African media fragmentation piles the pressure on radio and TV stations as they scramble for audiences
(From Balancing Act) African media fragmentation piles the pressure on radio and TV stations as they scramble for audiences Once upon a time everyone knew what television and radio were and they played a key role in people’s lives. Particularly for urban Africans they were the soundtrack to life, the sports match in the bar and the common conversations about television programmes. Nowadays in the more liberalised of African countries there are more television and radio stations than you can remember the names of and for the smaller group of the more well-off, there are pay TV channels, time-shifting and DVDs. And all that’s before you take into account SMS information services and the Internet which are eating away at the edges of the audiences. Russell Southwood looks at the fault-lines. Dakar will shortly have 7 television stations, not including the three Pay-TV channels you can get if you can afford them or can pirate a service. Lagos has 13 television stations and perhaps three main Pay-TV channels. Kinshasa has over 40 television stations, many of which simply show pirated television content. In this circumstance, no channel will get more than 20-30% of audience share on a regular basis. Pay-TV may seem a very modest presence in most countries but because it is widely watched in public places, it audience reach is understated by its subscriber numbers. Furthermore, piracy means that a large number of additional subscribers (sometimes double the number) are watching without paying for content. Vernacular radio has exploded and the number of radio stations is exponentially larger than for television stations as many of them are much more local. Uganda has 150 stations and Kenya over 90. But whilst radio might have a wider and deeper audience reach than television, the fragmentation makes it difficult for advertisers to reach their audiences. The standard broadcasting formats that seemed to serve so well in less competitive times are now being taken apart and put back together by the viewers and listeners themselves. Legitimate and pirated DVDs provide a steady stream of relatively cheap entertainment, particularly of films. Recent releases may command a better price but three relatively old action action movies (Bruce Lee, Stephen Seagal, that kind of thing) can be bought for around US$2. PVRs, streaming and catch-up downloads will all become a reality as part of the dividend of cheaper bandwidth in 2009. Middle class Africans are using a growing array of devices. Laptop use is growing as sales of this kind of computer begin to equal those of desktop PCs. High-end smart phones like Blackberries and iPhones are increasingly visible. One African carrier has 800,000 high-end phones on its network. These devices are not just for doing work or making phone calls. They have become media in their own right. Recent surveys show that in North Africa 3-7% of the population cited SMS as one of their most used daily information sources. Likewise the Internet is set to have a much greater impact with the spread of broadband subscriptions. According to Alexa.com, Facebook and You Tube are already amongst the Top 10 sites in the African countries that it analyses. Again based on survey work, between 1-8% of the population used the Internet daily across a range of very different countries. With cheaper international bandwidth, these figures will increase slowly but surely. Mobile Internet will become cheaper and play an increasingly large role in people’s lives. Current ad spend on the Internet and SMS is tiny but ad money will migrate as it gets larger. This is money that will most likely be lost to newspapers which seem the most vulnerable as the media landscape’s tectonic plates begin to shift. So what can the African broadcaster do faced with all of this? There are two ways to stay in the game: by using new media to extend the appeal of interesting content across all platforms and by stealing new media’s best ideas and using them to survive. Unfortunately too few TV stations have invested in convincingly local TV content that might well provide the adhesive that would keep viewers eyeballs glued to the their channel. This article is a summary of a more detailed analysis in the recently published African Film and TV Yearbook. A list of contents can be found by clicking on the following link: http://www.balancingact-africa.com/yearbook.html The second part of the Yearbook contains a full listing of African film and television companies broken down by country as well as a section with useful international addresses for anyone in the sector in Africa. There is also two specially focused listings: one looks at Film Location Agencies and Screen Commissions across the continent and the other lists companies and education institutions providing film and television training.
By the way Alice, your post reminds me...there's this little Advert running on FM Radio stations about "the emergency pill". I must confess that I personally find it disturbing - particular when put in the context of our listening youth. I have a whole thesis on why it should be pulled off air and just wondering where to submit the same. Is it to CCK or Media Council? Either way, could someone share the email contact for receiving customer complaints against Media? walu. --- On Thu, 3/19/09, alice <alice@apc.org> wrote:
From: alice <alice@apc.org> Subject: [kictanet] African media fragmentation piles the pressure on radio and TV stations as they scramble for audiences To: jwalu@yahoo.com Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Thursday, March 19, 2009, 10:12 PM (From Balancing Act)
African media fragmentation piles the pressure on radio and TV stations as they scramble for audiences
Once upon a time everyone knew what television and radio were and they played a key role in people’s lives. Particularly for urban Africans they were the soundtrack to life, the sports match in the bar and the common conversations about television programmes. Nowadays in the more liberalised of African countries there are more television and radio stations than you can remember the names of and for the smaller group of the more well-off, there are pay TV channels, time-shifting and DVDs. And all that’s before you take into account SMS information services and the Internet which are eating away at the edges of the audiences. Russell Southwood looks at the fault-lines.
Dakar will shortly have 7 television stations, not including the three Pay-TV channels you can get if you can afford them or can pirate a service. Lagos has 13 television stations and perhaps three main Pay-TV channels. Kinshasa has over 40 television stations, many of which simply show pirated television content. In this circumstance, no channel will get more than 20-30% of audience share on a regular basis.
Pay-TV may seem a very modest presence in most countries but because it is widely watched in public places, it audience reach is understated by its subscriber numbers. Furthermore, piracy means that a large number of additional subscribers (sometimes double the number) are watching without paying for content.
Vernacular radio has exploded and the number of radio stations is exponentially larger than for television stations as many of them are much more local. Uganda has 150 stations and Kenya over 90. But whilst radio might have a wider and deeper audience reach than television, the fragmentation makes it difficult for advertisers to reach their audiences.
The standard broadcasting formats that seemed to serve so well in less competitive times are now being taken apart and put back together by the viewers and listeners themselves. Legitimate and pirated DVDs provide a steady stream of relatively cheap entertainment, particularly of films. Recent releases may command a better price but three relatively old action action movies (Bruce Lee, Stephen Seagal, that kind of thing) can be bought for around US$2. PVRs, streaming and catch-up downloads will all become a reality as part of the dividend of cheaper bandwidth in 2009.
Middle class Africans are using a growing array of devices. Laptop use is growing as sales of this kind of computer begin to equal those of desktop PCs. High-end smart phones like Blackberries and iPhones are increasingly visible. One African carrier has 800,000 high-end phones on its network.
These devices are not just for doing work or making phone calls. They have become media in their own right. Recent surveys show that in North Africa 3-7% of the population cited SMS as one of their most used daily information sources. Likewise the Internet is set to have a much greater impact with the spread of broadband subscriptions.
According to Alexa.com, Facebook and You Tube are already amongst the Top 10 sites in the African countries that it analyses. Again based on survey work, between 1-8% of the population used the Internet daily across a range of very different countries. With cheaper international bandwidth, these figures will increase slowly but surely. Mobile Internet will become cheaper and play an increasingly large role in people’s lives.
Current ad spend on the Internet and SMS is tiny but ad money will migrate as it gets larger. This is money that will most likely be lost to newspapers which seem the most vulnerable as the media landscape’s tectonic plates begin to shift.
So what can the African broadcaster do faced with all of this? There are two ways to stay in the game: by using new media to extend the appeal of interesting content across all platforms and by stealing new media’s best ideas and using them to survive. Unfortunately too few TV stations have invested in convincingly local TV content that might well provide the adhesive that would keep viewers eyeballs glued to the their channel.
This article is a summary of a more detailed analysis in the recently published African Film and TV Yearbook. A list of contents can be found by clicking on the following link: http://www.balancingact-africa.com/yearbook.html
The second part of the Yearbook contains a full listing of African film and television companies broken down by country as well as a section with useful international addresses for anyone in the sector in Africa. There is also two specially focused listings: one looks at Film Location Agencies and Screen Commissions across the continent and the other lists companies and education institutions providing film and television training.
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I guess within the scramble for customers this is one example. This is a complex issue and people are likely to respond differently to this kind of content( indeed content generally). And it also depends on whether it is on television or radio, in a cinema film, on the Internet, in the press etc. So while you may find it offensive, I may find it very informative and educative. So what harm is this advert likely to cause our youth against any benefits? difficult to know/measure and again quite complex. So important to balance "harm and offence". Re: complaints process etc both institutions are responsible at various levels. best alice (Views expressed are personal and not a reflection of any of the institutions I am affiliated with) John Walubengo wrote:
By the way Alice, your post reminds me...there's this little Advert running on FM Radio stations about "the emergency pill". I must confess that I personally find it disturbing - particular when put in the context of our listening youth.
I have a whole thesis on why it should be pulled off air and just wondering where to submit the same. Is it to CCK or Media Council? Either way, could someone share the email contact for receiving customer complaints against Media?
walu.
--- On Thu, 3/19/09, alice <alice@apc.org> wrote:
From: alice <alice@apc.org> Subject: [kictanet] African media fragmentation piles the pressure on radio and TV stations as they scramble for audiences To: jwalu@yahoo.com Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Thursday, March 19, 2009, 10:12 PM (From Balancing Act)
African media fragmentation piles the pressure on radio and TV stations as they scramble for audiences
Once upon a time everyone knew what television and radio were and they played a key role in people’s lives. Particularly for urban Africans they were the soundtrack to life, the sports match in the bar and the common conversations about television programmes. Nowadays in the more liberalised of African countries there are more television and radio stations than you can remember the names of and for the smaller group of the more well-off, there are pay TV channels, time-shifting and DVDs. And all that’s before you take into account SMS information services and the Internet which are eating away at the edges of the audiences. Russell Southwood looks at the fault-lines.
Dakar will shortly have 7 television stations, not including the three Pay-TV channels you can get if you can afford them or can pirate a service. Lagos has 13 television stations and perhaps three main Pay-TV channels. Kinshasa has over 40 television stations, many of which simply show pirated television content. In this circumstance, no channel will get more than 20-30% of audience share on a regular basis.
Pay-TV may seem a very modest presence in most countries but because it is widely watched in public places, it audience reach is understated by its subscriber numbers. Furthermore, piracy means that a large number of additional subscribers (sometimes double the number) are watching without paying for content.
Vernacular radio has exploded and the number of radio stations is exponentially larger than for television stations as many of them are much more local. Uganda has 150 stations and Kenya over 90. But whilst radio might have a wider and deeper audience reach than television, the fragmentation makes it difficult for advertisers to reach their audiences.
The standard broadcasting formats that seemed to serve so well in less competitive times are now being taken apart and put back together by the viewers and listeners themselves. Legitimate and pirated DVDs provide a steady stream of relatively cheap entertainment, particularly of films. Recent releases may command a better price but three relatively old action action movies (Bruce Lee, Stephen Seagal, that kind of thing) can be bought for around US$2. PVRs, streaming and catch-up downloads will all become a reality as part of the dividend of cheaper bandwidth in 2009.
Middle class Africans are using a growing array of devices. Laptop use is growing as sales of this kind of computer begin to equal those of desktop PCs. High-end smart phones like Blackberries and iPhones are increasingly visible. One African carrier has 800,000 high-end phones on its network.
These devices are not just for doing work or making phone calls. They have become media in their own right. Recent surveys show that in North Africa 3-7% of the population cited SMS as one of their most used daily information sources. Likewise the Internet is set to have a much greater impact with the spread of broadband subscriptions.
According to Alexa.com, Facebook and You Tube are already amongst the Top 10 sites in the African countries that it analyses. Again based on survey work, between 1-8% of the population used the Internet daily across a range of very different countries. With cheaper international bandwidth, these figures will increase slowly but surely. Mobile Internet will become cheaper and play an increasingly large role in people’s lives.
Current ad spend on the Internet and SMS is tiny but ad money will migrate as it gets larger. This is money that will most likely be lost to newspapers which seem the most vulnerable as the media landscape’s tectonic plates begin to shift.
So what can the African broadcaster do faced with all of this? There are two ways to stay in the game: by using new media to extend the appeal of interesting content across all platforms and by stealing new media’s best ideas and using them to survive. Unfortunately too few TV stations have invested in convincingly local TV content that might well provide the adhesive that would keep viewers eyeballs glued to the their channel.
This article is a summary of a more detailed analysis in the recently published African Film and TV Yearbook. A list of contents can be found by clicking on the following link: http://www.balancingact-africa.com/yearbook.html
The second part of the Yearbook contains a full listing of African film and television companies broken down by country as well as a section with useful international addresses for anyone in the sector in Africa. There is also two specially focused listings: one looks at Film Location Agencies and Screen Commissions across the continent and the other lists companies and education institutions providing film and television training.
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Complex is indeed the term. And depending on your scientific convictions on when life actually begins i.e. is at conception or after birth? Then this emergency pill could be "abortion over the counter" and last time I checked abortion was still illegal in Kenya. What media is therefore doing is promoting the culture of death and impunity that is already rampant in our society. But that's my thinking and If I can get the correct email for Media Council I can submit more details/points. Makali, Kanja is this Media Council thing still active or was it overtaken by the new Kenya Communication Amendment Act (2008)? walu. --- On Fri, 3/20/09, alice <alice@apc.org> wrote:
From: alice <alice@apc.org> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Disturbing Advert or appropriate local content? To: jwalu@yahoo.com Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Friday, March 20, 2009, 12:38 PM I guess within the scramble for customers this is one example.
This is a complex issue and people are likely to respond differently to this kind of content( indeed content generally). And it also depends on whether it is on television or radio, in a cinema film, on the Internet, in the press etc. So while you may find it offensive, I may find it very informative and educative.
So what harm is this advert likely to cause our youth against any benefits? difficult to know/measure and again quite complex. So important to balance "harm and offence".
Re: complaints process etc both institutions are responsible at various levels.
best alice
(Views expressed are personal and not a reflection of any of the institutions I am affiliated with)
By the way Alice, your post reminds me...there's
John Walubengo wrote: this little Advert running on FM Radio stations about "the emergency pill". I must confess that I personally find it disturbing - particular when put in the context of our listening youth.
I have a whole thesis on why it should be pulled off
air and just wondering where to submit the same. Is it to CCK or Media Council? Either way, could someone share the email contact for receiving customer complaints against Media?
walu.
--- On Thu, 3/19/09, alice <alice@apc.org>
wrote:
From: alice <alice@apc.org> Subject: [kictanet] African media fragmentation
To: jwalu@yahoo.com Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Thursday, March 19, 2009, 10:12 PM (From Balancing Act)
African media fragmentation piles the pressure on radio and TV stations as they scramble for audiences
Once upon a time everyone knew what television and radio were and they played a key role in people’s
Particularly for urban Africans they were the soundtrack to life, the sports match in the bar and the common conversations about television programmes. Nowadays in the more liberalised of African countries there are more television and radio stations than you can remember the names of and for the smaller group of the more well-off, there are pay TV channels, time-shifting and DVDs. And all that’s before you take into account SMS information services and the Internet which are eating away at
of the audiences. Russell Southwood looks at the fault-lines.
Dakar will shortly have 7 television stations, not including the three Pay-TV channels you can get if you can afford them or can pirate a service. Lagos has 13 television stations and perhaps three main Pay-TV channels. Kinshasa has over 40 television stations, many of which simply show pirated television content. In this circumstance, no channel will get more than 20-30% of audience share on a regular basis.
Pay-TV may seem a very modest presence in most countries but because it is widely watched in public places, it audience reach is understated by its subscriber numbers. Furthermore, piracy means that a large number of additional subscribers (sometimes double the number) are watching without paying for content.
Vernacular radio has exploded and the number of radio stations is exponentially larger than for television stations as many of them are much more local. Uganda has 150 stations and Kenya over 90. But whilst radio might have a wider and deeper audience reach than television,
fragmentation makes it difficult for advertisers to reach their audiences.
The standard broadcasting formats that seemed to serve so well in less competitive times are now being taken apart and put back together by the viewers and listeners
Legitimate and pirated DVDs provide a steady stream of relatively cheap entertainment, particularly of films. Recent releases may command a better price but
relatively old action action movies (Bruce Lee, Stephen Seagal, that kind of thing) can be bought for around US$2. PVRs, streaming and catch-up downloads will all become a reality as part of the dividend of cheaper bandwidth in 2009.
Middle class Africans are using a growing array of devices. Laptop use is growing as sales of this kind of computer begin to equal those of desktop PCs. High-end smart phones like Blackberries and iPhones are increasingly visible. One African carrier has 800,000 high-end phones on its network.
These devices are not just for doing work or making phone calls. They have become media in their own right. Recent surveys show that in North Africa 3-7% of the
cited SMS as one of their most used daily information sources. Likewise the Internet is set to have a much greater impact with the spread of broadband subscriptions.
According to Alexa.com, Facebook and You Tube are already amongst the Top 10 sites in the African countries
analyses. Again based on survey work, between 1-8% of the population used the Internet daily across a range of very different countries. With cheaper international bandwidth, these figures will increase slowly but surely. Mobile Internet will become cheaper and play an increasingly large role in people’s lives.
Current ad spend on the Internet and SMS is tiny but ad money will migrate as it gets larger. This is money that will most likely be lost to newspapers which seem
vulnerable as the media landscape’s tectonic
to shift.
So what can the African broadcaster do faced with all of this? There are two ways to stay in the game: by using new media to extend the appeal of interesting content across all platforms and by stealing new media’s best ideas and using them to survive. Unfortunately too few TV stations have invested in convincingly local TV content that might well provide the adhesive that would keep viewers eyeballs glued to the their channel.
This article is a summary of a more detailed analysis in the recently published African Film and TV Yearbook. A list of contents can be found by clicking on the following link: http://www.balancingact-africa.com/yearbook.html
The second part of the Yearbook contains a full
piles the pressure on radio and TV stations as they scramble for audiences lives. the edges the themselves. three population that it the most plates begin listing of
African film and television companies broken down by country as well as a section with useful international addresses for anyone in the sector in Africa. There is also two specially focused listings: one looks at Film Location Agencies and Screen Commissions across the continent and the other lists companies and education institutions providing film and television training.
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Interesting discourse.... I haven't heard the advert but I believe there should be education and awareness about the "emergency pill" and other forms of contraception. You'll be surprised at how many youth and even many of us 'aware' adults are uninformed/misinformed about such. We might make more progress by requiring such advertisers to clarify the side-effect etc of such pills or only grow the market though educational programmes rather than open-ended advertising....or better still, to state side effects just like cigarette manufacturers have to..... How that will be achieved is a seminar in itself...as the pill was on sale anyway...just that it is abused by many young and old. ...my 3 Zimbabwean cents ;-) Wainaina On 3/20/09, John Walubengo <jwalu@yahoo.com> wrote:
Complex is indeed the term. And depending on your scientific convictions on when life actually begins i.e. is at conception or after birth? Then this emergency pill could be "abortion over the counter" and last time I checked abortion was still illegal in Kenya. What media is therefore doing is promoting the culture of death and impunity that is already rampant in our society.
But that's my thinking and If I can get the correct email for Media Council I can submit more details/points. Makali, Kanja is this Media Council thing still active or was it overtaken by the new Kenya Communication Amendment Act (2008)?
walu. --- On Fri, 3/20/09, alice <alice@apc.org> wrote:
From: alice <alice@apc.org> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Disturbing Advert or appropriate local content? To: jwalu@yahoo.com Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Friday, March 20, 2009, 12:38 PM I guess within the scramble for customers this is one example.
This is a complex issue and people are likely to respond differently to this kind of content( indeed content generally). And it also depends on whether it is on television or radio, in a cinema film, on the Internet, in the press etc. So while you may find it offensive, I may find it very informative and educative.
So what harm is this advert likely to cause our youth against any benefits? difficult to know/measure and again quite complex. So important to balance "harm and offence".
Re: complaints process etc both institutions are responsible at various levels.
best alice
(Views expressed are personal and not a reflection of any of the institutions I am affiliated with)
By the way Alice, your post reminds me...there's
John Walubengo wrote: this little Advert running on FM Radio stations about "the emergency pill". I must confess that I personally find it disturbing - particular when put in the context of our listening youth.
I have a whole thesis on why it should be pulled off
air and just wondering where to submit the same. Is it to CCK or Media Council? Either way, could someone share the email contact for receiving customer complaints against Media?
walu.
--- On Thu, 3/19/09, alice <alice@apc.org>
wrote:
From: alice <alice@apc.org> Subject: [kictanet] African media fragmentation
To: jwalu@yahoo.com Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Thursday, March 19, 2009, 10:12 PM (From Balancing Act)
African media fragmentation piles the pressure on radio and TV stations as they scramble for audiences
Once upon a time everyone knew what television and radio were and they played a key role in people’s
Particularly for urban Africans they were the soundtrack to life, the sports match in the bar and the common conversations about television programmes. Nowadays in the more liberalised of African countries there are more television and radio stations than you can remember the names of and for the smaller group of the more well-off, there are pay TV channels, time-shifting and DVDs. And all that’s before you take into account SMS information services and the Internet which are eating away at
of the audiences. Russell Southwood looks at the fault-lines.
Dakar will shortly have 7 television stations, not including the three Pay-TV channels you can get if you can afford them or can pirate a service. Lagos has 13 television stations and perhaps three main Pay-TV channels. Kinshasa has over 40 television stations, many of which simply show pirated television content. In this circumstance, no channel will get more than 20-30% of audience share on a regular basis.
Pay-TV may seem a very modest presence in most countries but because it is widely watched in public places, it audience reach is understated by its subscriber numbers. Furthermore, piracy means that a large number of additional subscribers (sometimes double the number) are watching without paying for content.
Vernacular radio has exploded and the number of radio stations is exponentially larger than for television stations as many of them are much more local. Uganda has 150 stations and Kenya over 90. But whilst radio might have a wider and deeper audience reach than television,
fragmentation makes it difficult for advertisers to reach their audiences.
The standard broadcasting formats that seemed to serve so well in less competitive times are now being taken apart and put back together by the viewers and listeners
Legitimate and pirated DVDs provide a steady stream of relatively cheap entertainment, particularly of films. Recent releases may command a better price but
relatively old action action movies (Bruce Lee, Stephen Seagal, that kind of thing) can be bought for around US$2. PVRs, streaming and catch-up downloads will all become a reality as part of the dividend of cheaper bandwidth in 2009.
Middle class Africans are using a growing array of devices. Laptop use is growing as sales of this kind of computer begin to equal those of desktop PCs. High-end smart phones like Blackberries and iPhones are increasingly visible. One African carrier has 800,000 high-end phones on its network.
These devices are not just for doing work or making phone calls. They have become media in their own right. Recent surveys show that in North Africa 3-7% of the
cited SMS as one of their most used daily information sources. Likewise the Internet is set to have a much greater impact with the spread of broadband subscriptions.
According to Alexa.com, Facebook and You Tube are already amongst the Top 10 sites in the African countries
analyses. Again based on survey work, between 1-8% of the population used the Internet daily across a range of very different countries. With cheaper international bandwidth, these figures will increase slowly but surely. Mobile Internet will become cheaper and play an increasingly large role in people’s lives.
Current ad spend on the Internet and SMS is tiny but ad money will migrate as it gets larger. This is money that will most likely be lost to newspapers which seem
vulnerable as the media landscape’s tectonic
to shift.
So what can the African broadcaster do faced with all of this? There are two ways to stay in the game: by using new media to extend the appeal of interesting content across all platforms and by stealing new media’s best ideas and using them to survive. Unfortunately too few TV stations have invested in convincingly local TV content that might well provide the adhesive that would keep viewers eyeballs glued to the their channel.
This article is a summary of a more detailed analysis in the recently published African Film and TV Yearbook. A list of contents can be found by clicking on the following link: http://www.balancingact-africa.com/yearbook.html
The second part of the Yearbook contains a full
piles the pressure on radio and TV stations as they scramble for audiences lives. the edges the themselves. three population that it the most plates begin listing of
African film and television companies broken down by country as well as a section with useful international addresses for anyone in the sector in Africa. There is also two specially focused listings: one looks at Film Location Agencies and Screen Commissions across the continent and the other lists companies and education institutions providing film and television training.
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For those who are unaware of the emergency pill. It is not an abortion-causing drug. It won't work if you are already pregnant. What it does is prevents one's ovaries from releasing an egg and also alters the lining of the womb to make it unreceptive for an egg to embed itself there. It works in this manner for approximately 2-3 days before the body reverts to normal. So even if your view is that life begins at conception -- this pill does not affect already conceived pregnancies. In a country where sexual violence, rape and defilement of young girls is endemic, this pill offers victims of sexual violence an alternative to an unwanted pregnancy or an illegal abortion. b -----Original Message----- From: kictanet-bounces+bnowrojee=osiea.org@lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+bnowrojee=osiea.org@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of John Walubengo Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 5:18 AM To: Binaifer Nowrojee Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: Re: [kictanet] Disturbing Advert or appropriate local content? Complex is indeed the term. And depending on your scientific convictions on when life actually begins i.e. is at conception or after birth? Then this emergency pill could be "abortion over the counter" and last time I checked abortion was still illegal in Kenya. What media is therefore doing is promoting the culture of death and impunity that is already rampant in our society. But that's my thinking and If I can get the correct email for Media Council I can submit more details/points. Makali, Kanja is this Media Council thing still active or was it overtaken by the new Kenya Communication Amendment Act (2008)? walu. --- On Fri, 3/20/09, alice <alice@apc.org> wrote:
From: alice <alice@apc.org> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Disturbing Advert or appropriate local content? To: jwalu@yahoo.com Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Friday, March 20, 2009, 12:38 PM I guess within the scramble for customers this is one example.
This is a complex issue and people are likely to respond differently to this kind of content( indeed content generally). And it also depends on whether it is on television or radio, in a cinema film, on the Internet, in the press etc. So while you may find it offensive, I may find it very informative and educative.
So what harm is this advert likely to cause our youth against any benefits? difficult to know/measure and again quite complex. So important to balance "harm and offence".
Re: complaints process etc both institutions are responsible at various levels.
best alice
(Views expressed are personal and not a reflection of any of the institutions I am affiliated with)
By the way Alice, your post reminds me...there's
John Walubengo wrote: this little Advert running on FM Radio stations about "the emergency pill". I must confess that I personally find it disturbing - particular when put in the context of our listening youth.
I have a whole thesis on why it should be pulled off
air and just wondering where to submit the same. Is it to CCK or Media Council? Either way, could someone share the email contact for receiving customer complaints against Media?
walu.
--- On Thu, 3/19/09, alice <alice@apc.org>
wrote:
From: alice <alice@apc.org> Subject: [kictanet] African media fragmentation
To: jwalu@yahoo.com Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Thursday, March 19, 2009, 10:12 PM (From Balancing Act)
African media fragmentation piles the pressure on radio and TV stations as they scramble for audiences
Once upon a time everyone knew what television and radio were and they played a key role in people's
Particularly for urban Africans they were the soundtrack to life, the sports match in the bar and the common conversations about television programmes. Nowadays in the more liberalised of African countries there are more television and radio stations than you can remember the names of and for the smaller group of the more well-off, there are pay TV channels, time-shifting and DVDs. And all that's before you take into account SMS information services and the Internet which are eating away at
of the audiences. Russell Southwood looks at the fault-lines.
Dakar will shortly have 7 television stations, not including the three Pay-TV channels you can get if you can afford them or can pirate a service. Lagos has 13 television stations and perhaps three main Pay-TV channels. Kinshasa has over 40 television stations, many of which simply show pirated television content. In this circumstance, no channel will get more than 20-30% of audience share on a regular basis.
Pay-TV may seem a very modest presence in most countries but because it is widely watched in public places, it audience reach is understated by its subscriber numbers. Furthermore, piracy means that a large number of additional subscribers (sometimes double the number) are watching without paying for content.
Vernacular radio has exploded and the number of radio stations is exponentially larger than for television stations as many of them are much more local. Uganda has 150 stations and Kenya over 90. But whilst radio might have a wider and deeper audience reach than television,
fragmentation makes it difficult for advertisers to reach their audiences.
The standard broadcasting formats that seemed to serve so well in less competitive times are now being taken apart and put back together by the viewers and listeners
Legitimate and pirated DVDs provide a steady stream of relatively cheap entertainment, particularly of films. Recent releases may command a better price but
relatively old action action movies (Bruce Lee, Stephen Seagal, that kind of thing) can be bought for around US$2. PVRs, streaming and catch-up downloads will all become a reality as part of the dividend of cheaper bandwidth in 2009.
Middle class Africans are using a growing array of devices. Laptop use is growing as sales of this kind of computer begin to equal those of desktop PCs. High-end smart phones like Blackberries and iPhones are increasingly visible. One African carrier has 800,000 high-end phones on its network.
These devices are not just for doing work or making phone calls. They have become media in their own right. Recent surveys show that in North Africa 3-7% of the
cited SMS as one of their most used daily information sources. Likewise the Internet is set to have a much greater impact with the spread of broadband subscriptions.
According to Alexa.com, Facebook and You Tube are already amongst the Top 10 sites in the African countries
analyses. Again based on survey work, between 1-8% of the population used the Internet daily across a range of very different countries. With cheaper international bandwidth, these figures will increase slowly but surely. Mobile Internet will become cheaper and play an increasingly large role in people's lives.
Current ad spend on the Internet and SMS is tiny but ad money will migrate as it gets larger. This is money that will most likely be lost to newspapers which seem
vulnerable as the media landscape's tectonic
to shift.
So what can the African broadcaster do faced with all of this? There are two ways to stay in the game: by using new media to extend the appeal of interesting content across all platforms and by stealing new media's best ideas and using them to survive. Unfortunately too few TV stations have invested in convincingly local TV content that might well provide the adhesive that would keep viewers eyeballs glued to the their channel.
This article is a summary of a more detailed analysis in the recently published African Film and TV Yearbook. A list of contents can be found by clicking on the following link: http://www.balancingact-africa.com/yearbook.html
The second part of the Yearbook contains a full
piles the pressure on radio and TV stations as they scramble for audiences lives. the edges the themselves. three population that it the most plates begin listing of
African film and television companies broken down by country as well as a section with useful international addresses for anyone in the sector in Africa. There is also two specially focused listings: one looks at Film Location Agencies and Screen Commissions across the continent and the other lists companies and education institutions providing film and television training.
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Dear Walu, You may also want to send your concern to the Chairman PSK (Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya) for some guidance, as there are regulations governing advertising of medicinal products. The email: pskkenya@yahoo.com, to the attention of Dr. Karanja, Chairman PSK pamela -----Original Message----- From: kictanet-bounces+pamela=cardiacimplants.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+pamela=cardiacimplants.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of alice Sent: 20 March 2009 11:38 To: pamela@cardiacimplants.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: Re: [kictanet] Disturbing Advert or appropriate local content? I guess within the scramble for customers this is one example. This is a complex issue and people are likely to respond differently to this kind of content( indeed content generally). And it also depends on whether it is on television or radio, in a cinema film, on the Internet, in the press etc. So while you may find it offensive, I may find it very informative and educative. So what harm is this advert likely to cause our youth against any benefits? difficult to know/measure and again quite complex. So important to balance "harm and offence". Re: complaints process etc both institutions are responsible at various levels. best alice (Views expressed are personal and not a reflection of any of the institutions I am affiliated with) John Walubengo wrote:
By the way Alice, your post reminds me...there's this little Advert running on FM Radio stations about "the emergency pill". I must confess that I personally find it disturbing - particular when put in the context of our listening youth.
I have a whole thesis on why it should be pulled off air and just wondering where to submit the same. Is it to CCK or Media Council? Either way, could someone share the email contact for receiving customer complaints against Media?
walu.
--- On Thu, 3/19/09, alice <alice@apc.org> wrote:
From: alice <alice@apc.org> Subject: [kictanet] African media fragmentation piles the pressure on radio and TV stations as they scramble for audiences To: jwalu@yahoo.com Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Thursday, March 19, 2009, 10:12 PM (From Balancing Act)
African media fragmentation piles the pressure on radio and TV stations as they scramble for audiences
Once upon a time everyone knew what television and radio were and they played a key role in people’s lives. Particularly for urban Africans they were the soundtrack to life, the sports match in the bar and the common conversations about television programmes. Nowadays in the more liberalised of African countries there are more television and radio stations than you can remember the names of and for the smaller group of the more well-off, there are pay TV channels, time-shifting and DVDs. And all that’s before you take into account SMS information services and the Internet which are eating away at the edges of the audiences. Russell Southwood looks at the fault-lines.
Dakar will shortly have 7 television stations, not including the three Pay-TV channels you can get if you can afford them or can pirate a service. Lagos has 13 television stations and perhaps three main Pay-TV channels. Kinshasa has over 40 television stations, many of which simply show pirated television content. In this circumstance, no channel will get more than 20-30% of audience share on a regular basis.
Pay-TV may seem a very modest presence in most countries but because it is widely watched in public places, it audience reach is understated by its subscriber numbers. Furthermore, piracy means that a large number of additional subscribers (sometimes double the number) are watching without paying for content.
Vernacular radio has exploded and the number of radio stations is exponentially larger than for television stations as many of them are much more local. Uganda has 150 stations and Kenya over 90. But whilst radio might have a wider and deeper audience reach than television, the fragmentation makes it difficult for advertisers to reach their audiences.
The standard broadcasting formats that seemed to serve so well in less competitive times are now being taken apart and put back together by the viewers and listeners themselves. Legitimate and pirated DVDs provide a steady stream of relatively cheap entertainment, particularly of films. Recent releases may command a better price but three relatively old action action movies (Bruce Lee, Stephen Seagal, that kind of thing) can be bought for around US$2. PVRs, streaming and catch-up downloads will all become a reality as part of the dividend of cheaper bandwidth in 2009.
Middle class Africans are using a growing array of devices. Laptop use is growing as sales of this kind of computer begin to equal those of desktop PCs. High-end smart phones like Blackberries and iPhones are increasingly visible. One African carrier has 800,000 high-end phones on its network.
These devices are not just for doing work or making phone calls. They have become media in their own right. Recent surveys show that in North Africa 3-7% of the population cited SMS as one of their most used daily information sources. Likewise the Internet is set to have a much greater impact with the spread of broadband subscriptions.
According to Alexa.com, Facebook and You Tube are already amongst the Top 10 sites in the African countries that it analyses. Again based on survey work, between 1-8% of the population used the Internet daily across a range of very different countries. With cheaper international bandwidth, these figures will increase slowly but surely. Mobile Internet will become cheaper and play an increasingly large role in people’s lives.
Current ad spend on the Internet and SMS is tiny but ad money will migrate as it gets larger. This is money that will most likely be lost to newspapers which seem the most vulnerable as the media landscape’s tectonic plates begin to shift.
So what can the African broadcaster do faced with all of this? There are two ways to stay in the game: by using new media to extend the appeal of interesting content across all platforms and by stealing new media’s best ideas and using them to survive. Unfortunately too few TV stations have invested in convincingly local TV content that might well provide the adhesive that would keep viewers eyeballs glued to the their channel.
This article is a summary of a more detailed analysis in the recently published African Film and TV Yearbook. A list of contents can be found by clicking on the following link: http://www.balancingact-africa.com/yearbook.html
The second part of the Yearbook contains a full listing of African film and television companies broken down by country as well as a section with useful international addresses for anyone in the sector in Africa. There is also two specially focused listings: one looks at Film Location Agencies and Screen Commissions across the continent and the other lists companies and education institutions providing film and television training.
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Discussants I have not heard the ad, but I can provide some advice drawn from my experience at the Marketing Society of Kenya. (MSK). The MSK and the Advertising Practioners Association formed a complaints and appeal board years ago that provides an avenue for complaints against offensive or disturbing advertising. It is meant to be a channel for exactly these types of discussions. This can be another avenue to pursue as well. Paul Kukubo CEO, Kenya ICT Board Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Celtel Kenya -----Original Message----- From: "Pamela" <pamela@cardiacimplants.com> Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 12:55:37 To: <pkukubo@ict.go.ke> Cc: 'KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions'<kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Disturbing Advert or appropriate local content? Dear Walu, You may also want to send your concern to the Chairman PSK (Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya) for some guidance, as there are regulations governing advertising of medicinal products. The email: pskkenya@yahoo.com, to the attention of Dr. Karanja, Chairman PSK pamela -----Original Message----- From: kictanet-bounces+pamela=cardiacimplants.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+pamela=cardiacimplants.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of alice Sent: 20 March 2009 11:38 To: pamela@cardiacimplants.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: Re: [kictanet] Disturbing Advert or appropriate local content? I guess within the scramble for customers this is one example. This is a complex issue and people are likely to respond differently to this kind of content( indeed content generally). And it also depends on whether it is on television or radio, in a cinema film, on the Internet, in the press etc. So while you may find it offensive, I may find it very informative and educative. So what harm is this advert likely to cause our youth against any benefits? difficult to know/measure and again quite complex. So important to balance "harm and offence". Re: complaints process etc both institutions are responsible at various levels. best alice (Views expressed are personal and not a reflection of any of the institutions I am affiliated with) John Walubengo wrote:
By the way Alice, your post reminds me...there's this little Advert running on FM Radio stations about "the emergency pill". I must confess that I personally find it disturbing - particular when put in the context of our listening youth.
I have a whole thesis on why it should be pulled off air and just wondering where to submit the same. Is it to CCK or Media Council? Either way, could someone share the email contact for receiving customer complaints against Media?
walu.
--- On Thu, 3/19/09, alice <alice@apc.org> wrote:
From: alice <alice@apc.org> Subject: [kictanet] African media fragmentation piles the pressure on radio and TV stations as they scramble for audiences To: jwalu@yahoo.com Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Thursday, March 19, 2009, 10:12 PM (From Balancing Act)
African media fragmentation piles the pressure on radio and TV stations as they scramble for audiences
Once upon a time everyone knew what television and radio were and they played a key role in people’s lives. Particularly for urban Africans they were the soundtrack to life, the sports match in the bar and the common conversations about television programmes. Nowadays in the more liberalised of African countries there are more television and radio stations than you can remember the names of and for the smaller group of the more well-off, there are pay TV channels, time-shifting and DVDs. And all that’s before you take into account SMS information services and the Internet which are eating away at the edges of the audiences. Russell Southwood looks at the fault-lines.
Dakar will shortly have 7 television stations, not including the three Pay-TV channels you can get if you can afford them or can pirate a service. Lagos has 13 television stations and perhaps three main Pay-TV channels. Kinshasa has over 40 television stations, many of which simply show pirated television content. In this circumstance, no channel will get more than 20-30% of audience share on a regular basis.
Pay-TV may seem a very modest presence in most countries but because it is widely watched in public places, it audience reach is understated by its subscriber numbers. Furthermore, piracy means that a large number of additional subscribers (sometimes double the number) are watching without paying for content.
Vernacular radio has exploded and the number of radio stations is exponentially larger than for television stations as many of them are much more local. Uganda has 150 stations and Kenya over 90. But whilst radio might have a wider and deeper audience reach than television, the fragmentation makes it difficult for advertisers to reach their audiences.
The standard broadcasting formats that seemed to serve so well in less competitive times are now being taken apart and put back together by the viewers and listeners themselves. Legitimate and pirated DVDs provide a steady stream of relatively cheap entertainment, particularly of films. Recent releases may command a better price but three relatively old action action movies (Bruce Lee, Stephen Seagal, that kind of thing) can be bought for around US$2. PVRs, streaming and catch-up downloads will all become a reality as part of the dividend of cheaper bandwidth in 2009.
Middle class Africans are using a growing array of devices. Laptop use is growing as sales of this kind of computer begin to equal those of desktop PCs. High-end smart phones like Blackberries and iPhones are increasingly visible. One African carrier has 800,000 high-end phones on its network.
These devices are not just for doing work or making phone calls. They have become media in their own right. Recent surveys show that in North Africa 3-7% of the population cited SMS as one of their most used daily information sources. Likewise the Internet is set to have a much greater impact with the spread of broadband subscriptions.
According to Alexa.com, Facebook and You Tube are already amongst the Top 10 sites in the African countries that it analyses. Again based on survey work, between 1-8% of the population used the Internet daily across a range of very different countries. With cheaper international bandwidth, these figures will increase slowly but surely. Mobile Internet will become cheaper and play an increasingly large role in people’s lives.
Current ad spend on the Internet and SMS is tiny but ad money will migrate as it gets larger. This is money that will most likely be lost to newspapers which seem the most vulnerable as the media landscape’s tectonic plates begin to shift.
So what can the African broadcaster do faced with all of this? There are two ways to stay in the game: by using new media to extend the appeal of interesting content across all platforms and by stealing new media’s best ideas and using them to survive. Unfortunately too few TV stations have invested in convincingly local TV content that might well provide the adhesive that would keep viewers eyeballs glued to the their channel.
This article is a summary of a more detailed analysis in the recently published African Film and TV Yearbook. A list of contents can be found by clicking on the following link: http://www.balancingact-africa.com/yearbook.html
The second part of the Yearbook contains a full listing of African film and television companies broken down by country as well as a section with useful international addresses for anyone in the sector in Africa. There is also two specially focused listings: one looks at Film Location Agencies and Screen Commissions across the continent and the other lists companies and education institutions providing film and television training.
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This message was sent to: jwalu@yahoo.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jwalu%40yahoo.com
_______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: pamela@cardiacimplants.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/pamela%40cardiacimplant... _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: pkukubo@ict.go.ke Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/pkukubo%40ict.go.ke
participants (6)
-
alice -
Binaifer Nowrojee -
John Walubengo -
Pamela -
Paul W Kukubo -
Wainaina Mungai