Since the general election of 1994 the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), previously a state broadcaster, has attempted to reconstitute itself. By launching new programming and scheduling the SABC has tried to take into account the requirements for public service broadcasting and the perceptions of what this entails for a new democracy. To contextualize the debates about public service broadcasting in South Africa a brief historic overview of broadcasting is provided. The language requirements for a multicultural society and their effects on programming are explained. Evolution of a local situation comedy genre through two local productions, Suburban Bliss and Going Up, is traced in the SABC’s attempt to achieve a balance of programmes for all members of South African society. The multicultural audience’s varied responses to these productions are discussed to demonstrate how audience reception analysis can serve as an indicator of the rearrangement of cultural power.
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