Broadcasting Reforms in Southern Africa: Continuity and Change in the Era of Globalization

Abstract

This paper looks at the influence of globalisation forces on the nature and dynamics of broadcasting policy-making in Southern Africa. Based on a comparative analysis of policy formulation processes and outcomes in South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, the paper argues that despite global pressures for broadcasting reform, broadcasting policy-making continues to be nationally driven, guided by historical legacies and domestic political factors. Contrary to claims by some globalisation theorists that the state is becoming less important in a globalizing world, the Southern African states remain the centre of policy formulation and have since adopted varied adaptive policy responses to global and domestic pressures.