by Yvon Brulecoeur, Mauritius, December 1998
THEME = MEDIA
The first steps have been taking towards
decontrolling radio and television broadcasting.
Commercial warfare has already broken out over the
airwaves
Twenty-nine years after becoming independent from Great Britain, Mauritius has taken a major step in ensuring that democracy remains an established fact. The country is gradually decontrolling the airwaves.
Since 1 December 1997, a private London company, London Satellite Systems, has been offering Mauritian viewers, a package of programmes from a number of foreign stations. Until now, the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) had enjoyed a monopoly over broadcasting. Mr Mervyn North Coombes, the MBC's chairman of the board of directors, says he's not unduly concerned about his corporation's future.
Decontrolling the airways has always been a major discussion point, especially as Mauritius, a multi-cultural society, with a liberal economy, has been opening itself up to the outer world for some time. The possibility of receiving radio and TV broadcasts from neighbouring Réunion, increased Mauritians' wish to receive other programmes, apart from those offered by the MBC.
Before the 1991 general elections, Dr. Navin Ramgoolam, the Labour Party leader, (he is now Prime Minister) included in his election manifesto, the promise to decontrol broadcasting if elected. It's said that he got this idea during his long stay in London where he practised medicine. Unfortunately, his party didn't win the 1991 elections.
But Dr. Ramgoolam's election promises regarding the future of broadcasting, did help to highlight the debate. Indeed, a number of people took positive action by trying to concoct home-made aerials for themselves, able to receive programme from the many satellite channels which were beginning to be available in the Indian Ocean region. Others, financially better-off, looked into the possibility of commercial broadcasting using dish aerials. This was still illegal because the government had never legislated on that subject.
Philippe Rogers was ultra-keen to receive foreign stations. In 1994 he tried to import an aerial which was seized by the Customs. The case went to court, with Rogers accused of trying to illegally import equipment into the country without having received prior authorization. Matters came to a head when Supreme Court Judge Vinod Boolell decided in favour of Rogers. The judge ruled that by confiscating the said equipment, the authorities had gone against the defendant's legal rights.
From then onwards, those calling for an end to the MBC's monopoly over broadcasting, redoubled their efforts. Maxime King's London Satellite Systems threw itself into the fray, by erecting a transmitting station and aerials across the island.
The authorities dealt ruthlessly with the situation by closing down the station and forbidding further transmissions. The public were furious and they made their feelings heard in high places. The government was forced to climb down, and set up a special committee to look into the future of broadcasting, especially as regards controls over broadcasting. In between times, the government suffered a crushing defeat in the 1995 general elections, and Navin Ramgoolam was brought to power. At the same time, London Satellite Systems won its court case, and the right to broadcast. From then onwards, the way was open for decontrolling radio and television.
Things are proceeding gradually. Mr Sarat Lallah, Mauritius' Minister for Telecommunications, has already prepared a draft Bill to completely decontrol radio broadcasting. The Bill will be presented before Parliament in its next session. Those who've already said they're going to open private radio stations, have got to be patient, because as yet, the necessary legislation hasn't yet gone through Parliament. As things stand, at least two promoters have said they're going to open radio stations.
Television presents a somewhat different picture. Mauritius has a population of about 1.2 million, and so, numerically speaking, a rather restricted viewing public. Nobody has come forward, as yet, to establish an independent television station, for producing programmes made "at home". The heavy financial burden involved in such a project makes possible investors hesitate. Consequently, the most feasible formula seems to be the re-transmission of programmes made elsewhere.
London Satellite Systems offers the possibility of receiving four satellite channels: TV5; Worldnet (with ten hours of programmes taken from Skynews; Nile TV (Near-East programmes produced in Egypt); Deutsche Welle (from Germany). From February this year, subscribers will be able to receive CNN and two other channels beamed from China and India. Another promoter, Multichoice, may soon be able to offer Canal Plus and Skynews.
But things are not as simple as they appear. Multichoice wants to buy Skyvision, a company launched by the MBC following Judge Boolell's ruling. However, Skyvision has serious financial problems as there are not enough subscribers.
With the removal of broadcasting controls, the MBC now sees itself in opposition to London Satellite Systems. In 1994, thanks to a tacit agreement made during the summit of Francophonie in Mauritius and a gift of a dish aerial from France - the station had been re-transmitting TV5. Now the MBC has lost that to London Satellite Systems.
To try and make up for lost opportunities (since the re- transmission of TV5 programmes had given the MBC the opportunity of bridging the gap in the "wee small hours" - 11 p.m. to 7a.m.), the MBC fell back on Deutsche Welle and Worldnet (already being screened by London Satellite Systems). It should be remembered that under the past monopoly, the MBC had taken advantage of the situation to dominate the Hertzian waves with Skyvision and three other channels. London Satellite Systems was thus forced to transmit on a microwave system. Tit for tat? The MBC's director concedes that the present situation in which his corporation finds itself, can best be described as somewhat laughable. In a recent press interview, he admitted that even if Mauritians say they're satisfied with the national TV station, he isn't. Hence the adoption of a reorganisation plan, which, he hopes, will enable the MBC to attain its objective: the setting up of a competitive MBC, with a large viewing public. But for many, this is wishful thinking.
END
PeaceLink 1998 - Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgement