Abstract
Orientation: The existing funding framework of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has proved to be unsustainable. Research purpose: Because sustainable funding has an impact on the organisational outcomes (customer benefits and performance) of the public broadcaster in South Africa, this study sought to identify factors that influence its financial sustainability. Motivation for the study: Past studies have mainly focused on defining public service broadcasters or ascertaining the future of public service broadcasters. These researchers did not attempt to develop a sustainable funding framework. Research design, approach and method: The study adopted a positivistic paradigm and a quantitative approach that used a self-administered, structured questionnaire for data collection. An EFA was conducted, Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were calculated and the relationships between variables were measured by calculating Pearson product-moment correlations and conducting multiple regression analyses. The respondents were selected through a stratification sampling technique that drew participants from each provincial SABC office by accessing the database of managers, unionised and non-unionised employees, as well as freelancers. A total of 167 respondents completed the survey. Main findings: The study determined that internal stakeholders, a competitive environment and the management of resources have a significant positive influence on the sustainable funding of the SABC. In turn, sustainable funding of the SABC has a significant positive influence on organisational outcomes. Practical/managerial implications: It is envisaged that this study could assist the SABC in understanding the factors influencing financial sustainability, thereby assisting the organisation during strategy development and decision-making. Furthermore, this study provides practical recommendations that could improve the financial sustainability of the SABC. Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to the body of knowledge relating to sustainable funding in the context of public broadcasting.
Highlights
Introduction and backgroundPublic service broadcasting plays a critical role within the broadcasting communication industry as it serves all members of a community
Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to the body of knowledge relating to sustainable funding in the context of public broadcasting
The results of the first multiple regression analysis are shown in Table 3: all three independent variables have significant positive relationships with the variable relating to a sustainable funding enabler
Summary
Public service broadcasting plays a critical role within the broadcasting communication industry as it serves all members of a community. The basic mission of public service broadcasters is to serve the cultural, social and political needs of their audiences (Obijiofor 2011:13; Picard 2006:183). Public service broadcasters require a sustainable source of revenue to function effectively. It is of utmost importance that public service broadcasters have adequate resources and stable sources of revenue to fulfil their public service responsibilities (Burnley 2014:11; Juneau 2000:6; Obijiofor 2011:15). Public service broadcasters depend on resources, in particular the organisation’s assets and skills that ensure a sustainable competitive advantage and long-term performance in relation to competitors (Aaker 1989:91). Some skills are inherent in the employees, who form an important internal stakeholder group that contributes to and influences the development of the organisation (Florea & Florea 2013:131)
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