According to one of SA’s foremost entertainment journalists, Thinus Ferreira of TV With Thinus, Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s 90% local policy is set to be scrapped by the public broadcaster’s interim board as it “completely drained the SABC’s coffers, disrupted its income streams and ad revenue and saw listeners and viewers flee.”
In the 9 months since former chief operating officer of the South African Broadcasting Corporation, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, introduced the policy of having predominantly local content on air, the broadcaster has had to fork out tons of cash on local content that isn’t bringing in much revenue.
Ferreira reports that the SABC is “now on the brink of financial collapse and urgently needing another bail-out.”
The SABC will not be dropping local content all together however, they will merely be reverting to the 60% local standard previously set by Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA).
Speaking to local publication, The Post, SABC interim board member Krish Naidoo said “we are not diverting from local content, we are just trying for a more structured approach.”
Naidoo also made assurances that the SABC is seeking out new processes of developing local content that will be done in consultation with artists and communities.
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Main image credit: mybroadband.co.za
