The Television Industry Emergency Coalition (TVIEC) warned that cuts at the SABC could lead to a 67% drop in local content productions.<\/p>\n
About 50 producers, directors and actors, who attended a meeting in Johannesburg to report back on discussions with the communications minister and consider future steps, voiced their concern over their bleak future if cuts did take place.<\/p>\n
It said the industry would lose over R500m in income over cancelled or deferred productions, would see production costs increase and crew and cast losing their jobs.<\/p>\n
The broadcaster’s new strategy would also mean more programme repeats at prime-time, which could drive away viewers and advertisers. It could also affect diversity of voices and cultures as well as local content quotas which the public broadcaster was expected to provide.<\/p>\n
The organisation also said the SABC still owed them R25m.<\/p>\n
It also came out strongly against the SABC’s bulk commissioning proposal, saying it was a “dangerous” as only a few companies could make use of it.<\/p>\n
Suggestions from the floor ranged from putting more pressure on the broadcaster by organising another march, to setting up a fund to sustain the TVIEC and taking legal action.<\/p>\n
An interim board, which the TVIEC said had taken issues seriously, was recently appointed at the SABC to turn its finances around.<\/p>\n
The board would come back to the organisation within 10 days to say when their money would be paid.<\/p>\n
The public broadcaster is said to be drowning in debt and is hoping for a R2bn bailout from the government.<\/p>\n
On June 4 a large group of associations and television industry workers marched to the SABC in Auckland Park, Johannesburg to hand over a memorandum highlighting these issues and asking to be paid for work already done.<\/p>\n
At that time the SABC owed them an estimated R60m.<\/p>\n