After its establishment in 1988, Lesotho Television was mandated to contribute to the nation-building initiatives of Lcsotho leaders. The introduction is followed by section 1, which describes the historical background for the study. The negotiations between the Government of Lesotho and M-Net, which finally led to the introduction of the M-Net service in Lesotho with Lesotho Television as a regional offshoot, are presented here.
Much of the research was based on information obtained through structured face-to-face interviews with Lesotho television station management. A central part of the concept of propaganda that [ would like to emphasize here is that "the purpose of propaganda is to promote a partisan or competitive cause in the best interests of the propagandist (in this case the DNP), but not necessarily in the best." This undermined the homogenous nature of the nation in terms of overall culture and spoken language (MISA, 2000: 14).
BKP members and those BNP members who wanted peace and reconciliation were, ironically, particularly supportive. Quoted in Lesotho Today (July 9, 9), the head of government at the time, Major General Metsing LekhanyaJ warned the nation: "when the politicians fought, the nation had to suffer. In addition, the international community's attitude towards South African politics also strengthened mission of Lesotho to secede from the republic.
The spirit of self-determination and dissociation and the related issue of nation building seem to be taking precedence among the Basotho leaders.
TI-IEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
It was expected that development in the Third World would be a process of imitation, in which the less developed countries would gradually adopt the qualities of the industrialized countries (Burkey, 1993: 27). That is, it was hierarchically imposed information that tended to encourage the passivity of the masses of the 'Third World' (White, I 990a). Such broadcasts have facilitated the failure of the modernization paradigm of development in general and the development of communications in particular.
7 Although this date is relatively recent, the example given is very typical of inappropriate types. Self-reliance was seen as essential to the development of the 'Third World' as it would weaken their ties to exploiters. Drag correctly points out that the approach strategies in question are normative, which means that they are related to understanding what development should be and how it will be promoted.
In the paradigm of national detachment, the protagonists are politicians united in a party with the aim of forming a slate on the basis of the nation. In this paradigm the state is the instrument to advance the development process and tries to fulfill the interests of the nation. Another imperative of disengagement theory is that self-determination becomes the central goal of development.
This is even more important in light of the fact that SA BC was known for fomenting national divisions. Despite contemporary challenges, this conception of the BBC as the preeminent example of public service broadcasting, its principles are today seen as a guide for any public service broadcaster committed to providing services efficiently and in a spirit of social responsibility. These elements, according to Thompson, were embodied in the original BBC organizational structure and practice envisioned by Reith, who established a tradition of public service and commitment to the public interest.
Consequently, the BBC's position as an excellent public service broadcaster is somewhat debatable. In light of the contemporary media environment, the whole notion of public service broadcasting seems problematic. The Act, based on the BBC Charter, assumed a consensus between English and Afrikaans speakers, which did not actually exist at the time.
As previously noted in section 011 secession theory, public broadcasters will always emphasize the heroic acts of a nation's founders and how they made the nation what it is today. Broadcasting such an occasion is a promotion of national identity and unity as the king symbolizes the unity and unity of the nation.
LESOTHO TELEVISION
The advantageous position of M-Net is clear from the proposal submitted for consideration by the Lcsotho Government (Ministry of Communications, Executive Proposal, December 1987), where it is stipulated that "the M-Net part of the service is purely entertainment will be. The network and facilities were arranged to bc operational by August 1988, time to coincide with the visit of the Pope to Lesotho. This is confirmed by the letter written by the then Chief Engineer of tile Lesotho National Broadcasting Service (LNBS) to the Managing Director of the Lesotho Telecommunications Corporation, which reads:
Introducing television at this time would enhance the spirit of nation building. The nation-building aspect of the Pope's visit is epitomized in an address by the King of Lesotho, Moshoeshoe 11, to the Pope. The proposal stipulates that 14 hours per week of the M-Net service would be broadcast free of charge and the rest of the broadcast would be encrypted. As previously mentioned, the M-Net portion of the service would be purely entertainment and not all news or political broadcasts.
The company would install and maintain decoders that manage all subscribers using the M-Net computer; Sehloho stated that before the start of the M-Nct/LNBS negotiations, M-Net had always been interested in acquiring a broadcasting license for Lesotho. On the other hand, LNBS would retain for its own account all advertising revenues arising from advertisements broadcast during the broadcast of the LNBS programs;
As previously discussed, the reporting was intended to unite the Basotho nation while reducing the nation's dependence on foreign media. By reporting on the Pope's visit and the leaders' nation-building speeches, Lesotho Television contributed to the leaders' nation-building efforts. This must be seen in light of the fact that the Basotho people have traditionally helped the needy as a way of bridging the gap between those who have and those who have not.
Due to the small audience size, it is unlikely that these matches would have been broadcast had it not been for the establishment of Lesotho Television. This means that the nation-building programming broadcast by Lesotho Television is only available to a very small portion of the population. This nation was not long united as it appeared to be during the reign of Moshoeshoe I, the nation's founder.
Lcsoto television is only accessible to a very small portion of the population, a factor that negatively affects the Lesotho government's nation-building initiatives. Ministry of Communications (15 December 1987) Letter from the Chief Engineer of LNBS to the Managing Director of the Lesotho Telecommunications Corporation.
