timgaul
01-04-2008, 11:41 AM
Electricity-saving measures will be expanded from next month to include nationwide prime-time blackouts in television broadcasts, the SABC announced on Tuesday.
It said transmitters would shut down across the country between 6pm and 9pm on weekdays, when Eskom experienced peak demand.
There were 200 000 television sets in South Africa, roughly half of which used only the free-to-air SABC and eTV channels.
"With an average set drawing 14 watts, this translates to energy saving of a massive 2.8 megawatts," the SABC said in a statement.
The blackout would mean rescheduling of programmes.
The 7pm and 7.30pm news broadcasts would be shifted to 9pm, when there would be a single evening news, transmitted on SABC2.
The language of this broadcast would alternate on successive days between English, Zulu, Sesotho and the other 11 official languages.
The rest of the programmes from the blackout slot would be broadcast following the normal evening programming.
This meant the Bold and the Beautiful, for example, would start at midnight on SABC1.
Sewende Laan would start at 1am on SABC2, after the matric revision programme, and Isidingo just after midnight.
The corporation said it expected viewers might have some problems adjusting to the blackouts.
"We suggest that viewers could instead read books, or talk to other family members," it said.
"If they do not like their relatives, and have forgotten how to read, they can just look at the wall."
The blackout would be reviewed at the end of winter. - Sapa
Better take out library cards people.
It said transmitters would shut down across the country between 6pm and 9pm on weekdays, when Eskom experienced peak demand.
There were 200 000 television sets in South Africa, roughly half of which used only the free-to-air SABC and eTV channels.
"With an average set drawing 14 watts, this translates to energy saving of a massive 2.8 megawatts," the SABC said in a statement.
The blackout would mean rescheduling of programmes.
The 7pm and 7.30pm news broadcasts would be shifted to 9pm, when there would be a single evening news, transmitted on SABC2.
The language of this broadcast would alternate on successive days between English, Zulu, Sesotho and the other 11 official languages.
The rest of the programmes from the blackout slot would be broadcast following the normal evening programming.
This meant the Bold and the Beautiful, for example, would start at midnight on SABC1.
Sewende Laan would start at 1am on SABC2, after the matric revision programme, and Isidingo just after midnight.
The corporation said it expected viewers might have some problems adjusting to the blackouts.
"We suggest that viewers could instead read books, or talk to other family members," it said.
"If they do not like their relatives, and have forgotten how to read, they can just look at the wall."
The blackout would be reviewed at the end of winter. - Sapa
Better take out library cards people.