Save our SABC: Reclaiming our Public Broadcaster
Interim Board problems and a way forward for the new permanent Board
The “Save our SABC” (SOS) Coalition believes it is unfortunate that the process around the selection of the new interim Board has become so fraught. During Parliamentary debates on the Broadcasting Amendment Bill, SOS repeatedly stated that criteria were needed for the interim Board. In Parliamentary hearings we in fact put forward a number of criteria including the fact that the interim Board should include a corporate governance expert, a financial expert, a broadcasting attorney or academic and representatives from labour and civil society organizations. Despite our best lobbying efforts however Parliament ignored this advice. No criteria were in fact included in the final legislation.
Also, at the time, various SOS members expressed their discomfort around the fact that the selection of the interim board was not a public process. We however were convinced by Parliament that because of the urgency of putting the interim Board in place and the fact that the interim Board would sit for a limited period only (i.e. a maximum of six months) we should forego a public process.
Given the context of no public process and no criteria, we had hoped that Parliament, as representative of the public, would be particularly mindful of the enormity of their task and would have sought to choose board members as a collective with both “hard” technical skills (including corporate governance, financial management and broadcasting expertise) but also a collective of people broadly acceptable to society at large including important constituency groupings and other political parties. It seems however that Parliament did not succeed in its duties here. Unfortunately the interim board as a collective does not enjoy this broad-based support. As Cosatu and the Young Communist League have argued the Board in particular lacks a labour perspective.
The issue is how to move forward from here. SOS believes that a number of lessons need to be learnt from this experience, the most important being that the SABC needs to be collectively owned and supported by its audiences it broadcasts. The selection of SABC boards needs to reflect this both in terms of process and composition. The process for the selection of the permanent SABC Board needs to start now. To gain public confidence SOS reiterates the importance of maximum public participation and maximum transparency.
In terms of maximum public participation, the call for SABC Board nominations need to be widely publicised (not only on tiny postage stamp adverts in newspapers!) but on full page adverts and on all stations on the national broadcaster. Further, the process of interviewing potential candidates for the Board needs to be on primetime television and radio slots with the public being encouraged to send in their questions. And in terms of transparency and public accountability - the names of nominators and nominees needs to be made public as well as the CVs of the nominees. Finally, to conclude the process, Parliamentarians need to put forward reasons why they selected a particular grouping of board members and how these board members fulfill both skills and representativity criteria as outlined in the Broadcasting Act. We believe an impeccable, transparent and public process will go along way to starting to right the myriad of problems plaguing our national broadcaster.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
SABC workers set to down tools
Mail & Guardian Online
Business | Labour
SABC workers set to down tools
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA Jul 08 2009 09:27
Hundreds of South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) workers are expected to down tools during lunchtime on Wednesday over a wage dispute.
While the Media Workers' Association of South Africa earlier said it was expecting all of its 600 workers to take part, it is understood scores more disgruntled employees will turn out.
The Communication Workers' Union also said it expected hundreds to join. While the third labour union, the Broadcast, Electronic, Media and Allied Workers' Union, said it would act in solidarity with the other unions.
The public broadcaster has been dogged by controversy for several months due to what the unions say is the misuse of millions of rand.
According to reports, the SABC has requested a R2-billion bailout from the government
In a move to alleviate the crisis, the corporation has cut the salaries of several employees and restructured the rates of several news and current affairs presenters.
In an attempt to woo disgruntled employees, the unions on Tuesday posted notices at the entrances to the radio and TV centres to attract a good showing for the lunchtime picket. (Should SASFED and affiliated organisations show solidarity ?)
But it remains to be seen whether the SABC's freelance staff participate, as some fear not having their contracts renewed or not being scheduled for news and other programming.
The unions went to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration when the SABC revised a 12,2% multi-term pay offer it was supposed to have implemented in April, to 8,5%.
The labour court in Johannesburg dismissed a bid by the SABC last week to stop its workers from striking.
To further exacerbate the situation, the unions have warned that if the SABC does not budge, even after Wednesday's action, they will stay away completely, starting on July 13. -- Sapa
Business | Labour
SABC workers set to down tools
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA Jul 08 2009 09:27
Hundreds of South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) workers are expected to down tools during lunchtime on Wednesday over a wage dispute.
While the Media Workers' Association of South Africa earlier said it was expecting all of its 600 workers to take part, it is understood scores more disgruntled employees will turn out.
The Communication Workers' Union also said it expected hundreds to join. While the third labour union, the Broadcast, Electronic, Media and Allied Workers' Union, said it would act in solidarity with the other unions.
The public broadcaster has been dogged by controversy for several months due to what the unions say is the misuse of millions of rand.
According to reports, the SABC has requested a R2-billion bailout from the government
In a move to alleviate the crisis, the corporation has cut the salaries of several employees and restructured the rates of several news and current affairs presenters.
In an attempt to woo disgruntled employees, the unions on Tuesday posted notices at the entrances to the radio and TV centres to attract a good showing for the lunchtime picket. (Should SASFED and affiliated organisations show solidarity ?)
But it remains to be seen whether the SABC's freelance staff participate, as some fear not having their contracts renewed or not being scheduled for news and other programming.
The unions went to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration when the SABC revised a 12,2% multi-term pay offer it was supposed to have implemented in April, to 8,5%.
The labour court in Johannesburg dismissed a bid by the SABC last week to stop its workers from striking.
To further exacerbate the situation, the unions have warned that if the SABC does not budge, even after Wednesday's action, they will stay away completely, starting on July 13. -- Sapa
Monday, July 6, 2009
PRESS RELEASE : EMBATTLED TV INDUSTRY TO MEET COMMUNICATIONS MINISTER
1 July 2009
PRESS RELEASE
EMBATTLED TV INDUSTRY TO MEET COMMUNICATIONS MINISTER
While the nation’s attention is focused on the mud slinging and blame shifting that has been unfolding in parliament between the SABC’s dissolving board and senior management, the harsh reality is that production companies are continuing to haemorrhage as we lay off staff due to the ongoing non-payment by the public broadcaster.
The TVIEC will be meeting with Communications Minister Nyanda on Friday 3 July. We shall be providing the minister with insight into the realities on the ground facing the television industry and also be addressing the false information supplied by the SABC and the dangers that such misinformation poses to the thousands of jobs that make up the production sector.
On June 4 the TVIEC, who make all local TV content for the SABC [except for the news and sport] marched to SABC headquarters to highlight a crisis of national importance. This march was prompted by the simple fact that the SABC owes us (independent producers, actors, writers, directors, technical crew) millions of rands for work already done or in production. We were met with platitudes from the senior executive about working together through the crisis and promises of weekly meetings to resolve the crisis.
Our industry is still owed millions of rands and, a month on, there is little or no communication at all from SABC’s senior management.
In the midst of this long-running crisis, not a single board member or executive has accepted accountability for this mess. Instead they play a blame game. They gave themselves fat bonuses and continue to take home large monthly pay cheques. Worst of all, individuals on the board and the executive continue to lobby for positions. They have misread the mood of the country and have ignored President’s Zuma’s call for accountability of public servants. The present SABC cannot be trusted to save itself. We are calling for urgent action by the imminent interim board to lance the rot.
The TVIEC is heartened by the announcement of the Minister setting up a Ministerial Task Team looking broadly at broadcasting policy and legislation issues and shall be seeking to have representation on this team. We believe the failings of our public broadcaster are endemic and require fundamental review and correction.
A RESPONSE TO THE SABC’S MISINFORMATION
The SABC has attempted to mislead the public and the government by stating that their crisis is a result of the global economic recession and downturn in ad spend. This is a dangerous lie.
Anyone analysing the SABC’s annual financial reports (which have clearly been designed to make that task difficult) will quickly see that most of the SABC’s loss of revenue is entirely self-inflicted. The national broadcaster lost substantial sports sponsorships partly because it lost lucrative sports rights, but allegations also point to a turf war between its internal sports department and its sales department. The result of this mismanagement of sports revenue is a larger contributing factor than the economic recession.
Moreover, the SABC has mismanaged advertising rates and relationships as well as commitments resulting in significant refunds to advertisers.
Surprisingly for an institution of its size, it is also mismanaging revenue collections. To blame the loss of revenue on a downturn in advertising spend is misleading. Why are the other broadcasters not facing this crisis?
The SABC’s financial crisis is not merely a story of lost revenue. This is also a story of an organization that spends money recklessly with no concern for its core business – serving the public.
Perhaps an anecdote best represents this disregard for financial management: The SABC, eTV and DSTV all source foreign TV programmes from an annual four day jamboree in Hollywood, USA. DSTV sends three or four of its managers there to source content for 21 channels. The SABC sends more than 20 people there to source less than 30% of its content for three channels. Shockingly, even board members have attended this market over the last five years.
While anecdotes of board-endorsed profligacy abound, the other substantially mismanaged cost drivers include news and an increase in management staff.
The cost of news has increased substantially with no increase in news output for South African viewers nor an increase in the quality of coverage. Many costs can be attributed to vanity projects which deliver neither value for money nor adherence to license conditions. The SABC arrogantly walked away from its news offering on the DSTV platform to viewers across the continent for which it was paid R20-million per annum. Instead, it chose to create an expensive (reportedly more than R200-million per annum) 24-hour news service on the Vivid platform that has few, if any, viewers.
Over the last five years the SABC has substantially increased the headcount of its middle managers, especially in content. Just five years ago, some 25 commissioning editors commissioned content for three channels. Now more than 100 people populate the Content Hub, with no equivalent increase in workload. This increased layer of the “muddled middle” has caused major organizational confusion between content procurement and channel transmission. The SABC’s international acquisitions arm has acquired more than R75-million worth of content that the channels cannot use. It has also mismanaged its programme stock, resulting in wasteful write-offs. At the SABC, no manager gets fired for poor performance. They merely get redeployed and replaced with another person. This is how the headcount has increased across the board.
The SABC has also been peddling the myth that to solve the present crisis, they will produce content “in house”. The truth is that presently less than 40% of the content budget is spent on “outside” production – ironically on its most-watched genres. The SABC produces its news and sports “in house” at substantially higher costs per minute than it spends on independently produced content. While the SABC has some respected producers, journalists and crew, any production of its popular genres in-house will be a disaster because of its poor management capabilities.
We need real change, not empty promises.
The present leadership has over the last five years presided over some monumental blunders – not least of which was the loss of local soccer from our screens. The present crisis could lead to a loss of more programmes. As viewers we notice the small things too - the increased amounts of technical errors in transmission, the programmes that never run on time and the many changes to the schedule. This is not merely a financial crisis. This is mismanagement at its worst. Public institutions can be well run, responsive to society’s needs and financially self-sufficient. There is clear proof of this in other sectors. We deserve the same for the SABC too. But we need a real sense of urgency to fix it. We need a commitment to professional leadership. We deserve a public broadcaster we can all be proud of.
TVIEC’S RECOMMENDED WAY FORWARD
The TV Industry Emergency Coalition believes that the following actions will go some way to solve the present impasse and lay the foundations for the creation of a vibrant TV industry:
IN THE IMMEDIATE TERM:
· APPOINT A NEW LEGALLY CONSTITUTED BOARD. We are encouraged by the dissolving of the current board and an interim board being put into place to stabilize the organization while a new board is constituted. We call for the appointment of people committed to public service broadcasting, including representation from the independent TV production industry for the new board. We call upon the interim board to urgently meet with the production sector in order to assist us in this difficult period and to help with damage control where possible.
· APPOINT NEW EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP. A new Group Chief Executive must lead the turn around strategy of the SABC and restore public confidence in the organisation. S/he must build a core team of competent and enlightened leaders unencumbered by the individuals who are tainted with the present mess.
· MAKE A PUBLIC COMMITMENT TO IMMEDIATELY PAY OUTSTANDING DEBTS. The SABC needs to create a ‘fast-track’ emergency system of payments of outstanding debts – including payments of repeat fees to actors, writers, musicians and producers. Its present excessive bureaucracy compounds the problem of cashflow. This schedule of payment must be made transparent to creditors. Despite numerous meetings and promises our industry is still largely unpaid and carries the burden of debt.
· CONDUCT AN INQUIRY/AUDIT INTO THE PRESENT CRISIS. An Inquiry must be conducted to properly investigate the causes of the present crisis and hold the present board and executive accountable in terms of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). The public needs to know what the leadership has spent the money on – including a report of the expense accounts of the top leaders. A culture of accountability will go a long way to prevent future abuse of the SABC.
IN THE LONGER TERM
· REVIEW AND MODERNISE COMMISSIONING AND TERMS OF TRADE. The SABC still uses apartheid-era production contracts that fix prices/rates for talent as well as apartheid-era business practices including blacklisting, bullying, and micromanaging independent businesses. There is an urgent need to change this. Moreover, the terms of trade are unfair. They place all risk on the producer and undermine any possible self-sustainability. These terms of trade should be negotiated under the guidance of an independent mediator. In addition, the SABC must commit to commissioning programmes in regions other than Johannesburg.
· PLACE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY IN THE HANDS OF ITS CREATORS. Presently, the SABC owns all the intellectual property rights of the content we develop and produce. The SABC has failed to exploit this content by selling it to broader markets. This discourages creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. After a lifetime of content creation, the creator owns nothing. Independent producers are unable to build a sustainable industry if they cannot own what they produce.
· AN ICASA-LED REVIEW OF COMPLIANCE TO REGULATIONS. We believe that the SABC is in danger of being in flagrant violation of broadcast regulations. ICASA needs to act urgently to protect the integrity of the broadcast environment and to act in the public’s interest. This review of SABC compliance should cover all aspects of its license conditions and include public hearings on SABC performance.
· REVIVE THE SPIRIT OF PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING. The SABC has killed the spirit of public service broadcasting that was initiated at the dawn of democracy. The spirit of inclusiveness, consultation and citizen partnership created by the new government must benefit public broadcasting too. The new SABC must act in partnership with the independent production sector and other important civil society stakeholders to create great public broadcasting.
Again we state our commitment: We are not fighting against the SABC, we are fighting for the SABC.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: tvcrisis@gmail.com
This press release is written on behalf of the TVIEC (Television Industry Emergency Coalition) which consists of: IPO (Independent Producers Organization), SASFED (South African Screen Federation), TPA (The Producers Alliance), DFA (Documentary Filmmakers Association), WGSA (Writers Guild of South Africa) as well as the CWU
PRESS RELEASE
EMBATTLED TV INDUSTRY TO MEET COMMUNICATIONS MINISTER
While the nation’s attention is focused on the mud slinging and blame shifting that has been unfolding in parliament between the SABC’s dissolving board and senior management, the harsh reality is that production companies are continuing to haemorrhage as we lay off staff due to the ongoing non-payment by the public broadcaster.
The TVIEC will be meeting with Communications Minister Nyanda on Friday 3 July. We shall be providing the minister with insight into the realities on the ground facing the television industry and also be addressing the false information supplied by the SABC and the dangers that such misinformation poses to the thousands of jobs that make up the production sector.
On June 4 the TVIEC, who make all local TV content for the SABC [except for the news and sport] marched to SABC headquarters to highlight a crisis of national importance. This march was prompted by the simple fact that the SABC owes us (independent producers, actors, writers, directors, technical crew) millions of rands for work already done or in production. We were met with platitudes from the senior executive about working together through the crisis and promises of weekly meetings to resolve the crisis.
Our industry is still owed millions of rands and, a month on, there is little or no communication at all from SABC’s senior management.
In the midst of this long-running crisis, not a single board member or executive has accepted accountability for this mess. Instead they play a blame game. They gave themselves fat bonuses and continue to take home large monthly pay cheques. Worst of all, individuals on the board and the executive continue to lobby for positions. They have misread the mood of the country and have ignored President’s Zuma’s call for accountability of public servants. The present SABC cannot be trusted to save itself. We are calling for urgent action by the imminent interim board to lance the rot.
The TVIEC is heartened by the announcement of the Minister setting up a Ministerial Task Team looking broadly at broadcasting policy and legislation issues and shall be seeking to have representation on this team. We believe the failings of our public broadcaster are endemic and require fundamental review and correction.
A RESPONSE TO THE SABC’S MISINFORMATION
The SABC has attempted to mislead the public and the government by stating that their crisis is a result of the global economic recession and downturn in ad spend. This is a dangerous lie.
Anyone analysing the SABC’s annual financial reports (which have clearly been designed to make that task difficult) will quickly see that most of the SABC’s loss of revenue is entirely self-inflicted. The national broadcaster lost substantial sports sponsorships partly because it lost lucrative sports rights, but allegations also point to a turf war between its internal sports department and its sales department. The result of this mismanagement of sports revenue is a larger contributing factor than the economic recession.
Moreover, the SABC has mismanaged advertising rates and relationships as well as commitments resulting in significant refunds to advertisers.
Surprisingly for an institution of its size, it is also mismanaging revenue collections. To blame the loss of revenue on a downturn in advertising spend is misleading. Why are the other broadcasters not facing this crisis?
The SABC’s financial crisis is not merely a story of lost revenue. This is also a story of an organization that spends money recklessly with no concern for its core business – serving the public.
Perhaps an anecdote best represents this disregard for financial management: The SABC, eTV and DSTV all source foreign TV programmes from an annual four day jamboree in Hollywood, USA. DSTV sends three or four of its managers there to source content for 21 channels. The SABC sends more than 20 people there to source less than 30% of its content for three channels. Shockingly, even board members have attended this market over the last five years.
While anecdotes of board-endorsed profligacy abound, the other substantially mismanaged cost drivers include news and an increase in management staff.
The cost of news has increased substantially with no increase in news output for South African viewers nor an increase in the quality of coverage. Many costs can be attributed to vanity projects which deliver neither value for money nor adherence to license conditions. The SABC arrogantly walked away from its news offering on the DSTV platform to viewers across the continent for which it was paid R20-million per annum. Instead, it chose to create an expensive (reportedly more than R200-million per annum) 24-hour news service on the Vivid platform that has few, if any, viewers.
Over the last five years the SABC has substantially increased the headcount of its middle managers, especially in content. Just five years ago, some 25 commissioning editors commissioned content for three channels. Now more than 100 people populate the Content Hub, with no equivalent increase in workload. This increased layer of the “muddled middle” has caused major organizational confusion between content procurement and channel transmission. The SABC’s international acquisitions arm has acquired more than R75-million worth of content that the channels cannot use. It has also mismanaged its programme stock, resulting in wasteful write-offs. At the SABC, no manager gets fired for poor performance. They merely get redeployed and replaced with another person. This is how the headcount has increased across the board.
The SABC has also been peddling the myth that to solve the present crisis, they will produce content “in house”. The truth is that presently less than 40% of the content budget is spent on “outside” production – ironically on its most-watched genres. The SABC produces its news and sports “in house” at substantially higher costs per minute than it spends on independently produced content. While the SABC has some respected producers, journalists and crew, any production of its popular genres in-house will be a disaster because of its poor management capabilities.
We need real change, not empty promises.
The present leadership has over the last five years presided over some monumental blunders – not least of which was the loss of local soccer from our screens. The present crisis could lead to a loss of more programmes. As viewers we notice the small things too - the increased amounts of technical errors in transmission, the programmes that never run on time and the many changes to the schedule. This is not merely a financial crisis. This is mismanagement at its worst. Public institutions can be well run, responsive to society’s needs and financially self-sufficient. There is clear proof of this in other sectors. We deserve the same for the SABC too. But we need a real sense of urgency to fix it. We need a commitment to professional leadership. We deserve a public broadcaster we can all be proud of.
TVIEC’S RECOMMENDED WAY FORWARD
The TV Industry Emergency Coalition believes that the following actions will go some way to solve the present impasse and lay the foundations for the creation of a vibrant TV industry:
IN THE IMMEDIATE TERM:
· APPOINT A NEW LEGALLY CONSTITUTED BOARD. We are encouraged by the dissolving of the current board and an interim board being put into place to stabilize the organization while a new board is constituted. We call for the appointment of people committed to public service broadcasting, including representation from the independent TV production industry for the new board. We call upon the interim board to urgently meet with the production sector in order to assist us in this difficult period and to help with damage control where possible.
· APPOINT NEW EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP. A new Group Chief Executive must lead the turn around strategy of the SABC and restore public confidence in the organisation. S/he must build a core team of competent and enlightened leaders unencumbered by the individuals who are tainted with the present mess.
· MAKE A PUBLIC COMMITMENT TO IMMEDIATELY PAY OUTSTANDING DEBTS. The SABC needs to create a ‘fast-track’ emergency system of payments of outstanding debts – including payments of repeat fees to actors, writers, musicians and producers. Its present excessive bureaucracy compounds the problem of cashflow. This schedule of payment must be made transparent to creditors. Despite numerous meetings and promises our industry is still largely unpaid and carries the burden of debt.
· CONDUCT AN INQUIRY/AUDIT INTO THE PRESENT CRISIS. An Inquiry must be conducted to properly investigate the causes of the present crisis and hold the present board and executive accountable in terms of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). The public needs to know what the leadership has spent the money on – including a report of the expense accounts of the top leaders. A culture of accountability will go a long way to prevent future abuse of the SABC.
IN THE LONGER TERM
· REVIEW AND MODERNISE COMMISSIONING AND TERMS OF TRADE. The SABC still uses apartheid-era production contracts that fix prices/rates for talent as well as apartheid-era business practices including blacklisting, bullying, and micromanaging independent businesses. There is an urgent need to change this. Moreover, the terms of trade are unfair. They place all risk on the producer and undermine any possible self-sustainability. These terms of trade should be negotiated under the guidance of an independent mediator. In addition, the SABC must commit to commissioning programmes in regions other than Johannesburg.
· PLACE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY IN THE HANDS OF ITS CREATORS. Presently, the SABC owns all the intellectual property rights of the content we develop and produce. The SABC has failed to exploit this content by selling it to broader markets. This discourages creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. After a lifetime of content creation, the creator owns nothing. Independent producers are unable to build a sustainable industry if they cannot own what they produce.
· AN ICASA-LED REVIEW OF COMPLIANCE TO REGULATIONS. We believe that the SABC is in danger of being in flagrant violation of broadcast regulations. ICASA needs to act urgently to protect the integrity of the broadcast environment and to act in the public’s interest. This review of SABC compliance should cover all aspects of its license conditions and include public hearings on SABC performance.
· REVIVE THE SPIRIT OF PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING. The SABC has killed the spirit of public service broadcasting that was initiated at the dawn of democracy. The spirit of inclusiveness, consultation and citizen partnership created by the new government must benefit public broadcasting too. The new SABC must act in partnership with the independent production sector and other important civil society stakeholders to create great public broadcasting.
Again we state our commitment: We are not fighting against the SABC, we are fighting for the SABC.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: tvcrisis@gmail.com
This press release is written on behalf of the TVIEC (Television Industry Emergency Coalition) which consists of: IPO (Independent Producers Organization), SASFED (South African Screen Federation), TPA (The Producers Alliance), DFA (Documentary Filmmakers Association), WGSA (Writers Guild of South Africa) as well as the CWU
Sunday, July 5, 2009
PRESS RELEASE - REPORT BACK: TVIEC MEETING WITH MINISTER
4 July 2009
PRESS RELEASE
REPORT BACK: TVIEC MEETING WITH MINISTER
Yesterday, 3 July 2009, the Hon Minister of Communications, General S. Nyanda met with the TVIEC to receive a briefing on the extent of the crisis facing producers with regards to the turmoil at the SABC.
The TVIEC outlined the continued failure of the SABC to pay producers and the impact of the SABC’s immediate halt on procuring new content. The TVIEC is of the opinion that the independent production sector is under threat and that steps need to be taken to protect the sector.
The Minister affirmed the importance of the independent television production sector, noted its resilience during the economic downturn and its role in job creation. He stated that the sector is seen as a core player in digital convergence which will see increasing demands for local content. He stated that it is in the interest of government to help the independent production industry grow and in the creation of sustainable employment.
The TVIEC pledged to support and co-operate with the interim SABC board to ensure that the public broadcaster is stabilised and the crisis resolved.
The TV industry is estimated, by the Department of Trade and Industry, to employ 30 000 permanent workers and at least as many in freelance positions – as well as support a host of supplier industries. These jobs range from the highly skilled positions of writers and directors to a range of semi-skilled and unskilled positions including drivers, electricians, builders, painters, caterers and security guards.
Each drama series produced employs approximately 60 to 120 people – who in turn support 400 to 800 dependents. In addition, our products have a great multiplier effect. Each drama supports a range of related and unrelated industries from studios and equipment suppliers to clothing shops, hairdressers and food suppliers.
It is for this reason that the TV industry is recognized as a critical growth area for the economy.
The Gauteng Film Office has stated that in 2007, the film and television industry contributed R2.5-billion to the province and created 8 000 jobs. (A 2005 Delloite survey estimated that the SA audio visual industry generates R5.5-billion, with a multiplier of 2.5. They predict ours is an industry that generates in excess of R12-billion worth of economic activity per year.)
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: tvcrisis@gmail.com
This press release is written on behalf of the TVIEC (Television Industry Emergency Coalition) which consists of: IPO (Independent Producers Organization), SASFED (South African Screen Federation), TPA (The Producers Alliance), DFA (Documentary Filmmakers Association), WGSA (Writers Guild of South Africa) as well as the CWU (Creative Workers Union).
PRESS RELEASE
REPORT BACK: TVIEC MEETING WITH MINISTER
Yesterday, 3 July 2009, the Hon Minister of Communications, General S. Nyanda met with the TVIEC to receive a briefing on the extent of the crisis facing producers with regards to the turmoil at the SABC.
The TVIEC outlined the continued failure of the SABC to pay producers and the impact of the SABC’s immediate halt on procuring new content. The TVIEC is of the opinion that the independent production sector is under threat and that steps need to be taken to protect the sector.
The Minister affirmed the importance of the independent television production sector, noted its resilience during the economic downturn and its role in job creation. He stated that the sector is seen as a core player in digital convergence which will see increasing demands for local content. He stated that it is in the interest of government to help the independent production industry grow and in the creation of sustainable employment.
The TVIEC pledged to support and co-operate with the interim SABC board to ensure that the public broadcaster is stabilised and the crisis resolved.
The TV industry is estimated, by the Department of Trade and Industry, to employ 30 000 permanent workers and at least as many in freelance positions – as well as support a host of supplier industries. These jobs range from the highly skilled positions of writers and directors to a range of semi-skilled and unskilled positions including drivers, electricians, builders, painters, caterers and security guards.
Each drama series produced employs approximately 60 to 120 people – who in turn support 400 to 800 dependents. In addition, our products have a great multiplier effect. Each drama supports a range of related and unrelated industries from studios and equipment suppliers to clothing shops, hairdressers and food suppliers.
It is for this reason that the TV industry is recognized as a critical growth area for the economy.
The Gauteng Film Office has stated that in 2007, the film and television industry contributed R2.5-billion to the province and created 8 000 jobs. (A 2005 Delloite survey estimated that the SA audio visual industry generates R5.5-billion, with a multiplier of 2.5. They predict ours is an industry that generates in excess of R12-billion worth of economic activity per year.)
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: tvcrisis@gmail.com
This press release is written on behalf of the TVIEC (Television Industry Emergency Coalition) which consists of: IPO (Independent Producers Organization), SASFED (South African Screen Federation), TPA (The Producers Alliance), DFA (Documentary Filmmakers Association), WGSA (Writers Guild of South Africa) as well as the CWU (Creative Workers Union).
Friday, June 26, 2009
“Save our SABC” Coalition welcomes the Minister of Communications decisive actions and statements
“Save our SABC” Coalition welcomes the Minister of Communications decisive actions and statements
26 June 2009
The “Save our SABC” (SOS) Coalition representing unions including COSATU, the Communications Workers Union, BEMAWU, a host of media NGOs including the Freedom of Expression Institute, Media Monitoring Africa, the Media Institute of Southern Africa, independent producer organizations and individual freedom of expression and communication activists and academics welcomes the recent statements and actions of the Minister of Communications, General Siphiwe Nyanda (ret).
Firstly, the Coalition welcomes the Minister’s statements as regards some of the root causes of the present crises at the SABC. The Minister acknowledged that the appointment process of the 2007 Board was flawed due to political interference and that serious implications arose from this fact. SOS believes that this frank acknowledgement of the issues allows us, going forward, to ensure that all future appointment processes of SABC boards and staff are free of political interference and further ensure maximum public participation and maximum transparency. This is an excellent starting point for resolving SABC problems in the long term.
Secondly, the Coalition welcomes the Minister’s assessment of the SABC crisis as multifold. SOS believes that the crises stem not only from problems with the SABC Board but also with SABC management and further with a lack of rigorous oversight from Parliament and the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA). Moving forward SOS believes that we now have an excellent opportunity to clarify the roles of these various governance and oversight structures so as in the future to hold them to the highest possible standards of governance and oversight.
Thirdly, the Coalition welcomes the Minister’s statements as regards the drafting of new legislation for the SABC. The Minister announced that his department will be amending the Broadcasting Act, in consultation with all relevant stakeholders. Further, he stated that the new legislation would bring the Charter in line with international best practice and that a more appropriate funding model, less dependent on advertising, would be introduced. SOS believes that new legislation will be one of the most effective ways of ensuring that the root problems of the SABC’s multiple crises are decisively and holistically dealt with. SOS is ready and willing to engage with the Department on these substantive issues.
Finally, moving forward SOS has a few further recommendations as regards the solving of the SABC crises. As stated on numerous occasions, SOS believes that Parliament needs to move swiftly as regards the appointment of an interim Board. Parliament should provide the President with its recommendations on the men and women with the necessary credentials to stabilize the SABC and to steer it towards financial health and good governance. Parliament must recommend people who are independent of vested interests, who have impeccable integrity and records of public service and who have skills and experience in corporate governance, finance, media, broadcasting and journalism. The interim Board’s mandate needs to include:
- The commissioning of an independent forensic audit (comprising of people outside the SABC) into the financial affairs of the SABC. These findings need to be reported to Parliament so as to ensure a public airing of issues. The recommendations of the forensic audit need to feed into new policy and legislation for the SABC. Further, the recommendations need to assist with the implementation of strict new financial systems within the SABC and the simultaneous rooting out of corruption and the dismissal of corrupt staff members.
- The negotiating of a financial bail-out of the SABC with National Treasury
- The urgent implementation of sustainable agreements as regards payment issues with key SABC stakeholders such as SABC unions and independent producers.
- Finally, the appointment of an executive management that is skilled and has impeccable integrity and the relevant broadcasting experience.
Also, immediately upon the appointment of the interim Board, Parliament must begin the public process culminating in the recommendation of a permanent Board to replace the interim Board which will sit for a maximum period of six months. The permanent board appointment process must be beyond criticism if the SABC is to have a chance of regaining public credibility. Thus it requires maximum transparency and public participation in the nominations, short-listing, interview and recommendations processes. Parliament must take responsibility for the caliber of people appointed to the SABC Board as they are responsible for making the necessary appointment recommendations to the President. We need a permanent board made up of men and women who are independent of major vested commercial and political interests, who have impeccable integrity and records of public service, who have skills and experience in corporate governance, finance, media, broadcasting and journalism and who broadly represent South Africa through being drawn from various sectors including labour, business and civil society.
For more information please contact:
Kate Skinner: (082) 926-6404
William Bird: (082) 887-1370
26 June 2009
The “Save our SABC” (SOS) Coalition representing unions including COSATU, the Communications Workers Union, BEMAWU, a host of media NGOs including the Freedom of Expression Institute, Media Monitoring Africa, the Media Institute of Southern Africa, independent producer organizations and individual freedom of expression and communication activists and academics welcomes the recent statements and actions of the Minister of Communications, General Siphiwe Nyanda (ret).
Firstly, the Coalition welcomes the Minister’s statements as regards some of the root causes of the present crises at the SABC. The Minister acknowledged that the appointment process of the 2007 Board was flawed due to political interference and that serious implications arose from this fact. SOS believes that this frank acknowledgement of the issues allows us, going forward, to ensure that all future appointment processes of SABC boards and staff are free of political interference and further ensure maximum public participation and maximum transparency. This is an excellent starting point for resolving SABC problems in the long term.
Secondly, the Coalition welcomes the Minister’s assessment of the SABC crisis as multifold. SOS believes that the crises stem not only from problems with the SABC Board but also with SABC management and further with a lack of rigorous oversight from Parliament and the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA). Moving forward SOS believes that we now have an excellent opportunity to clarify the roles of these various governance and oversight structures so as in the future to hold them to the highest possible standards of governance and oversight.
Thirdly, the Coalition welcomes the Minister’s statements as regards the drafting of new legislation for the SABC. The Minister announced that his department will be amending the Broadcasting Act, in consultation with all relevant stakeholders. Further, he stated that the new legislation would bring the Charter in line with international best practice and that a more appropriate funding model, less dependent on advertising, would be introduced. SOS believes that new legislation will be one of the most effective ways of ensuring that the root problems of the SABC’s multiple crises are decisively and holistically dealt with. SOS is ready and willing to engage with the Department on these substantive issues.
Finally, moving forward SOS has a few further recommendations as regards the solving of the SABC crises. As stated on numerous occasions, SOS believes that Parliament needs to move swiftly as regards the appointment of an interim Board. Parliament should provide the President with its recommendations on the men and women with the necessary credentials to stabilize the SABC and to steer it towards financial health and good governance. Parliament must recommend people who are independent of vested interests, who have impeccable integrity and records of public service and who have skills and experience in corporate governance, finance, media, broadcasting and journalism. The interim Board’s mandate needs to include:
- The commissioning of an independent forensic audit (comprising of people outside the SABC) into the financial affairs of the SABC. These findings need to be reported to Parliament so as to ensure a public airing of issues. The recommendations of the forensic audit need to feed into new policy and legislation for the SABC. Further, the recommendations need to assist with the implementation of strict new financial systems within the SABC and the simultaneous rooting out of corruption and the dismissal of corrupt staff members.
- The negotiating of a financial bail-out of the SABC with National Treasury
- The urgent implementation of sustainable agreements as regards payment issues with key SABC stakeholders such as SABC unions and independent producers.
- Finally, the appointment of an executive management that is skilled and has impeccable integrity and the relevant broadcasting experience.
Also, immediately upon the appointment of the interim Board, Parliament must begin the public process culminating in the recommendation of a permanent Board to replace the interim Board which will sit for a maximum period of six months. The permanent board appointment process must be beyond criticism if the SABC is to have a chance of regaining public credibility. Thus it requires maximum transparency and public participation in the nominations, short-listing, interview and recommendations processes. Parliament must take responsibility for the caliber of people appointed to the SABC Board as they are responsible for making the necessary appointment recommendations to the President. We need a permanent board made up of men and women who are independent of major vested commercial and political interests, who have impeccable integrity and records of public service, who have skills and experience in corporate governance, finance, media, broadcasting and journalism and who broadly represent South Africa through being drawn from various sectors including labour, business and civil society.
For more information please contact:
Kate Skinner: (082) 926-6404
William Bird: (082) 887-1370
Monday, June 22, 2009
Encounters Press Release
11th Encounters South African International Documentary Festival
2-19 July, Nu Metro cinemas, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
For full details please go to www.encounters.co.za
Press Release
22 June 2009
Al-Jazeera at Encounters 2009
Encounters is pleased to announce that Jonathan Powell, head of Acquisitions of Al-Jazeera Network, will be attending Encounters from 2 to 9 July. Powell is actively seeking to buy existing product and is interested in co-financing new projects.
Completed documentaries: Encounters is calling on all filmmakers who have rights available for Al-Jazeera to submit their completed film which will be handed to Powell on his arrival.
The DVD must be properly labelled (title, running time, year of production, contact details including telephone email). Powell will contact you during the course of his visit if he is interested in acquiring your film.
Co-financing: Proposals for co-finance must include:
1 page synopsis
1 page biography of director and company profile
Finance plan and budget including commitments from other sources
All contact details
Trailer or promo if available
Deliver all DVDs and documents to: Refiloe Khobane at Encounters, 1st Floor 27 Caledon Street, Cape Town 8001 or email documents to Refiloe at reception@encounters.co.za
Deadline for delivery: 30 June 2009.
If there is interest in your project, Powell will schedule meetings with you from Saturday 4 July to Wednesday 8 July in Cape Town.
Encounters is supported by:
The National Film and Video Foundation, Cape Film Commission, Jan Vrijman Fund/IDFA, Pro Helvetia and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Vivien Cohen and the Human Elephant Foundation, the Africa Centre, French Embassy, British Council, High Commission of Canada, Business & Arts South Africa, Tempest Car Hire, Goodman Gallery, The Times, Exclusive Books, Nu Metro and Cape Town TV.
Encounters Documentary Film Festival
Encounters International Documentary Festival has become a pivotal event in the South African film calendar. The 2009 programme of over 40 films combines the work of a host of top international and local filmmakers.
A record 14 South African films, made by the best and the brightest local filmmaking talent, make their World débuts, and another two have their South African Premières at Encounters.
For the past 11 years Encounters was the first platform to showcase major feature documentary films .Since its inception Encounters has screened over 1,241 films - 270 International titles and 130 South African titles - and has commissioned 44 films, with record attendance figures to date of 98,612.
This year there is an array of international work from Afghanistan, UK, USA, Canada, Cuba, Senegal, France, Egypt, Denmark, Germany, Israel, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, Cameroon and Belgium.
The award-winning films include Oscar nominated and Golden Globe Award Winner 2009 - Best Foreign Language film Waltz with Bashir the animated documentary about the dreams that plague Israeli Army Conscripts, and a film by legendary director Werner Herzog, which captures the beauty of Antarctica in Encounters at the End of the World, was also a recipient of a 2009 Oscar nomination. Three winners of Sundance 2009 are Afghan Star which looks at the return of pop culture in Afghanistan and the risks for those involved. The film won the Audience and Directing Awards. The Grand Jury World Cinema Documentary Award winner Rough Aunties is about a group of brave compassionate Durbanites who fight for the rights of abused children, and the winner of IDFA's Joris Ivens award and Sundance's Best World Cinema Documentary Editing as well as the 2009 Berlinale Human Rights Award is Burma VJ – Reporting from a Closed Country which shows the perils of reporting form a closed and repressed country.
Who Killed Maggie? charts the last two weeks of Margaret Thatcher’s Political life; The Queen and I is a portrait of the glamorous Queen of Persia in exile in Paris; and Tyson is a mesmerising study of the bad boy of boxing.
Films with an African focus are Sacred Places which looks at St Leon which is a community in the city of Ouagadougou that lives and breathes film; Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love is a cinematic journey about one man’s voice to inspire change; and Yande Codou, Griot of Senghor takes us into the world of one of Africa’s famed griots, an accomplished practitioner of polyphonic praise singing.
The short films include Bronx Princess - Rocky Otto a teenager from the Bronx is also a Ghanaian Princess; Slaves a powerful animated documentary about Abuk enslaved at 5 by the Sudanese government sponsored militia and looks at other children in difficult situations; Freddy Ilanga: Che’s Swahili Translator is a World Première and tells of a 15 year old who in 1965 was ordered to work as Che’s Swahili translator during a secret Congo mission to train anti-Mobuto rebels.
In The Age of Stupid Franny Armstrong sets her film in 2055 where a lone archivist compiles footage of the warning signs that we collectively chose to ignore and Four Wings and a Prayer is Nick de Pencier’s study of the Monarch butterfly.
The Champagne Spy concerns the complicated web of deceit and the high-life of a Mossad spy posing as a German in Egypt in the 60s directed by Nadav Schirman, and Israeli Yoav Shamir’s Defamation has the chutzpah to unpack anti-Semitism. Shamir is a guest of the Festival.
Fierce Light: when spirit meets action Velcrow Ripper’s highly personal film which questions his life as a social activist and asks can spirituality and action converge? Ripper is a guest of the Festival.
Music from the Inside Out is a portrait of the world famous Philadelphia Orchestra through the personal tales of some of the musicians and RIP –A Remix Manifesto examines copyright and promotes a ‘fair use’ in the reworking of art and music to create new works.
Over the past decade Encounters has been in the forefront of the renaissance of the South African documentary tradition, the Festival is immensely proud to host over 14 new SA works.
The Festival opens with Rewind - Director Liza Key‘s film about the making of Philip Miller’s TRC inspired Rewind: A Cantata for Voice, Tape and Testimony.
Other World premieres include The Invincibles Mark Kaplan’s rugby film which centres on the 1974 SA tour by the British and Irish Lions who broke the boycott and trounced the Boks. . For Which I am Prepared to Die the story of Hermanus born Roger Bushell the mastermind behind many escapes from WWII POW camps, including the Great Escape celebrated in a film of the same name. The film is made by Bushell’s niece, Lindy Wilson . In Tribes and Clans is an examination by radical thinkers of the colonial power’s socio-political constructs of Tribes and Clans.The director is Ntokozo Mahlalela.
Soap Star Dawn Matthews and rap artist HHP (Hip Hop Pantsula) search of their ancestors in the series Who Do You Think You Are? They are directed respectively by Tim Greene and Ernie Vosloo.
Two giants from the art world Kentridge and Dumas in conversation is directed by Catherine Meyburg.
From the music world Fokofpolisiekar “forgive them for they know not what they do” Bryan Little’s film about the in your face punk rock band Bellville band and the short Jitsvinger: maak it aan! uncovers the world of poet guitarist and hip hopster Quinton Goliath.
The Pioneer of Paraguay a short film about -a South African stranded in South America.
The Last Voyage director Genadendal born, Riaan Hendricks makes a personal journey at the time of his father’s death.
Craig and Damon Foster look at climate change from an African perspective in Nature of Life. Two short films under the banner of Healing Power of Nature are Liz Fish’s Deep Friends set in a chimpanzee Sanctuary in Zambia and River Of Ashes Emma Bestall’s film about the River Ganges, abused holy mother.
Encounters has partnered with the prestigious Goodman Gallery in showcasing the best of films made by South African artists, this will include a special screening entitled Artslot and a screening of select shorts prior some of the feature films.
Two South African Premieres are Sea Point Days Emmy Award winning director Francois Verster’s impressionistic look at life on the promenade and in the pools
Zola Maseko explores the wealth of 900 years of African Intellectual output in a library in The Manuscripts of Timbuktu.
Other South African films are Lunchbox Bullies which explores why bullies bully, and Daughter of Spirits Mother of Mine shows that the call of the ancestors is not always a gift and the short film Soul Train looks at the church coaches on the commuter trains from Soweto to Jozi.
Guests of the Festival
South African Guests : Dawn Matthews, Bryan Little (Fokofpolisiekar), Filipa Domingues (Fokofpolisiekar), Lindy Wilson (For which I’m Prepared to Die), Liz Fish (HPON – Deep Friends) and Emma Bestall (HPON –River of Ashes), HHP, Mark Kaplan(The Invicibles), Riaan Hendricks (The Last Voyage), Nhlanhla Mthethwa (Lunchbox Bullies), Zola Maseko The Manuscripts of Timbuktu), Liza Key(Rewind), Philip Miller (Rewind) Francois Verster (Sea Point Days), Ntokozo Mahlaela(Tribes and Clans), Nadine Angel Cloete(Jitsvinger: maak it aan!) Quinton Goliath (Jitsvinger: maak it aan!) Lisa Swart (The Pioneer of Paraguay) and Thabo Bruno Makoena (Soul Train).
International Guests: Yoav Shamir (Defamation, Velcrow Ripper (Fierce Light: when spirit meets action), Angele Diabang Brener (Yandou Codou), Katrin Hansing (Freddy Ilanga: Che's Swahili Translator)
Master Classes: Velcrow Ripper - creating soundscape; and Yoav Shamir - how to gain access to subjects when dealing with sensitive issues.
The Sponsors of the Encounters Film festival are;
The National Film and Video Foundation, Cape Film Commission, Jan Vrijman Fund/IDFA, Pro Helvetia and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Vivien Cohen and the Human Elephant Foundation, the Africa Centre, French Embassy, British Council, High Commission of Canada, Business & Arts South Africa, Tempest Car Hire, Goodman Gallery, The Times, Exclusive Books, Nu Metro and Cape Town TV.
For further information look at our website www.encounters.co.za http://www.encounters.co.za or contact Joy Sapieka e-mail joyls@mweb.co.za
A record 14 South African films, made by the best and the brightest local filmmaking talent, make their World débuts, and another two have their South African Premières at Encounters.
For the past 11 years Encounters was the first platform to showcase major feature documentary films .Since its inception Encounters has screened over 1,241 films - 270 International titles and 130 South African titles - and has commissioned 44 films, with record attendance figures to date of 98,612.
This year there is an array of international work from Afghanistan, UK, USA, Canada, Cuba, Senegal, France, Egypt, Denmark, Germany, Israel, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, Cameroon and Belgium.
The award-winning films include Oscar nominated and Golden Globe Award Winner 2009 - Best Foreign Language film Waltz with Bashir the animated documentary about the dreams that plague Israeli Army Conscripts, and a film by legendary director Werner Herzog, which captures the beauty of Antarctica in Encounters at the End of the World, was also a recipient of a 2009 Oscar nomination. Three winners of Sundance 2009 are Afghan Star which looks at the return of pop culture in Afghanistan and the risks for those involved. The film won the Audience and Directing Awards. The Grand Jury World Cinema Documentary Award winner Rough Aunties is about a group of brave compassionate Durbanites who fight for the rights of abused children, and the winner of IDFA's Joris Ivens award and Sundance's Best World Cinema Documentary Editing as well as the 2009 Berlinale Human Rights Award is Burma VJ – Reporting from a Closed Country which shows the perils of reporting form a closed and repressed country.
Who Killed Maggie? charts the last two weeks of Margaret Thatcher’s Political life; The Queen and I is a portrait of the glamorous Queen of Persia in exile in Paris; and Tyson is a mesmerising study of the bad boy of boxing.
Films with an African focus are Sacred Places which looks at St Leon which is a community in the city of Ouagadougou that lives and breathes film; Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love is a cinematic journey about one man’s voice to inspire change; and Yande Codou, Griot of Senghor takes us into the world of one of Africa’s famed griots, an accomplished practitioner of polyphonic praise singing.
The short films include Bronx Princess - Rocky Otto a teenager from the Bronx is also a Ghanaian Princess; Slaves a powerful animated documentary about Abuk enslaved at 5 by the Sudanese government sponsored militia and looks at other children in difficult situations; Freddy Ilanga: Che’s Swahili Translator is a World Première and tells of a 15 year old who in 1965 was ordered to work as Che’s Swahili translator during a secret Congo mission to train anti-Mobuto rebels.
In The Age of Stupid Franny Armstrong sets her film in 2055 where a lone archivist compiles footage of the warning signs that we collectively chose to ignore and Four Wings and a Prayer is Nick de Pencier’s study of the Monarch butterfly.
The Champagne Spy concerns the complicated web of deceit and the high-life of a Mossad spy posing as a German in Egypt in the 60s directed by Nadav Schirman, and Israeli Yoav Shamir’s Defamation has the chutzpah to unpack anti-Semitism. Shamir is a guest of the Festival.
Fierce Light: when spirit meets action Velcrow Ripper’s highly personal film which questions his life as a social activist and asks can spirituality and action converge? Ripper is a guest of the Festival.
Music from the Inside Out is a portrait of the world famous Philadelphia Orchestra through the personal tales of some of the musicians and RIP –A Remix Manifesto examines copyright and promotes a ‘fair use’ in the reworking of art and music to create new works.
Over the past decade Encounters has been in the forefront of the renaissance of the South African documentary tradition, the Festival is immensely proud to host over 14 new SA works.
The Festival opens with Rewind - Director Liza Key‘s film about the making of Philip Miller’s TRC inspired Rewind: A Cantata for Voice, Tape and Testimony.
Other World premieres include The Invincibles Mark Kaplan’s rugby film which centres on the 1974 SA tour by the British and Irish Lions who broke the boycott and trounced the Boks. . For Which I am Prepared to Die the story of Hermanus born Roger Bushell the mastermind behind many escapes from WWII POW camps, including the Great Escape celebrated in a film of the same name. The film is made by Bushell’s niece, Lindy Wilson . In Tribes and Clans is an examination by radical thinkers of the colonial power’s socio-political constructs of Tribes and Clans.The director is Ntokozo Mahlalela.
Soap Star Dawn Matthews and rap artist HHP (Hip Hop Pantsula) search of their ancestors in the series Who Do You Think You Are? They are directed respectively by Tim Greene and Ernie Vosloo.
Two giants from the art world Kentridge and Dumas in conversation is directed by Catherine Meyburg.
From the music world Fokofpolisiekar “forgive them for they know not what they do” Bryan Little’s film about the in your face punk rock band Bellville band and the short Jitsvinger: maak it aan! uncovers the world of poet guitarist and hip hopster Quinton Goliath.
The Pioneer of Paraguay a short film about -a South African stranded in South America.
The Last Voyage director Genadendal born, Riaan Hendricks makes a personal journey at the time of his father’s death.
Craig and Damon Foster look at climate change from an African perspective in Nature of Life. Two short films under the banner of Healing Power of Nature are Liz Fish’s Deep Friends set in a chimpanzee Sanctuary in Zambia and River Of Ashes Emma Bestall’s film about the River Ganges, abused holy mother.
Encounters has partnered with the prestigious Goodman Gallery in showcasing the best of films made by South African artists, this will include a special screening entitled Artslot and a screening of select shorts prior some of the feature films.
Two South African Premieres are Sea Point Days Emmy Award winning director Francois Verster’s impressionistic look at life on the promenade and in the pools
Zola Maseko explores the wealth of 900 years of African Intellectual output in a library in The Manuscripts of Timbuktu.
Other South African films are Lunchbox Bullies which explores why bullies bully, and Daughter of Spirits Mother of Mine shows that the call of the ancestors is not always a gift and the short film Soul Train looks at the church coaches on the commuter trains from Soweto to Jozi.
Guests of the Festival
South African Guests : Dawn Matthews, Bryan Little (Fokofpolisiekar), Filipa Domingues (Fokofpolisiekar), Lindy Wilson (For which I’m Prepared to Die), Liz Fish (HPON – Deep Friends) and Emma Bestall (HPON –River of Ashes), HHP, Mark Kaplan(The Invicibles), Riaan Hendricks (The Last Voyage), Nhlanhla Mthethwa (Lunchbox Bullies), Zola Maseko The Manuscripts of Timbuktu), Liza Key(Rewind), Philip Miller (Rewind) Francois Verster (Sea Point Days), Ntokozo Mahlaela(Tribes and Clans), Nadine Angel Cloete(Jitsvinger: maak it aan!) Quinton Goliath (Jitsvinger: maak it aan!) Lisa Swart (The Pioneer of Paraguay) and Thabo Bruno Makoena (Soul Train).
International Guests: Yoav Shamir (Defamation, Velcrow Ripper (Fierce Light: when spirit meets action), Angele Diabang Brener (Yandou Codou), Katrin Hansing (Freddy Ilanga: Che's Swahili Translator)
Master Classes: Velcrow Ripper - creating soundscape; and Yoav Shamir - how to gain access to subjects when dealing with sensitive issues.
The Sponsors of the Encounters Film festival are;
The National Film and Video Foundation, Cape Film Commission, Jan Vrijman Fund/IDFA, Pro Helvetia and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Vivien Cohen and the Human Elephant Foundation, the Africa Centre, French Embassy, British Council, High Commission of Canada, Business & Arts South Africa, Tempest Car Hire, Goodman Gallery, The Times, Exclusive Books, Nu Metro and Cape Town TV.
For further information look at our website www.encounters.co.za http://www.encounters.co.za or contact Joy Sapieka e-mail joyls@mweb.co.za
2 SABC directors attend probe
Only two members of the SABC board managed to turn up at the inquiry being conducted by Parliament's communications portfolio committee into the fitness of the board to continue in office. by Michael Hamlyn
Alison Gilwald and Nadia Bulbulia, the two who pitched, were clearly reluctant to answer a number of the questions posed to them by the committee, saying that they were invited at short notice, and did not have time to prepare.
Gilwald told MPs that she needed to consult with other board members before some questions could be answered, but the chairperson Ismail Vadi told her that the board would be questioned individually about the conduct of their responsibilities.
Few answers
This contrasted with what committee member Johnny de Lange told her. He said that the board was being considered collectively.
Neither Bulbulia nor Gilwald were able to inform the committee on whether the board has ceased to function since the resignation of three of its members.
Bulbulia said she did not know whether their resignations took effect immediately or whether they have to work out three months' notice.
If the latter, then the board can still function because it will be quorate, and will have a deputy chairperson in Christine Qunta, one of the three who quit but said in a newspaper article on Thursday morning that she believed she is still a member.
Last board meeting
Vadi undertook to enquire from the presidency whether or not the three have been given a shorter notice period.
The only question that was answered came from the leader of the ANC group on the committee, Eric Kholwane, who wanted to know when the board last held a meeting. June 4, he was told.
The committee adjourned without getting much further and will reconvene next week, when the members hope to have further answers from more members of the board.
http://www.news24.com
Alison Gilwald and Nadia Bulbulia, the two who pitched, were clearly reluctant to answer a number of the questions posed to them by the committee, saying that they were invited at short notice, and did not have time to prepare.
Gilwald told MPs that she needed to consult with other board members before some questions could be answered, but the chairperson Ismail Vadi told her that the board would be questioned individually about the conduct of their responsibilities.
Few answers
This contrasted with what committee member Johnny de Lange told her. He said that the board was being considered collectively.
Neither Bulbulia nor Gilwald were able to inform the committee on whether the board has ceased to function since the resignation of three of its members.
Bulbulia said she did not know whether their resignations took effect immediately or whether they have to work out three months' notice.
If the latter, then the board can still function because it will be quorate, and will have a deputy chairperson in Christine Qunta, one of the three who quit but said in a newspaper article on Thursday morning that she believed she is still a member.
Last board meeting
Vadi undertook to enquire from the presidency whether or not the three have been given a shorter notice period.
The only question that was answered came from the leader of the ANC group on the committee, Eric Kholwane, who wanted to know when the board last held a meeting. June 4, he was told.
The committee adjourned without getting much further and will reconvene next week, when the members hope to have further answers from more members of the board.
http://www.news24.com
South African broadcaster near collapse
Massive debts and a spate of top-level resignations have pushed South Africa's public broadcaster to near-collapse, threatening a network once styled as the voice of the country's democracy. By Fran Blandy
The resignation of eight of the SABC's 12 board members as well as its chairman in recent weeks are just the latest in a string of scandals plaguing the debt-ridden broadcaster.
The board no longer has enough members to take binding decisions. Workers are on strike over a pay dispute, independent producers fume over lack of payment and a deadlock over how to proceed means no decisions are being taken at any level.
"If the board does not function, the SABC does not function. The legal constraints and protection of its own statutes (mean) that if the board does not meet, the SABC literally grinds to a halt," said board member Alison Gillwald.
She was addressing parliament's communications committee, which on Thursday opened an inquiry into what committee chair Ismael Vadi termed a "lack of effective corporate governance."
Gillwald said members had resigned in the middle of an incomplete audit process. The hamstrung board cannot now take decisions on salary increases or on critical expenditure for coverage of the 2010 football World Cup.
The SABC is crippled by over 800 million rand (98 million dollars) in debt and is seeking a two billion rand cash injection from the government.
Newspaper reports have outlined 40 million rand owed to producers, threatening to sink popular local soap operas, the network's bread-and-butter advertising vehicles.
Even parliament seems unsure how to proceed, with the committee struggling to agree whether the enquiry should continue and where the blame lay for the rot at the SABC.
Television only came to South Africa in 1976 as the Calvinist apartheid government feared the medium's influence on its segregationist rule. Once TV arrived, the government used it purely as a propaganda tool.
After the transition to democracy in 1994, the SABC became one of the most visible signs of the new nation, with a new cast of multiracial presenters broadcasting in all 11 official languages.
Now the SABC is accused of being a propaganda outlet for the ruling African National Congress (ANC). Around this year's elections, the network yanked a documentary about political satire that included cartoons of President Jacob Zuma.
Similarly, a documentary on former president Thabo Mbeki never made it to air, while the network was outed in 2006 for blacklisting commentators critical of the government.
In 2008, scandal arose again when chief executive Dali Mpofu was suspended for insubordination, just hours after he had suspended the head of news as tensions rocked a heavily divided board.
Shortly thereafter the previous administration sped through controversial legislation allowing government to dissolve the board, which would be appointed by the president and speaker of the National Assembly.
Mpofu, who also appeared before parliament this week, said the SABC was in a crisis of "the highest magnitude."
Opposition parties and the ANC were united in slamming the SABC for what they say is outlandish spending and failure to perform its function.
Mpofu told the committee that protecting the jobs of the more than 4,000 SABC workers was vital. The workers were, he said, "sitting at a public institution on auto pilot, with no leadership."
Parliament will summon more board members to explain themselves so they could decide whether to dissolve the board, or appoint interim members to salvage the network.
"It is haemorrhaging from every pore," Gillwald said. "It is unable to perform its basic duties."
http://www.google.com
The resignation of eight of the SABC's 12 board members as well as its chairman in recent weeks are just the latest in a string of scandals plaguing the debt-ridden broadcaster.
The board no longer has enough members to take binding decisions. Workers are on strike over a pay dispute, independent producers fume over lack of payment and a deadlock over how to proceed means no decisions are being taken at any level.
"If the board does not function, the SABC does not function. The legal constraints and protection of its own statutes (mean) that if the board does not meet, the SABC literally grinds to a halt," said board member Alison Gillwald.
She was addressing parliament's communications committee, which on Thursday opened an inquiry into what committee chair Ismael Vadi termed a "lack of effective corporate governance."
Gillwald said members had resigned in the middle of an incomplete audit process. The hamstrung board cannot now take decisions on salary increases or on critical expenditure for coverage of the 2010 football World Cup.
The SABC is crippled by over 800 million rand (98 million dollars) in debt and is seeking a two billion rand cash injection from the government.
Newspaper reports have outlined 40 million rand owed to producers, threatening to sink popular local soap operas, the network's bread-and-butter advertising vehicles.
Even parliament seems unsure how to proceed, with the committee struggling to agree whether the enquiry should continue and where the blame lay for the rot at the SABC.
Television only came to South Africa in 1976 as the Calvinist apartheid government feared the medium's influence on its segregationist rule. Once TV arrived, the government used it purely as a propaganda tool.
After the transition to democracy in 1994, the SABC became one of the most visible signs of the new nation, with a new cast of multiracial presenters broadcasting in all 11 official languages.
Now the SABC is accused of being a propaganda outlet for the ruling African National Congress (ANC). Around this year's elections, the network yanked a documentary about political satire that included cartoons of President Jacob Zuma.
Similarly, a documentary on former president Thabo Mbeki never made it to air, while the network was outed in 2006 for blacklisting commentators critical of the government.
In 2008, scandal arose again when chief executive Dali Mpofu was suspended for insubordination, just hours after he had suspended the head of news as tensions rocked a heavily divided board.
Shortly thereafter the previous administration sped through controversial legislation allowing government to dissolve the board, which would be appointed by the president and speaker of the National Assembly.
Mpofu, who also appeared before parliament this week, said the SABC was in a crisis of "the highest magnitude."
Opposition parties and the ANC were united in slamming the SABC for what they say is outlandish spending and failure to perform its function.
Mpofu told the committee that protecting the jobs of the more than 4,000 SABC workers was vital. The workers were, he said, "sitting at a public institution on auto pilot, with no leadership."
Parliament will summon more board members to explain themselves so they could decide whether to dissolve the board, or appoint interim members to salvage the network.
"It is haemorrhaging from every pore," Gillwald said. "It is unable to perform its basic duties."
http://www.google.com
R3m TV station in a box
With the relaxation of broadcasting laws, a number of community TV transmission licences have been issued. Come 2012 and the introduction of Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) in South Africa, the demand for community TV stations is expected to rise sharply.
The biggest barrier to entry, however, remains the cost of establishing a broadcast operation. Spescom Media IT, a veteran in the provision of broadcasting solutions, has come up with a unique offering: a solution incorporating a selection of best of breed equipment and systems that provides full broadcasting capabilities - starting at mere R3 million rather than the R20 - R30 million normally required.
Says Sean du Toit, Managing Director of Spescom Media IT: "With the appearance of new regional players such as Tshwane TV and Cape TV, combined with the shrinking of the larger broadcaster's budgets as the global economic crises makes itself felt locally, the demand for low cost studio infrastructure has increased. The introduction of DTT in 2012 is expected to intensify this demand. DTT will provide more channels and better quality picture and sound, typically requiring HD content. It is, however, expected that the broadcasters granted one of the few 16-channel DTT licences will be required to support a high percentage of community stations.
"To meet this increased demand, Spescom Media IT has leveraged its considerable experience and expertise, as well as its close relationships with world-class broadcast technology suppliers to design an integrated low-cost solution that meets emerging requirements without compromising quality or impeding future scalability of the broadcasting operation."
Explains Du Toit: "Our engineering expertise and insight into broadcast technologies has enabled us to develop a standardised but tightly integrated solution that fits the pocket of local organisations, while also giving them a stable, reliable technology platform which will easily scale to meet their future requirements.
"This standardised solution cuts down on engineering and solution design time and costs, but because it comprises worldclass technologies and solutions that are built on open standards we are confident that broadcast operations with unique needs will be able to upgrade or add to this base solution to customise it to meet their specific requirements."
Says Jene Palmer, CEO at Spescom Limited, "The solution not only meets the requirements of smaller community stations or organisations that are starting out with limited funding, but is suitable for the extension or expansion of a station (e.g., the addition of a new studio) or as a disaster recovery kit. It will also serve as a starting point for broadcast organisations that are migrating to High Definition (HD) and digital environments, the ability to create HD content and leverage the efficiencies of a digital environment being critical to future competitiveness in the broadcast arena."
Notes Du Toit: What makes the creation of this packaged solution possible at this time is the fact that entry level technologies have now advanced in functionality to the point that they are able to provide acceptable outputs for high quality broadcasts. This is largely due to the convergence of information and and broadcast technologies. Today, a myriad of standalone systems (e.g., character generator, vision mixer, spot player, etc) are combined in a single server. This is driving the release of solutions that have broader functionality, are easier to use and cost less."
The Spescom Media IT "TV station-in-a-box" package includes three Sony XDCam EX high definition cameras, a Ross' CrossOver HD studio mixer, Miller camera pedestals and PlayBox Technology's playout solution. Du Toit explains the reasoning supporting this combination of technologies: "A typical studio, such as a news studio, will require three HD cameras, video editing and audio final mix facilities, a server transmission system with automation for playout. In addition, an electronic news gathering (ENG) kit would be required for external news gathering, interviews and footage. This usually comprises a tripod, lights, camera, microphone and lapel mike. The technology that Spescom Media IT has selected for inclusion in the package, although entry level, meets all these requirements."
Fast implementation, ease of expansion
The package allows a TV station, depending on the physical building requirements, to be up and running within six weeks. Says Du Toit: "Spescom Media IT can provide a turnkey solution, from site assessment to design, diagrams, implementation and commissioning, and training of staff. It's not only our technical expertise but our keen understanding of operational and workflow requirements - and knowledge of how the industry works - that enables us to provide solutions that meet practical needs and budgets."
The 'TV station in box' is designed to enable operations to easily scale up and out. "As a station's operations expand, its needs will change," explains Du Toit, "and we have taken this into consideration. Whether a station wants to add more editing suites or boost shared storage capacity or even add a new studio, the 'TV station in a box' technologies offer suitable upgrade paths. In addition, they are built on open standards that allow integration to other technologies.
"This is a unique offering that we believe will be eagerly adopted. It lowers the barriers to entry in the broadcast arena and offers smaller players the opportunity to compete with larger broadcasters on a more level playing field. With the right technological solution in place, the organisation can focus on core functions - namely creating and delivering quality content."
For more information about Spescom visit www.spescom.com.
For further information contact:
Stuart Vey
Group Executive: Marketing and Communications
Spescom Limited
Tel: 011 266 1701
Or: 011 266 1754
Fax: 011 266 1553
Email: svey@za.spescom.com
The biggest barrier to entry, however, remains the cost of establishing a broadcast operation. Spescom Media IT, a veteran in the provision of broadcasting solutions, has come up with a unique offering: a solution incorporating a selection of best of breed equipment and systems that provides full broadcasting capabilities - starting at mere R3 million rather than the R20 - R30 million normally required.
Says Sean du Toit, Managing Director of Spescom Media IT: "With the appearance of new regional players such as Tshwane TV and Cape TV, combined with the shrinking of the larger broadcaster's budgets as the global economic crises makes itself felt locally, the demand for low cost studio infrastructure has increased. The introduction of DTT in 2012 is expected to intensify this demand. DTT will provide more channels and better quality picture and sound, typically requiring HD content. It is, however, expected that the broadcasters granted one of the few 16-channel DTT licences will be required to support a high percentage of community stations.
"To meet this increased demand, Spescom Media IT has leveraged its considerable experience and expertise, as well as its close relationships with world-class broadcast technology suppliers to design an integrated low-cost solution that meets emerging requirements without compromising quality or impeding future scalability of the broadcasting operation."
Explains Du Toit: "Our engineering expertise and insight into broadcast technologies has enabled us to develop a standardised but tightly integrated solution that fits the pocket of local organisations, while also giving them a stable, reliable technology platform which will easily scale to meet their future requirements.
"This standardised solution cuts down on engineering and solution design time and costs, but because it comprises worldclass technologies and solutions that are built on open standards we are confident that broadcast operations with unique needs will be able to upgrade or add to this base solution to customise it to meet their specific requirements."
Says Jene Palmer, CEO at Spescom Limited, "The solution not only meets the requirements of smaller community stations or organisations that are starting out with limited funding, but is suitable for the extension or expansion of a station (e.g., the addition of a new studio) or as a disaster recovery kit. It will also serve as a starting point for broadcast organisations that are migrating to High Definition (HD) and digital environments, the ability to create HD content and leverage the efficiencies of a digital environment being critical to future competitiveness in the broadcast arena."
Notes Du Toit: What makes the creation of this packaged solution possible at this time is the fact that entry level technologies have now advanced in functionality to the point that they are able to provide acceptable outputs for high quality broadcasts. This is largely due to the convergence of information and and broadcast technologies. Today, a myriad of standalone systems (e.g., character generator, vision mixer, spot player, etc) are combined in a single server. This is driving the release of solutions that have broader functionality, are easier to use and cost less."
The Spescom Media IT "TV station-in-a-box" package includes three Sony XDCam EX high definition cameras, a Ross' CrossOver HD studio mixer, Miller camera pedestals and PlayBox Technology's playout solution. Du Toit explains the reasoning supporting this combination of technologies: "A typical studio, such as a news studio, will require three HD cameras, video editing and audio final mix facilities, a server transmission system with automation for playout. In addition, an electronic news gathering (ENG) kit would be required for external news gathering, interviews and footage. This usually comprises a tripod, lights, camera, microphone and lapel mike. The technology that Spescom Media IT has selected for inclusion in the package, although entry level, meets all these requirements."
Fast implementation, ease of expansion
The package allows a TV station, depending on the physical building requirements, to be up and running within six weeks. Says Du Toit: "Spescom Media IT can provide a turnkey solution, from site assessment to design, diagrams, implementation and commissioning, and training of staff. It's not only our technical expertise but our keen understanding of operational and workflow requirements - and knowledge of how the industry works - that enables us to provide solutions that meet practical needs and budgets."
The 'TV station in box' is designed to enable operations to easily scale up and out. "As a station's operations expand, its needs will change," explains Du Toit, "and we have taken this into consideration. Whether a station wants to add more editing suites or boost shared storage capacity or even add a new studio, the 'TV station in a box' technologies offer suitable upgrade paths. In addition, they are built on open standards that allow integration to other technologies.
"This is a unique offering that we believe will be eagerly adopted. It lowers the barriers to entry in the broadcast arena and offers smaller players the opportunity to compete with larger broadcasters on a more level playing field. With the right technological solution in place, the organisation can focus on core functions - namely creating and delivering quality content."
For more information about Spescom visit www.spescom.com.
For further information contact:
Stuart Vey
Group Executive: Marketing and Communications
Spescom Limited
Tel: 011 266 1701
Or: 011 266 1754
Fax: 011 266 1553
Email: svey@za.spescom.com
Friday, June 19, 2009
TVIEC Press Release June 18th
The SABC’s response to the Television Industry Emergency Coalition’s memorandum indicates that the management fails to appreciate the real need to work with the independent production sector to find solutions that can help shield the industry and our viewers from the present crisis.
They continue to act with arrogance. They continue to decide who will and won’t be paid monthly with no input from ourselves. Reasonable requests put forward by the TVIEC such as to have an independent professional (accounting firm or individual) representing our industry on their financial committee that determines the payment plan to our industry through the crisis are met with resistance. We will not standby idly while production houses are forced to fold and people loose their jobs. We are demanding that a payment plan be developed through a bi- lateral process and the onerous bureaucratic administrative processes recently imposed and used as excuses for non payment be lifted immediately.
The SABC Management needs to build genuine partnerships across the board, and specifically with content creators – the true custodians of public broadcasting who through changing boards and management, through battles between executives at the SABC continue to ensure that quality programming remains at the centre of SABC’s offering. It is the independent sector that truly deliver on the SABC’s public mandate and are central in promoting the values of the society.
There is no sustainable future for the SABC outside of real partnerships with content creators. We seek to see the SABC being built into a truly public broadcaster, free of government or state interference.
Over the last three years expenditure at the SABC has outstripped revenue. Despite this, senior management salary levels have increased dramatically and the number of middle management has grown without any check. The organization has been characterized by a top down approach to all things, an increase in bureaucracy and a deteriorating relationship with all its partners, including workers and the production industry.
The production sector’s deteriorating relationship with the SABC has been compounded by the unilateral imposition of new, onerous administrative contractual burdens on producers. What is also painfully evident over a five year period is that budgets have decreased. A good deal of the cost of programming goes to supporting this increased bureaucracy, and not to what appears on the screen.
Writers, actors, directors, editors, producers and other creative crew’s fees have been adversely affected over the past few years; this while SABC executives earn salaries equivalent to an entire years operating costs for a production company.
This situation has forced professional industry organisations to come together of late and assert that as key custodians of the public broadcast mandate we will no longer tolerate the de-professionalisation of the industry and in turn the public broadcaster. The recent and ongoing failure of the SABC to pay producers and their inability to give assurances as to when and if producers will be paid is highly informative and illustrates the degree of melt down.
The SABC need to demonstrate to the independent production constituency a true willingness to listen to their concerns. The industry is tired of years of lip service regarding partnerships we need to see some movement.
President Jacob Zuma has called for public institutions to be accountable, transparent, responsive, honest and committed to service delivery. There is dire need to translate this into reality at the SABC. We are therefore extremely disappointed that the SABC management still fails to appreciate the depth of the crisis they have caused in the industry and an unwillingness to take active steps to remedy this situation.
They continue to act with arrogance. They continue to decide who will and won’t be paid monthly with no input from ourselves. Reasonable requests put forward by the TVIEC such as to have an independent professional (accounting firm or individual) representing our industry on their financial committee that determines the payment plan to our industry through the crisis are met with resistance. We will not standby idly while production houses are forced to fold and people loose their jobs. We are demanding that a payment plan be developed through a bi- lateral process and the onerous bureaucratic administrative processes recently imposed and used as excuses for non payment be lifted immediately.
The SABC Management needs to build genuine partnerships across the board, and specifically with content creators – the true custodians of public broadcasting who through changing boards and management, through battles between executives at the SABC continue to ensure that quality programming remains at the centre of SABC’s offering. It is the independent sector that truly deliver on the SABC’s public mandate and are central in promoting the values of the society.
There is no sustainable future for the SABC outside of real partnerships with content creators. We seek to see the SABC being built into a truly public broadcaster, free of government or state interference.
Over the last three years expenditure at the SABC has outstripped revenue. Despite this, senior management salary levels have increased dramatically and the number of middle management has grown without any check. The organization has been characterized by a top down approach to all things, an increase in bureaucracy and a deteriorating relationship with all its partners, including workers and the production industry.
The production sector’s deteriorating relationship with the SABC has been compounded by the unilateral imposition of new, onerous administrative contractual burdens on producers. What is also painfully evident over a five year period is that budgets have decreased. A good deal of the cost of programming goes to supporting this increased bureaucracy, and not to what appears on the screen.
Writers, actors, directors, editors, producers and other creative crew’s fees have been adversely affected over the past few years; this while SABC executives earn salaries equivalent to an entire years operating costs for a production company.
This situation has forced professional industry organisations to come together of late and assert that as key custodians of the public broadcast mandate we will no longer tolerate the de-professionalisation of the industry and in turn the public broadcaster. The recent and ongoing failure of the SABC to pay producers and their inability to give assurances as to when and if producers will be paid is highly informative and illustrates the degree of melt down.
The SABC need to demonstrate to the independent production constituency a true willingness to listen to their concerns. The industry is tired of years of lip service regarding partnerships we need to see some movement.
President Jacob Zuma has called for public institutions to be accountable, transparent, responsive, honest and committed to service delivery. There is dire need to translate this into reality at the SABC. We are therefore extremely disappointed that the SABC management still fails to appreciate the depth of the crisis they have caused in the industry and an unwillingness to take active steps to remedy this situation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
TPA Archive
