Celebrating radio in SA - State of the Newsroom: 100 Years of Radio Broadcasting

The Wits Centre for Journalism (WCJ) joined the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) at their Radio Park auditorium to celebrate World Radio Day on February 13, 2024, and launch its latest State of the Newsroom report – 100 Years of Radio Broadcasting. 

This State of the Newsroom shows that radio has the powerful potential to continue to create the inclusive, democratic culture that we looking for, but that many challenges exist. The community radio sector needs to be revitalised through fresh regulations and commitments from stations; the SABC needs to take risks to survive in a converged environment; and commercial radio needs to look at ways of strengthening meaningful public participation and debate.

A common theme in the articles published here is that there are many learning experiences to draw from in the past as radio looks at how to strengthen its vital role in building democracy in the future.

Click here to read more and download the full report.

A century of radio in Africa: from propaganda to people’s power

Radio is thriving across Africa. Exact figures are difficult to come by because audience research differs across countries, but studies estimate radio listenership to be between 60% and 80% of the continent’s 1.4 billion population.

In contrast to many western countries, where there has been a shift towards streaming and podcasts, traditional radio continues to be widely embraced in Africa. Because of poor literacy levels and uneven access to the internet and technological infrastructure, old-fashioned radio remains a reliable and inclusive medium.

Click here to read more.

The Wits Centre for Journalism would like to contribute to enhancing the sustainability of the community radio sector. To this end, it seeks applications from South African-based consultants for a fixed term project: Research on community radio governance, sustainability, and viability. The successful applicant will conduct a baseline survey that will lead to the development of a strategy and comprehensive plan that will be used as guidance for the project staff and key stakeholders in mapping the long-term sustainability of the community radio sector. 

This includes assessing the sustainability and governance frameworks within the community radio broadcasting sector, identifying challenges and opportunities, and providing recommendations for enhancing its effectiveness and resilience.

Click here for project and application details.

WCJ hosts Knowledge Exchange Programme in Nairobi with Syli UK's climateXchange and Aga Khan University

To articulate the scale and urgency of the climate crisis we currently face, climateXchange (cXc) has partnered with the Wits Centre for Journalism to launch a hub in Africa that aims to foster relatable climate content, measure impact, and provide reporting solutions to empower and engage audiences at a local level.

As part of this new initiative, which was launched in November 2023 at Wits University, the WCJ took part in the first Knowledge Exchange Programme with partner organisations from across Africa at Aga Khan University in Nairobi, Kenya, during the last week of February.

cXc, a flagship initiative of Syli UK, is a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting climate journalism in finding new ways to reach new audiences.

Click here to learn more about the initiative.

Wits Centre for Journalism welcomes class of 2024

It's been a productive first month for the WCJ's career-entry honours class, who hit the ground running at the start of the academic year in February. They were recently joined by award-winning journalist Malungelo Booi, who gave the class a rundown on basic but essential interview techniques. 

Here's wishing the new students all the best for the year ahead - we look forward to seeing them shine in the Wits Vuvuzela newsroom in the months to come.

MDIF launches exciting new opportunity and calls for applications

The Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) has launched Amplify South Africa, a mentoring, capacity strengthening and grant funding program to help independent media organisations build their revenues, audiences and innovation.

Amplify South Africa invites existing independent media companies and non-profit organisations, as well as new ventures that are less than a year old, to submit their applications to join the programme. 

Click here to find out more.

• SAVE THE DATE: March 19, 2024 - Adenauer Media Lecture. The Wits Centre for Journalism and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) present the Adenauer Media lecture by Prof Claudia Nothelle. Professor of television journalism at Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences and former multimedia program director at Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (ARD/rbb) on the future of television broadcasting. Starts at 10am in the Senate Room, Solomon Mahlangu Building, Wits East Campus. Mail [email protected] for more information. 

• Journalists living and working in Africa, with an exceptional talent for telling African stories, can apply for the 2024 BBC World Komla Dumor Award. Winner receives a three-month training and development opportunity. Deadline: 15 March. Click here for details.

• Journalists who had strong work published or broadcast in South African news media between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023 are invited to enter this year’s Sikuvile Awards. Winner receives R15,000. Deadline: 29 March. Click here for details. 

• Journalists and filmmakers from the global south are invited to apply for One World Media's new fellowship, which aims to support diverse reporting projects across the region through funding, mentoring, & skills development. Deadline: 21 March. Click here for details.