ABSTRACT
Television advertising was explicitly banned, according to South African media scholar Ruth Teer-Tomaselli, on the grounds that its cost made it less equitable than radio, and that it was seen by the regulators to be particularly persuasive. Television election campaign advertising is one of the quickest ways that an opposition party, particularly a new one, can reach a large number of voters, build a distinctive image in voters’ minds, and present a case for why they offer voters a preferable alternative to the governing party. The new regulations on television advertising were only promulgated in late 2008. Most South Africans could probably recall dozens of humorous or serious local television advertisements produced by sophisticated advertising agencies, powerful political cartoons such as those by internationally acclaimed Jonathan Shapiro, or even the political caricatures images provided by the South African equivalent of Spitting Image, ZaNews. Television advertising helped move South Africa’s electoral environment closer to the ideal of a common, national conversation.
