Rhodes Music Radio JMS50

Interview with Michael Markovitz

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After graduating from Rhodes University in the 1980s, Michael Markovitz worked as a freelance journalist and researcher before becoming a member of the Technical Committee responsible for drafting the 1993 Independent Media Commission Bill and Independent Broadcasting Authority Bill. Both were part of the package of laws negotiated and agreed to at the Multi-Party Negotiating Council to ensure a fair and smooth transition to democracy in South Africa. Michael continued to have a varied and exciting career in the media sphere as a member of the Broadcast Commission working with the Film and Allied Workers Organisation (FAWO) to establish an independent regulator for the broadcasting sector. Michael acted as advisor to the chairperson of both the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) and the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA). He served as executive chairman of Primedia Digital for almost a decade. Michael has over two decades of experience as an executive and consultant in the media, technology and entertainment sectors. In August 2021 he was appointed to head up the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) Media Leadership Think Tank, an independent research and advocacy platform dealing with the pressing issues facing the media and audiovisual industries and how these impact on democracy.
4 Jul 2023 English South Africa Business · Education

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