By DEREK IVENS

What’s the best way to build an audience? Is a state broadcaster in danger of sounding like the government’s mouthpiece?  Should a reporter stop and say “Good morning listeners” before launching into a story?

These are a few of the scores of questions which roused strong debate during  the new Thomson Foundation training course for the South African Broadcasting Corporation.

When the country had its historic change of government almost two decades ago, the Thomson Foundation was among the first overseas organisations to come and help create almost from scratch a public service broadcasting system which was, for the first time, free to report on stories and people that the previous regime had silenced.

Now we’re back, to work with journalists who want to modernise their news service at a time of rapid change and increased competition.

We’re on the 10th floor of the SABC skyscraper, which dominates the skyline in this part of Johannesburg.  To the north there are green, affluent suburbs where people live a good life behind high walls and electric fences. But if you look further afield you might catch a distant view towards Soweto or other townships that have made headlines themselves over the years. It’s the contrasts which make South Africa so remarkable – and such a challenge for broadcasters.

And that’s reflected in the training room.  Journalists have come from all over the country – from Cape Town & Durban in the south to the Limpopo valley in the north.  There are fifteen people in all, speaking at least eleven languages. Some reporters have to work bi- or tri-lingually and they’re expected to sound professional all the time.

Much of the time they cover the activities of government, which provide endless headlines. But there are also intriguing stories such as the hunt for the “Pigspotter”, an un-named man who infuriates traffic police by using Twitter to post the locations of speed traps.  And there are debates you might not hear in other countries and continents – like ‘what’s to be done about poachers who kill rhinos for their horns?’ And … ‘is it acceptable for a man to have three wives?’

On air: Producers and editors at work in an SABC studio

The course concentrates on essential skills such as writing, interviewing and packaging. But it’s also a chance for people in a country that has historically been quite isolated to listen critically to radio from around the world.  They see how fast the media world is changing – and how dangerous it would be to lag behind.

Radio still counts in Africa. Although television and internet use are growing, it’s radio which is still the primary source of news and information for millions of people. Everyday stories have a real impact: Why has my village got no electricity? If teachers go on strike will I fail my exams and lose out on a good job? Broadcasting is very complicated here – SABC runs no fewer than eighteen radio stations, aiming to reach and to inform many different audiences.

The reality is that the modern listener  wants  bulletins and programmes which are not only accurate and up to date but also well presented.  They want more human stories. More on the impact that high-up decisions have on people struggling to make ends meet or to get an education.  More journalism which questions the authorities and holds them to account.

But they also want uplifting stories – like the one about the volunteers who literally went on their hands and knees to scrub hospital floors and wards when cleaners struck for more pay.

While some journalists are getting a chance to have some practical training, over the road others are creating the news and current affairs content for the national English-language station SAFM.  The Thomson Foundation was invited into the production areas to offer analysis and ideas about the way ahead.

First up is the breakfast show AM Live. Caesar Malebatsi and Florence Letoaba form a classic male/female presentation team. The agenda is serious, and dominated by political and economic news. But the programme also comes alive during the sports bulletins, where South Africa’s love of football, rugby and cricket are well catered for.  The aftermath of the FIFA World Cup raises some good questions, like what’s to be done with those stadia which now can’t attract a full house?

Derek Ivens looks on as two SABC reporters work on a story

At lunchtime it’s Midday Live – aiming to catch up with the day’s news.  It could be farmers losing their homes and herds to wildfires. Or a new announcement of plans to deal with strikes and wage demands by public sector workers. In a country with a quarter of its workers unemployed, and an ever-rising demand for reform and better services, there’s a duty for journalists to question and inform.

Finally PM Live comes on air at teatime with a roundup of the news and analysis of the big stories in the rest of Africa.

There are great opportunities for journalists here. For example, stories involving women are starting to have greater prominence after being almost invisible for years. And the fragmentation of the radio marketplace, along with the rise of commercial stations, gives SABC an incentive to live up to its claim to be the nation’s ‘news and information leader’.

But it’s always going to be difficult to run a truly national radio network in a country with so many ethnic and economic fault lines. Input from the Thomson Foundation has covered everything from basic skills to programme review; from the role of regional bureaux to attempts to put the voices of ordinary people at the heart of the story.

The journalists of SABC are doing an important job in a big country, and it’s to be hoped that anything which helps them to do it with skill, confidence and integrity is a really valuable contribution.

• Thomson Foundation consultant and trainer Derek Ivens worked with SABC during a four-week assignment in October, 2010

More pictures from the Thomson Foundation/SABC training programme. Click images to enlarge.