At its 19th annual general meeting (AGM) held in Mahe, Seychelles on 12 October, the Southern African Broadcasting Association (SABA) emphasised the need for content providers and public service broadcasters in the region to enter into co-productions to develop a content repository for radio, television and print media.
Group CEO of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) Phil Molefe announced the broadcaster’s intention to launch a 24-hour news programme that will carry and reflect African news and actuality for Africa. Molefe invited SABA member broadcasters to make use of the new platform and welcomed contributions from other countries as it will be available in their territories, either as a bundle or in parts. The AGM vowed to support the SABC initiative.
It transpired at the AGM that the SABA family is not united on the issue of the region’s migration to digital terrestrial television (DTT). Says newly appointed SABA secretary general Cecil Jarurakouje Nguvauva: “The AGM has therefore resolved to fully consult with all members to find common ground. A consultative conference on the DTT standards and roll out plan will take place in South Africa in less than a month.’
At the AGM SABA members were encouraged to continuously conduct audience research to identify and address viewer expectations. The secretariat was mandated to coordinate and drive the initiative through working and plenary sessions.
Nguvauva notes that the AGM resolved to assess the reintroduction of the SABA Newswire service as well as the regional radio programme. “These services once spread news around the region to every household in southern Africa. Plans will be put in place to get the programme off the ground.
“In addition, the creation of a SABA Editors Forum has been identified as a necessity and the secretariat will do all in its powers to set up a forum in the near future.’
SABA members resolved to run training programmes together with experts from the region in media management, social media usage, production, camera operation, editing and radio and TV presenting, among others.
The 2012 SABA AGM will be hosted by the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation.
SCREENAFRICA Print Magazine – November 2011 (view here)
