Two business units of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), Air Time Television Outside Broadcasts and Henley Studios, are in the process of changing their branding to conform to the overall SABC strategy of having a common identity of all sections of the public broadcaster.
Air Time will be now known as SABC Outside Broadcasts and Henley as SABC Henley Studios. The change was initially not welcomed by Air Time, as they have many overseas clients who are familiar with the old name, but the recent increase in internal demands from News, Sport and the three SABC channels now keep the business unit in a position where they are just managing to cope.
External work, averaging at 11% of the income for Air Time, has decreased to virtually nil. To meet the internal demands Air Time has had to sub-contract Dimension TV Facilities to cover the extra events SABC is now producing.
Cosmas Tshabalala, Acting GM of Air Time says; “The change is to be expected. We have already started the process of changing our fleet to the SABC logo. This move will give us the proper identity in the industry and put us on a par with M-Net OB units which have the pay-TV channel”s brand on their vehicles. All we have to do now is get rid of the old business cards.’
Read more in the Nov/Dec 2008 issue of Screen Africa
