The National Public Broadcaster in conjunction with Eskom recently launched “Eskom alerts”, a unique and innovative CSI campaign in support of all citizens, but especially those living in the Western Cape, to notify viewers about possible electricity supply shortages.
“This partnership with Eskom is unique – it provides a public service initiative to better the lives of South African citizens in a time if uncertainty. The SABC’s reach and input is massive and we are glad to be of service,” says outgoing SABC Group Executive: Commercial enterprises, Mark Jakins.
A barometer will be flighted on all SABC television channels at the top of the hour and on the half hour (or nearest to) from 18h00 a€” 21h00 each day, Monday a€” Friday over the South African winter months from 25 May a€” 18 August.
The first phase of the campaign consists of a full screen spot with a barometer graphic and an educational message.At first the barometer will not be strictly “live” and a “bank” of 12 pre-produced versions of the barometer, indicating energy consumption levels (e.g.. green zone a€” indicating normal consumption, yellow a€” cautionary, higher levels of consumption and so forth) will be used. At noon each day Eskom will inform the SABC on the timings of the Barometers to be flighted for each television channel.
The campaign will also use squeezebacks with the barometer placed on the left hand side of the screen with a “ticker tape” running across the bottom of the screen with an educational message, as well as presenter mentions between programmes.
As viewers become comfortable with the barometers and the channels with the squeezebacks, Eskom will look to feed information through a€˜live’ and closer to real time.
