SPI reflections on 2013

Words: SPI Course Coordinator Linda Snam Editing: SPI Director Francis Mdlongwa

2013 has been an exciting year for the SPI. We started off in February with the arrival of PDMM students and, in no time, the year is soon coming to a close. We had an eclectic mix of students that kept us company throughout the year, and during every vacation period we would feel the quiet that we feel right now with everyone heading back home.

We knew who the perennial late-comers were and those who always came to class on time and, as colleagues, we at times would joke about how, each year, each PMM group of students is so different from the other.

We wish all the members of the Class of 2013 real success in their careers in the media industry and we would like them to keep in touch with the SPI, regularly updating us on their successes and challenges in the real world of work.

We also look forward to welcoming the new 2014 PDMM students, who will be joining us shortly (how time flies!) in their quest to learn new knowledge, understandings and skills on how to become better media managers and leaders.

Below we capture some observations from a few of our current 2013 students on what the PDMM meant to them:

Zimbabwean student Robin Tatenda Chaibva says the highlight of the PDMM for her was the way in which the course encouraged students to reflect on the kinds of leaders they would like to be. Robin has a Bachelor of Science degree and she created a fashion, beauty and lifestyle blog called “Concrete Jungle” before she started the PDMM course. Her blog has been ranked in the top five of the Zimbabwe Fashion Week fashion awards.

MTN scholarship winner Mike Moodie says he decided to do the PDMM because he wanted to learn about the business side of media. So far, he says, the PDMM has given him a good understanding of the industry. Moodie completed his mid-year participant observation at the Media24 publication Men’s Health and has described his experience as “the best”.

PDMM student Babalwa Nyembezi spoke about her time as a participant observer at Primedia in Cape Town and Johannesburg. She has been invited to return there to work for them again. “Who knows what can happen when you do this course?” she said. Babalwa was awarded the prestigious scholarship from Primedia to study the PDMM.

We welcome applications from anyone who already has a degree – any degree really – who is interested in studying media management at the SPI next year. The applications are still open until the end of January next year. For more details on how to apply, please go to our website at http: //spi.ru.ac.za. Also, don’t hesitate to contact me, Linda Snam (l.snam@ru.ac.za) should you have any questions/issues regarding the application processes, procedures, requirements, etc.

During the year that is closing, we also educated and trained more than 160 people from the African media industry through a range of our media management short courses. We have repeatedly trained on-site as well at the SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation) in Johannesburg and at the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation in Victoria, the capital of the Indian Ocean archipelago.

We will conclude the year with an on-site training course in digital media management at the Zambia Institute of Mass Communication in Lusaka. The experience that the course delegates take out of these courses is tremendous, they keep telling us in their feedback. They also benefit from a rare networking opportunity with and sharing work experiences with course attendees who come from different African countries and varied media institutions.

We are grateful to OSISA for its generous scholarships support for 20 PDMM students from across Southern Africa over the past five years, to MTN for supporting 20 students for the PDMM and 130 course short participants from the South African media in five years, and to Primedia for sponsoring five scholarships for PDMM students in the past two years.

We are also grateful to Media 24 for lending its support to the South African community print sector by sponsoring 12 participants to attend a short course customised for this key sector at the SPI this year.

All of these sponsors have made a huge and positive difference to the lives of so many media people, and the SPI thanks each and every one of these sponsors for their generous support and keen awareness of their corporate social responsibility and corporate social investment.

The research arm of the Institute launched a new media book at this year’s annual Highway Africa Conference. This event was well attended, with some of the book’s contributors talking about the chapters they wrote for the book.

All in all, a very exciting and yet still challenging year. We now look to the joys and the unknowns of 2014!

 Linda Snam is the SPI Course Coordinator, Marketing and Communications Officer. She can be reached at l.snam@ru.ac.za; telephone 046-603-8949; telefax 046-603-7257.  Editing by SPI Director Francis Mdlongwa (f.mdlongwa@ru.ac.za).

Rhodes journalism graduate pays it forward

By Annetjie van Wynegaard

Rhodes University journalism alumnus Kgaugelo Pule returned to the institution this semester to participate in a five-day short course, known as the Essentials of Broadcast Management (EOBM), that is run by Rhodes University’s Sol Plaatje Institute for Media Leadership. The course was held from 21 to 25 October. Pule is Head of News at Unisa Radio, where she oversees and trains the news team and division. She teaches and trains 12 students on how to compile news scripts, edit audio using various editing software and write articles for two students’ online platforms. Pule says her biggest achievement has been teaching non-journalism students radio production for Unisa Radio’s human story feature – go to http://unisa_radio.podbean.com/ for a sneak preview.

We caught up with her for a Q&A on her life, journalism future, and advice to current students.

Q: What was it like to come back to Rhodes University and be in the classroom again?

A: It really felt surreal to be back at Rhodes again. It was great touching base with a few of my friends and lecturers.

Q: How did you find the Essentials of Broadcast Management course? How has it informed your area of expertise at Unisa?

A: The course was good and I thoroughly enjoyed the presentations. It has helped me tremendously because at Unisa I and my two other colleagues started the online campus radio station in 2010 with little knowledge about how well established radio stations run. So starting one from the ground was challenging as Unisa has never had a campus radio station. So we had to build in structures and policies and get students to know about their station and how they can tune in via their mobile devices.

Q: Tell us about your journey after Rhodes. How did you get to where you are today?

A: After Rhodes I went to Media24 and worked as a multimedia content producer, and then Unisa called me to start up the radio station, together with the student news agency. This journey has been roughly three-and-a-half years. During this time at Unisa I’ve gone to wear many hats – first, as internal communication officer, and then as the campus news head where I focused on training students who were studying communication science. My journey at the station has sadly ended as I’m now heading up the social media strategy at Unisa, but will very much be part of the radio station. I intend on doing my MA about the station, God willing!

Q: What are your hopes and dreams for the future? Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?

A: Well, as I’ve mentioned, I’d like to complete my MA and perhaps go into brand leadership or online reputation (management). I’m still young and on a journey, so wherever God opens (career paths) I’ll go.

Q: Why have you chosen this particular career path?

A: I specialised in radio in my third year, then went on to do new media as part of my fourth year, so I wanted to do anything related to radio and new media.

Q: What advice can you give to students who are studying journalism right now? Any tips of the trade you’d like to share?

A: Hmmm... Do as many internships as possible during vacation work. Those opened up many opportunities for me.

Q: In your opinion, what can journalism schools do to prepare students better for the industry?

A: Prepare them to be multi-skilled and creative so that they can wear many hats wherever they go.

Primedia Scholarships for African Media Leaders at Rhodes University

Primedia, South Africa’s leading media group, invites applications for postgraduate scholarships from South Africans who wish to study media management at Rhodes University’s Sol Plaatje Institute (SPI) for Media Leadership in 2014. Successful applicants, who should be from previously disadvantaged groups such as Blacks, Coloureds and Indians, will register for the SPI’s one-year, fulltime Postgraduate Diploma in Media Management (PDMM), the only university-level media management course in Africa. The candidates must already possess an undergraduate degree from a recognised university in order to pursue postgraduate study. The Primedia scholarships cover:

• The full cost of tuition • Accommodation and meals in one of Rhodes University’s postgraduate residences • Course materials and books • A monthly subsistence allowance • Medical insurance • Travel costs between Rhodes and a candidate’s home; and • Mid-year media management internship costs.

The PDMM is a one-year, fulltime programme designed to provide people who work or aspire to work in the media industry with critical skills and knowledge they need to perform more effectively and strategically in their organisations and to fast-track their careers to management positions.

The PDMM is equivalent to an honours degree -- it is pegged at Level 8 on the National Qualifications Framework set by South Africa’s qualifications-setting agency SAQA -- and combines rigorous theoretical and practical grounding.

The diploma is composed of eight compulsory modules covering media economics and financial management; media markets, audiences and advertising; managing media content; managing circulation and distribution; media management and leadership; media management contexts, policy and institutions; new media and convergence; and human resources management.

For the Primedia scholars, they will additionally be expected to focus on management of electronic media and digital media management and most likely do their internship at companies of Primedia.

Application details and procedures: Only candidates from previously disadvantaged groups in South Africa are eligible to apply for these scholarships. Candidates should already have an undergraduate degree from a recognised university. The application deadline for these scholarships is 8 November 2013.

Students wishing to apply for these scholarships need to: • Complete the Rhodes University’s standard Honours Application form (available at www.ru.ac.za/applying/ under the section ‘Postgraduate Studies’) which must be submitted directly to the Registrar’s Division at Rhodes University and a copy emailed to Linda Snam (l.snam@ru.ac.za) at the Sol Plaatje Institute (SPI). • Submit a detailed Curriculum Vitae, including contact details. This is sent to the SPI only. • Submit certified academic transcripts for all tertiary qualifications (these are sent to both the SPI and Registrar’s Division at Rhodes University); and • Submit to the SPI a 1,000-word letter of motivation, which explains why the student is interested in doing the PDMM, how the PDMM will assist the student’s career and why the student believes she/he qualifies for the Primedia scholarship.

Preference will be given to students wanting to further their careers in broadcasting and who have experience in broadcasting and/or new media.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted after the applications close at noon on 8 November 2013. Copies of the candidates’ application must have reached Linda Snam by this time.

SPI alumnus moves to the top to drive community media change

By Peter du Toit

Sol Plaatje Institute for Media Leadership (SPI) alumnus Bongi Bozo has seen her career in grassroots media development expand from local to regional level and to the national level in three short but very busy years.

After graduating from the SPI with a Postgraduate Diploma in Media Management (PDMM) in 2010, Bozo started out as an outreach assistant working for Rhodes University School of Journalism and Media Studies’ Indaba Ziyafika Project.

Her job entailed helping high school learners produce a magazine show on the local community broadcaster Radio Grahamstown. She was also involved with the project’s citizen journalism initiative.

This is where it all began. “I discovered my passion for grassroots media,” Bozo said. A year later she was appointed coordinator of the Eastern Cape Communication Forum and worked with grassroots media across the province.

Her work included running capacity building workshops, providing onsite advisory services and organising and running training courses for media managers.

Bozo’s latest move is to the big smoke where she will take over as project coordinator/ manager for the Association of Independent Publishers of South Africa (AIP). There she will work closely with AIP Director Louise Vale.

Looking forward to the Johannesburg-based job, Bozo says: “I was born, bread and buttered in the Eastern Cape and I will always be attached to the province, but this position will allow me to make my two cents worth’s contribution nationally.

“As someone whose life purpose is to contribute towards change, I believe I will be well positioned in the AIP to go the extra mile and explore avenues I may not have been able to explore provincially.”

Why is she so passionate about grassroots media? Bozo says these newspapers and broadcasters reach out to ordinary citizens who are never given a voice in the mainstream media. They ensure the voices of people “who do not sit at the tables where decisions are made” are represented.

This passion for change drives the grassroots reporters, editors and owners and Bozo wants to support them in their work.

Bozo attributes much of her personal success to lessons learned during her postgraduate year with the SPI.

She says the PDMM enabled her to develop a holistic understanding of the media sector and prepared her to advise managers and to assess media organisations to identify areas that need attention.

“I think most of my work towards strengthening the grassroots media sector is all credit to SPI. I have basically taken most of the knowledge gained from my postgraduate studies and channelled it to grassroots media.”