Ubuntu Radio will not be used for propaganda, but rather a platform to engage, communicate with and educate South Africans on the country's foreign policy. This was said by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) spokesperson Clayson Monyela, at the launch of Ubuntu Radio, in Pretoria, yesterday.
Ubuntu Radio is the first online radio station to operate under the auspices of a government institution for non-commercial purposes.
According to Monyela, an analysis was done by the department to establish to what extent foreign policy is in the public discourse. "It quickly became clear to us that it is very little," says Monyela. "If you check how many [South African] media houses have foreign policy correspondents, you will struggle to come up with more than three names."
He says Dirco realised there was a need for a platform where foreign policy can be discussed, and Ubuntu Radio was born. "We need to explain to SA what our foreign policies are and the rationale behind the positions we adopt on major global issues."
Monyela declined to give an exact cost figure for the establishment of the radio station, but says it was "extremely cheap" as Dirco already had a fully functional broadcasting studio available that was previously not utilised. "I don't believe we have competitors. I believe other stations will now listen to us, because this is the station to listen to if you want to know what SA is thinking on any issue.
"We will have news bulletins. We will be playing music, especially on weekends, and we will be playing African music unapologetically. And yes, we will be covering next year's elections, but differently from how I assume other broadcasters will approach that story," he notes.
He emphasises that while the format of the station is talk, listeners will not be "lectured" or be exposed to government propaganda. "People can call in and ask questions, voice their opinions, agree or disagree with us. But for the first time we will be able to dictate the time and pace of these discussions and articulate the thinking of SA on foreign policy."
Monyela says the department decided not to limit the pool of anchors and contributors to diplomats or government employees only. "We didn't want to have a credibility crisis and have cynics dismiss the station as a propaganda tool. So we decided to pull in other people, some who are critical, some who tell us when we are doing something right - we have brought all of them in."
He says the station is still in negotiations with anchors and contributors.
More options
Monyela says the department recognises the poor Internet penetration in the country, and is, therefore, "in the final stages" of developing a mobile app that can be used to listen to Ubuntu Radio on any smartphone or tablet.
Ubuntu Radio will also share content with various platforms such as the SABC's Channel Africa to extend its reach, he says. "We are talking to other [platforms] about possible content sharing, but I can't give any details at the moment. We will give SA more options to get hold of us."
He also expressed his confidence that the Department of Communications will finalise the digital migration process shortly, and says the department would like to make Ubuntu Radio available on FM as soon as frequencies are available.
In addition to the online radio station, Dirco has moved its quarterly publication, Ubuntu Magazine, to digital. Monyela says the full magazine is now available on the Dirco Web site. "The main objective of the magazine is to communicate with and educate stakeholders on SA's international relations policy positions, achievements, objectives and goals."
Ubuntu Radio can be accessed at www.ubunturadio.com.
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