes are well orchestrated and planned in advance, like the national election coverage, does the station provide political cover, albeit with stringent orderliness that leaves no room for spontaneity and creativity as one would expect radio to be.
However, RB must be commended for providing live broadcasting for election petitions court cases after Mmegi newspaper opened the gates by winning their live streaming case.
This was a classic and landmark feat and RB played its part. If all serious issues, regardless of how they portray government were to be live broadcast, people would find radio to be meaningful to their lives.
Lastly, a call for licensing of community radios would never be over-amplified. Communities must submit applications for licences with Botswana Communication Regulatory Authority (BOCRA) and see what happens. This is said in the realisation that there is, in fact, no statute explicitly outlawing community radio but just that the law is deliberately silent. A test case is therefore necessary.
*Thapelo Ndlovu is a coordinator, Community Media Foundation