On 1 August, the Media Workers Association of South Africa (MWASA) issued the following statement commenting on the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC’s) launch of a 24-hour news channel on that day. The statement reads: The news of the launch on the SABC’s 77th birthday is a milestone achievement.
It is an exciting moment for South African viewers after years of a Gauteng-centric news focus. The inclusion of many views from across the width and breath of South Africa will be a challenge. The question of universal access remains a serious concern and the channel’s current platform (the DStv pay-TV platform) will exclude a substantial section of the population, especially the majority of the economically marginalised and those living in rural areas.
The reported increase in national unemployment figures places the SABC at the centre of public debate where it must provide an inclusive, interactive platform for genuine national discourse on developmental issues. South Africans from all walks of life should have their voices accommodated on the national broadcaster.
Further the channel will need to ensure that it offers a different staple of news from the current overly-politicised diet.
A substantial investment will also need to be made in the area of personnel development with a view to improve on-air product quality.
Competition will be rife and the SABC needs to fast shed the jet-lag from years of inertia and internal strife which landed the institution in the news for all the wrong reasons.
