What is the mission of your organization?
To produce and deliver the highest quality of multi-formatted broadcasting and Web content and generate revenue through meeting the needs of our audiences and clients from an African perspective.

How do political agendas in your nations government and in the dominant media affect censorship of the news?
There is no visible hand of censorship. We broadcast mainly via Shortwave, satellite (WRN) and the Internet. It is therefore not easy to censor us, but sometimes we do receive complaints from governments and opposition parties about bias here and there, but it is a rare occurrence.

What are the challenges particular to media groups and development NGOs in Africa today?
The new broadcasting and communication technologies. So far the costs of satellite broadcasting infrastructure in Africa is exorbitant and yet satellite broadcasting would be suitable for Africa considering Africa's poor communication and information infrastructure. Internet connectivity is also confined to the educated elite.

Are there external factors that affect your project's work (social climate, political environment, cultural practices)?
Yes. We have set ourselves the task of becoming the purveyors of credible news and information about the African Renaissance and contribute to the social and economic regeneration of Africa.

What restrictions and barriers do women face in joining the ranks of professional media workers and/or development officers in your country?
There are no restrictions in theory, but in practice there is no visible participation by women in the media of Africa. Restrictions range from non-availability of capital to few women becoming media entrepreneurs. In South Africa the emphasis is on how few media entrepreneurs are black. Few blacks are even managers.

Are radical new media standards needed? Why? What are they?
Yes, familiarity with the multimedia environment is crucial. Familiarity with satellite and Internet broadcasting are necessary in order to participate in the information economy/society.

How has technology in communication and the media contributed to furthering development in your field of work? What technology services/equipment would help you with your work?
Developments in broadcasting and communication/media technologies have helped us a great deal. For example we reach African and overseas audiences via the Internet and the World Radio Network, in addition to Channel Africa's Shortwave transmissions.

We would need satellite links to other broadcasters on the continent. We also want to enter the domain of Direct-To-Home satellite television service to the sub-Saharan region.

Who benefits from the services you provide and how?
Our main focus is Africa, but due to the nature of the Shortwave signal and our availability on the World Radio Network, a satellite distributor based in London, and Channel Africa's rebroadcasts on the Internet, we benefit listeners in other parts of the world as well.

In what ways could the authorities in your country and in the rest of Africa create a more enabling environment for groups like yours?
By liberalizing the broadcasting and communications environment in line with the needs of the information economy/society. And also by allowing a free flow of information across their borders.

Do you think that "globalization" (i.e., the omnipresence of international financial institutions and services, the priority given to global economic strategies over national or regional economies, corporate dominance of media information) is having an impact on your work and the communities you target?
Yes. There is too much information to choose from and as a result local broadcasters who do not have the resources to compete loose out.

Furthermore, international institutions have the tendency to focus on issues that will safeguard their interests, while in fact the era calls for the dissemination of information that is relevant to the lives of many people.

How have you sought to increase the size of your audience or the groups receiving your products and services? How do you fund your project?
By streamlining live on the Internet, and by providing satellite links to broadcasters who have the capacity to download our signal. By also making inroads into the television domain.

We are currently being funded by the Department of communications, a government department whose interest is now to find Channel Africa a business partner to run the service along business and commercial lines.

Tell us about your staff — e.g., who are they? How did staff members come to work at the organization, what experiences have brought people together in support of the organization's mission?
Channel Africa's staff component is made up of South Africans and non-South African citizens. We have a staff component of 60 people. Our staff members are recruited and interviewed on a face-to-face basis. All of us at Channel Africa are united by the single vision to become sources of credible news and information to enhance the African renaissance.

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