Dear All TV Industry colleagues
Since the fantastic marches in JHB and Cape Town we have held back from calling any direct action. With the imminent threat that will see 70% reduction in spend on commissioning we have no option to keep up the pressure on the SABC to make an appropriate application for a short term finance plan to the DOC/ Treasury who if accepted will put it to parliament. This will only happen if we are able to bring to the attention of the public and their elected representatives the very real consequences of such a cut. We cannot accept our local content quota’s being met by SA corporate funding who then determine who tells our stories and how our stories are told. Our rallying call for a plurality and diversity of voice has to be defended.
To this end we have some planned activity for next week that we need to build support for - get people out to attend. In addition we are planning action for the following week which we need assistance to pull off.
Furthermore Cape Town need to plan an action outside parliament – and attend the interviews for the SABC Board we need to send a message through our presence that they are being watched.
Joburg TVIEC protest action comm. meeting at Atlas Studio Thursday 20th August 4 pm sharp boardroom – this is a task orientated meeting. Please attend if you can help.
Some ideas for slogans
Bail Out Now
for SABCs 24 million viewers
Bail Out for SABC or Bail Out of Viewers
SABC is Public Service that requires support
Advertising Funded Programmes is not the answer
Editorial integrity under threat by Advertising Programmes
Only public funding can guarantee editorial integrity
A CEO for SABC who is a champion of local story telling
We need ideas for slogans.
Rehad Desai
Showing posts with label TVIEC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TVIEC. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
TVIEC guerrilla theatre protest
Hi All
The TVIEC is organising a guerrilla theatre protest action at SABC to keep the pressure on. The plan is to depict the death of local stories and local content. Media will be invited to document the action and to interview picketers.
The feeling is that it would be great if Cape Town organised something similar. I cannot do any organising as I am staying out of town and do not have reliable e-mail or cell phone contact.
I can supply the data base of people interested in the action of the TVIEC and who attended the last picket in Cape Town to whoever is willing to take the task on. E-mail me at: action@kali.co.za
all the best
Kali
OUR CONTACT: tvcrisis@gmail.com
This letter 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).
The TVIEC is organising a guerrilla theatre protest action at SABC to keep the pressure on. The plan is to depict the death of local stories and local content. Media will be invited to document the action and to interview picketers.
The feeling is that it would be great if Cape Town organised something similar. I cannot do any organising as I am staying out of town and do not have reliable e-mail or cell phone contact.
I can supply the data base of people interested in the action of the TVIEC and who attended the last picket in Cape Town to whoever is willing to take the task on. E-mail me at: action@kali.co.za
all the best
Kali
OUR CONTACT: tvcrisis@gmail.com
This letter 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).
SABC cancels local productions
The Television Industry Emergency Coalition (TVIEC) is raising a red flag in alarm at the proposal by the SABC to freeze, cancel and delay various local productions in order to cut costs.
As per the SABC’s 2008 Request for Proposals (RFPs) from the independent production sector, we have been informed that only 12 out of the 47 productions due to have been incepted in April 2009 will be going ahead this year. The balance will be delayed or cancelled. There will be no 2009 RFPs for production in 2010. Furthermore, numerous existing/renewable contracts have been postponed or deferred.
This appears to be the turn-around plan that has been proposed to the interim board. If implemented, the move will save the SABC an estimated R500-million over the next year. Instead of the SABC creating a viable new business plan, the independent production sector will end up taking the hit for the broadcaster’s internal mismanagement. While the SABC will appear to have a quick turn-around, the impact has deep consequences that the industry, viewers, and next board will have to face:
Companies will close and many will find themselves in debt and potentially liquidated as they had geared for the anticipated annual work flow. Only a very few big production companies with long running soaps will be able to survive.
The substantial investment made by SABC in training and developing new entrants in the industry will be lost – people will have to find other employment.
Key creative talent will migrate and be lost. This is no small issue – producers, writers and directors take years to develop and are pivotal to production success.
Suppliers and facilities will be forced to sell off equipment – most likely outside of the country – which will leave the local industry with an increasingly smaller pool of suppliers, pushing up prices etcetera.
The SABC will enter into a schedule of repeats (which has already started) even in prime time slots, thus directly affecting audiences and very likely future revenue. As viewers decrease, so do advertising rates. Surely this must also have serious effect on the SABC meeting its ICASA requirements – but no reliable quota statistics are forthcoming from either the broadcaster or the regulator. Furthermore, the TVIEC is concerned about how and when repeat fees will be paid – given the fact that final payments have still not been made on some of the properties that are now going to be repeated!
What happens to the SABC staff employed to commission, oversee and work on the many productions that will be cancelled and deferred? Will they be retrenched as part of the cost saving exercise too?
In addition we are being informed that the SABC intends to “bulk commission” local programming to further reduce costs. While we can see that this may provide some savings, we highlight that it will only serve to grow a handful of production companies that have capacity to manage bulk. These are mainly established facility owner/producer companies and will most likely advantage the already advantaged. We believe this goes against the very spirit of the SABC’s commitment to diversity and developing the industry – as well as ICASA’s recommendations. Bulk commissioning is a dangerous notion of cost savings as it is not applicable to all genres (eg drama or documentary) and will thus start to shape the type of content the SABC puts on air – cheap and studio-based. It is also open to abuse and inappropriate commissioning. We are concerned that there are already discussions on bulk commissioning taking place with large facility/producer companies, and that open and fair tender will by bypassed.
We believe that an attempt to turn the SABC around by cutting their key product – programming – will cause irreparable damage to the independent production sector and to the SABC’s credibility. In our view this can be likened to an airline making a saving by buying less fuel. Cost savings must be made from areas of fat or that are non-core to the SABC’s business. Programming is at the core of their offering to viewers. We strongly oppose this process.
We are of the view that the SABC should be looking at a combination of selling off non-core assets, downscaling internal units that have been overstaffed, cutting back on unnecessary spending in non-program areas and applying for funding in the form of a bail-out or a loan whilst implementing long term cost savings within its business models.
The TVIEC will continue to campaign. We will lobby all stakeholders and mobilize public opinion for a short term policy intervention which will require Treasury to allocate additional budget to the SABC in 2009 so that its anticipated schedule of local content can be produced.
OUR CONTACT: tvcrisis@gmail.com
This letter 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).
At the August 4 mass meeting of the TVIEC, the steering committee reported back on our meetings and dealings with the minister, SABC operations and the SABC interim board. The protest march and subsequent lobbies have given us a powerful voice – but the struggle for a new SABC has only just begun.
As was reported at that meeting, the SABC seems intent on slashing local production over the next year as a means of saving money. See the press release at the end of this document for our position on these proposed measures.
Our industry is facing yet another very serious crisis and we have decided that we have no option but to continue with our protest action strategy.
Next Protest Action
Within the next few weeks the TVIEC will be staging a guerrilla theatre protest action at SABC. This will be a mediation and picket, not a mass protest action. The plan is to stage industrial theatre that depicts the death of local stories and local content. Media will be invited to document the action and to interview picketers. We need to keep the pressure on.
The plan is to stage similar protests regularly after this. We are urgently calling on TVIEC members to join us. Bring us ideas for protest pieces and help the protest committee stage these. We need volunteers to join us on 20 August for a meeting to plan the protest action.
Writers and actors, express your outrage at the SABC’s killing off of local content. We need passionate individuals to join the pickets and speak to the media about their concerns. Contact Charl on 082-6813680 if you can help.
As the protests continue, the thrust will increasingly be on job losses. Actors, writers, service providers and crew need to come forward and tell their stories. The focus will also be on viewers. Soon SABC will be serving us a diet of repeats. Do you have any ideas on how to engage with the issue of viewers? Let us know.
Reporting Back: A New System
It is proving difficult to effectively report back to TVIEC members and affiliates on the myriad meetings and lobbies that we are engaged in – such as nominations for the new SABC board and issues of payment and operations at SABC.
We are proposing that each member body of the TVIEC nominates two to four people that can meet with us for report backs. They will then report back to their members. Please can you nominate members and let us know by mailing us on tvcrisis@gmail.com
As per the SABC’s 2008 Request for Proposals (RFPs) from the independent production sector, we have been informed that only 12 out of the 47 productions due to have been incepted in April 2009 will be going ahead this year. The balance will be delayed or cancelled. There will be no 2009 RFPs for production in 2010. Furthermore, numerous existing/renewable contracts have been postponed or deferred.
This appears to be the turn-around plan that has been proposed to the interim board. If implemented, the move will save the SABC an estimated R500-million over the next year. Instead of the SABC creating a viable new business plan, the independent production sector will end up taking the hit for the broadcaster’s internal mismanagement. While the SABC will appear to have a quick turn-around, the impact has deep consequences that the industry, viewers, and next board will have to face:
Companies will close and many will find themselves in debt and potentially liquidated as they had geared for the anticipated annual work flow. Only a very few big production companies with long running soaps will be able to survive.
The substantial investment made by SABC in training and developing new entrants in the industry will be lost – people will have to find other employment.
Key creative talent will migrate and be lost. This is no small issue – producers, writers and directors take years to develop and are pivotal to production success.
Suppliers and facilities will be forced to sell off equipment – most likely outside of the country – which will leave the local industry with an increasingly smaller pool of suppliers, pushing up prices etcetera.
The SABC will enter into a schedule of repeats (which has already started) even in prime time slots, thus directly affecting audiences and very likely future revenue. As viewers decrease, so do advertising rates. Surely this must also have serious effect on the SABC meeting its ICASA requirements – but no reliable quota statistics are forthcoming from either the broadcaster or the regulator. Furthermore, the TVIEC is concerned about how and when repeat fees will be paid – given the fact that final payments have still not been made on some of the properties that are now going to be repeated!
What happens to the SABC staff employed to commission, oversee and work on the many productions that will be cancelled and deferred? Will they be retrenched as part of the cost saving exercise too?
In addition we are being informed that the SABC intends to “bulk commission” local programming to further reduce costs. While we can see that this may provide some savings, we highlight that it will only serve to grow a handful of production companies that have capacity to manage bulk. These are mainly established facility owner/producer companies and will most likely advantage the already advantaged. We believe this goes against the very spirit of the SABC’s commitment to diversity and developing the industry – as well as ICASA’s recommendations. Bulk commissioning is a dangerous notion of cost savings as it is not applicable to all genres (eg drama or documentary) and will thus start to shape the type of content the SABC puts on air – cheap and studio-based. It is also open to abuse and inappropriate commissioning. We are concerned that there are already discussions on bulk commissioning taking place with large facility/producer companies, and that open and fair tender will by bypassed.
We believe that an attempt to turn the SABC around by cutting their key product – programming – will cause irreparable damage to the independent production sector and to the SABC’s credibility. In our view this can be likened to an airline making a saving by buying less fuel. Cost savings must be made from areas of fat or that are non-core to the SABC’s business. Programming is at the core of their offering to viewers. We strongly oppose this process.
We are of the view that the SABC should be looking at a combination of selling off non-core assets, downscaling internal units that have been overstaffed, cutting back on unnecessary spending in non-program areas and applying for funding in the form of a bail-out or a loan whilst implementing long term cost savings within its business models.
The TVIEC will continue to campaign. We will lobby all stakeholders and mobilize public opinion for a short term policy intervention which will require Treasury to allocate additional budget to the SABC in 2009 so that its anticipated schedule of local content can be produced.
OUR CONTACT: tvcrisis@gmail.com
This letter 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).
At the August 4 mass meeting of the TVIEC, the steering committee reported back on our meetings and dealings with the minister, SABC operations and the SABC interim board. The protest march and subsequent lobbies have given us a powerful voice – but the struggle for a new SABC has only just begun.
As was reported at that meeting, the SABC seems intent on slashing local production over the next year as a means of saving money. See the press release at the end of this document for our position on these proposed measures.
Our industry is facing yet another very serious crisis and we have decided that we have no option but to continue with our protest action strategy.
Next Protest Action
Within the next few weeks the TVIEC will be staging a guerrilla theatre protest action at SABC. This will be a mediation and picket, not a mass protest action. The plan is to stage industrial theatre that depicts the death of local stories and local content. Media will be invited to document the action and to interview picketers. We need to keep the pressure on.
The plan is to stage similar protests regularly after this. We are urgently calling on TVIEC members to join us. Bring us ideas for protest pieces and help the protest committee stage these. We need volunteers to join us on 20 August for a meeting to plan the protest action.
Writers and actors, express your outrage at the SABC’s killing off of local content. We need passionate individuals to join the pickets and speak to the media about their concerns. Contact Charl on 082-6813680 if you can help.
As the protests continue, the thrust will increasingly be on job losses. Actors, writers, service providers and crew need to come forward and tell their stories. The focus will also be on viewers. Soon SABC will be serving us a diet of repeats. Do you have any ideas on how to engage with the issue of viewers? Let us know.
Reporting Back: A New System
It is proving difficult to effectively report back to TVIEC members and affiliates on the myriad meetings and lobbies that we are engaged in – such as nominations for the new SABC board and issues of payment and operations at SABC.
We are proposing that each member body of the TVIEC nominates two to four people that can meet with us for report backs. They will then report back to their members. Please can you nominate members and let us know by mailing us on tvcrisis@gmail.com
Thursday, August 6, 2009
SABC - PRODUCTION INSURANCE - An industry objection 5.8.09
Production insurance is an absolute necessity for risk management of any production.
Throughout the world Film and TV productions are financed with a simple proviso that the production will have FPI (Film Producers Insurance), which is a standard line item in any budget. There are only a handful of insurers that specialise in this;
The SABC insists that they will provide the insurance cover for any SABC commissioned production directly through their own supplier who offers them bulk discounts.
The requirement by the SABC that producers must accept insurance through the SABC’s insurers is extremely problematic for the production sector because there is a direct conflict of interest in risk management. (Note this was implemented approx 2 years ago and has never been needed in the past as contracts required producers to take appropriate FPI cover)
Producers sign an SABC contract that we accept all risk and that we will deliver on time, within budget, etc. However we have no control over the insurance which is managed by the SABC – so if claims are not paid on time, or the SABC defaults on a payment and thus leaves the producers uninsured – the producer de facto carries double risk. It is the producer who has to carry the burden and risk with no recourse to the insurer or SABC
An Example of this is recently a well respected production company has been sued by a vehicle rental company as the SABC insurance has not paid a claim. The producer had to sign personal surety and is thus now personally liable.
As it currently stands, the producer cannot elect to use an alternative insurer and receive better cover or a more competitive service. As the SABC has made itself the “processor” or “conduit” for any claims, the producer carries the risk whilst the SABC wrangles with the insurer. The producer once again is at risk and has no control.
The SABC in many instances may not have any incentive to help process a claim on behalf of a producer, their employees and/or contractors as the SABC’s overall discounted insurance arrangement could be adversely affected by any such claim and more importantly, the SABC has not personally suffered any loss. It should be noted that the SABC’s current Terms of Trade have several onerous indemnities to avert any risk which the SABC may be exposed to and accordingly the IPO is of the view that there is a low risk to the SABC.
Also producers sign all contracts with cast, crew and suppliers. In the event that the SABC defaults on insurance – the producer is 100% liable to all its contractual obligations and thus sue-able. So if a person is hurt on our set, we are liable. If the SABC insurance defaults – we have no recourse as we are not the primary holder of the policy.
When the SABC insurance office does not manage paperwork or flow, we are vulnerable – it is an individual’s word that they submitted, etc. It is untenable to have a hands-off relationship with the insurer.
For as long as the risk lies with the producer, the more significant the risk, the more prejudicial the possible outcome to the producer in the event of non-payment of a claim.
Also, there is a concern around turnaround time from submission of claim to payment of such claim. Some companies have waited for over a year for payment (EG: Moja is currently awaiting payment for an incident that occurred on 10 October 2008. “We filed a claim that day. The SABC was completely non-responsive – not a word, not a mail. We eventually dealt directly with the insurance company. We are still awaiting payment, but there has been some communication this week.”)
The nature of production is that we often need to make last minute changes to schedules to accommodate availability of actors, location problems, weather etc. This requires an extremely flexible and personal relationship with an insurer based on trust and personal track record.
Professional producers build relationships with insurers that enable them to get production matters covered instantly, sometimes in the middle of the night. Claims are also processed within particular parameters which producers have managed to negotiate to minimise their risk and exposure. And if a chosen insurer does not meet such needs, they can be changed.
Managing ones risk is a very personal choice.
Even the banks are not allowed to force a homeowner to use their insurer when they lend you money to buy a house. They can insist you have adequate cover – but they cannot force you to take their cover.
We believe the current approach by the SABC is anti-competitive. However, it has not been our intention to create a forum for conflict – in fact we have now tried to make the SABC insurance work for 2 years. But this has just reaffirmed for us the dangers of the current situation
If the SABC is to insist on its insurers being used, then it should similarly be prepared to assume the risk in the case where a claim is not met within a reasonable time period - 3 months. Also, the SABC must then not request producers to accept all risk for delivery. However, the SABC will argue that it has no control over the production and cannot accept the risk. Similarly, producers will argue that they have no control over the claims procedure and more importantly, if claims are run through the SABC and any administrative error occurs, then an insurer may repudiate a claim and the producer may be liable for the risk where there is a fault on the part of the SABC. This will entail unnecessary, costly and protracted litigation to try to resolve that issue. This creates an untenable situation for all.
It is not only about money and risk but about service levels as well. Producers are often able to secure and make arrangements quickly and efficiently and deal with the claims on particular merits where a globular policy can never provide the same level of satisfaction. This is also a key aspect of insurance arrangements.
As such we request that this matter be discussed at the highest levels as a matter of urgency and that we be allowed to manage our own risk.
NOTE: We are not averse to the SABC having a selection of insurers that are preferential service providers to SABC at a competitive rate and that producers may chose any one of them at such rate This allows us to keep them competitive and responsive. But we must also be allowed to choose our own insurer and pay in any difference in rate.
An example of increased risk to prod co’s.
One of our members had 2 productions for which insurance was provided by SABC. In both cases, they had not received any confirmation or any other documentation from SABC confirming that they were covered.
In one instance, they requested if a presenter had to go for a medical test. The SABC office was unable to help, and instead they referred the prod co to the underwriter, GIB Insurance. While talking to GIB the prod co found out that even though they had submitted their Insurance form to SABC weeks prior, the insurance company had not received any information, and therefore could not confirm that the production was covered.
Note: We believe the micro management with regards things like insurance and how the independent producer manages his risks undermines the producer’s independent status and could lead an inexperienced producer unwittingly to reckless trading.
Throughout the world Film and TV productions are financed with a simple proviso that the production will have FPI (Film Producers Insurance), which is a standard line item in any budget. There are only a handful of insurers that specialise in this;
The SABC insists that they will provide the insurance cover for any SABC commissioned production directly through their own supplier who offers them bulk discounts.
The requirement by the SABC that producers must accept insurance through the SABC’s insurers is extremely problematic for the production sector because there is a direct conflict of interest in risk management. (Note this was implemented approx 2 years ago and has never been needed in the past as contracts required producers to take appropriate FPI cover)
Producers sign an SABC contract that we accept all risk and that we will deliver on time, within budget, etc. However we have no control over the insurance which is managed by the SABC – so if claims are not paid on time, or the SABC defaults on a payment and thus leaves the producers uninsured – the producer de facto carries double risk. It is the producer who has to carry the burden and risk with no recourse to the insurer or SABC
An Example of this is recently a well respected production company has been sued by a vehicle rental company as the SABC insurance has not paid a claim. The producer had to sign personal surety and is thus now personally liable.
As it currently stands, the producer cannot elect to use an alternative insurer and receive better cover or a more competitive service. As the SABC has made itself the “processor” or “conduit” for any claims, the producer carries the risk whilst the SABC wrangles with the insurer. The producer once again is at risk and has no control.
The SABC in many instances may not have any incentive to help process a claim on behalf of a producer, their employees and/or contractors as the SABC’s overall discounted insurance arrangement could be adversely affected by any such claim and more importantly, the SABC has not personally suffered any loss. It should be noted that the SABC’s current Terms of Trade have several onerous indemnities to avert any risk which the SABC may be exposed to and accordingly the IPO is of the view that there is a low risk to the SABC.
Also producers sign all contracts with cast, crew and suppliers. In the event that the SABC defaults on insurance – the producer is 100% liable to all its contractual obligations and thus sue-able. So if a person is hurt on our set, we are liable. If the SABC insurance defaults – we have no recourse as we are not the primary holder of the policy.
When the SABC insurance office does not manage paperwork or flow, we are vulnerable – it is an individual’s word that they submitted, etc. It is untenable to have a hands-off relationship with the insurer.
For as long as the risk lies with the producer, the more significant the risk, the more prejudicial the possible outcome to the producer in the event of non-payment of a claim.
Also, there is a concern around turnaround time from submission of claim to payment of such claim. Some companies have waited for over a year for payment (EG: Moja is currently awaiting payment for an incident that occurred on 10 October 2008. “We filed a claim that day. The SABC was completely non-responsive – not a word, not a mail. We eventually dealt directly with the insurance company. We are still awaiting payment, but there has been some communication this week.”)
The nature of production is that we often need to make last minute changes to schedules to accommodate availability of actors, location problems, weather etc. This requires an extremely flexible and personal relationship with an insurer based on trust and personal track record.
Professional producers build relationships with insurers that enable them to get production matters covered instantly, sometimes in the middle of the night. Claims are also processed within particular parameters which producers have managed to negotiate to minimise their risk and exposure. And if a chosen insurer does not meet such needs, they can be changed.
Managing ones risk is a very personal choice.
Even the banks are not allowed to force a homeowner to use their insurer when they lend you money to buy a house. They can insist you have adequate cover – but they cannot force you to take their cover.
We believe the current approach by the SABC is anti-competitive. However, it has not been our intention to create a forum for conflict – in fact we have now tried to make the SABC insurance work for 2 years. But this has just reaffirmed for us the dangers of the current situation
If the SABC is to insist on its insurers being used, then it should similarly be prepared to assume the risk in the case where a claim is not met within a reasonable time period - 3 months. Also, the SABC must then not request producers to accept all risk for delivery. However, the SABC will argue that it has no control over the production and cannot accept the risk. Similarly, producers will argue that they have no control over the claims procedure and more importantly, if claims are run through the SABC and any administrative error occurs, then an insurer may repudiate a claim and the producer may be liable for the risk where there is a fault on the part of the SABC. This will entail unnecessary, costly and protracted litigation to try to resolve that issue. This creates an untenable situation for all.
It is not only about money and risk but about service levels as well. Producers are often able to secure and make arrangements quickly and efficiently and deal with the claims on particular merits where a globular policy can never provide the same level of satisfaction. This is also a key aspect of insurance arrangements.
As such we request that this matter be discussed at the highest levels as a matter of urgency and that we be allowed to manage our own risk.
NOTE: We are not averse to the SABC having a selection of insurers that are preferential service providers to SABC at a competitive rate and that producers may chose any one of them at such rate This allows us to keep them competitive and responsive. But we must also be allowed to choose our own insurer and pay in any difference in rate.
An example of increased risk to prod co’s.
One of our members had 2 productions for which insurance was provided by SABC. In both cases, they had not received any confirmation or any other documentation from SABC confirming that they were covered.
In one instance, they requested if a presenter had to go for a medical test. The SABC office was unable to help, and instead they referred the prod co to the underwriter, GIB Insurance. While talking to GIB the prod co found out that even though they had submitted their Insurance form to SABC weeks prior, the insurance company had not received any information, and therefore could not confirm that the production was covered.
Note: We believe the micro management with regards things like insurance and how the independent producer manages his risks undermines the producer’s independent status and could lead an inexperienced producer unwittingly to reckless trading.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
SABC CLAIMS CASH FROM UNPAID PRODUCERS
TVIEC PRESS RELEASE
SABC CLAIMS CASH FROM UNPAID PRODUCERS
Despite some erratic payments at the end of June 2009, SABC still owes independent TV producers tens of millions of rands for shows that have already been broadcast. And payments of millions of rands more are being delayed for months on end because of the SABC’s controversial asset control system. As part of that system, seemingly random fines of up to R100 000 are being imposed on producers for alleged lost assets.
The commissioning process is mired in red tape – nowhere more so than the signing off of a completed production. One aspect of this sign-off is assets. When a production company creates a series for SABC, everything that is bought for the production – sets, props, wardrobe, dressing and the like – becomes a SABC asset. At the end of the season the producer – who has invariably had to store these assets at their own cost or, more recently, leave them at an insecure SABC facility – must account for them. Down to the last sock, assets must be ticked off against a ledger of acquisitions. SABC appears to have only one Asset Controller covering all of their commissioned productions, a Ms Lerato Thage.
It can take months or even years for the SABC’s Asset Controller to get to checking a production’s assets. Until she does so, final payment for that production is withheld. Some production companies have been waiting for longer than a year and up to two years for this to happen.
Now production companies are also facing bizarre claims that vast amounts of assets are missing when the controller eventually does her checks. The industry has gone so far as to photograph assets in order to prove that they are accounted for – but SABC seems unwilling to engage over the issue. They seem intent on witholding money from production houses as a matter of course.
This may seem like a trivial issue, but it is causing even further delays and crises in outstanding payments to the industry – it is clearly a ruse to alleviate the SABC’s cashflow crisis at the cost of the independent production sector. The TVIEC demands honest, fair and efficient terms of trade with the national broadcaster.
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).
SABC CLAIMS CASH FROM UNPAID PRODUCERS
Despite some erratic payments at the end of June 2009, SABC still owes independent TV producers tens of millions of rands for shows that have already been broadcast. And payments of millions of rands more are being delayed for months on end because of the SABC’s controversial asset control system. As part of that system, seemingly random fines of up to R100 000 are being imposed on producers for alleged lost assets.
The commissioning process is mired in red tape – nowhere more so than the signing off of a completed production. One aspect of this sign-off is assets. When a production company creates a series for SABC, everything that is bought for the production – sets, props, wardrobe, dressing and the like – becomes a SABC asset. At the end of the season the producer – who has invariably had to store these assets at their own cost or, more recently, leave them at an insecure SABC facility – must account for them. Down to the last sock, assets must be ticked off against a ledger of acquisitions. SABC appears to have only one Asset Controller covering all of their commissioned productions, a Ms Lerato Thage.
It can take months or even years for the SABC’s Asset Controller to get to checking a production’s assets. Until she does so, final payment for that production is withheld. Some production companies have been waiting for longer than a year and up to two years for this to happen.
Now production companies are also facing bizarre claims that vast amounts of assets are missing when the controller eventually does her checks. The industry has gone so far as to photograph assets in order to prove that they are accounted for – but SABC seems unwilling to engage over the issue. They seem intent on witholding money from production houses as a matter of course.
This may seem like a trivial issue, but it is causing even further delays and crises in outstanding payments to the industry – it is clearly a ruse to alleviate the SABC’s cashflow crisis at the cost of the independent production sector. The TVIEC demands honest, fair and efficient terms of trade with the national broadcaster.
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).
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 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.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
TV INDUSTRY TO STAGE NATIONAL PROTEST ACTION
25 May 2009
PRESS RELEASE
TV INDUSTRY TO STAGE NATIONAL PROTEST ACTION AGAINST SABC ON 4 JUNE 2009
The television industry in South Africa is reeling due to the monetary and management crisis at the SABC. Crews and cast are without work, production companies are facing closure and viewers are being cheated of quality programming.
The Television Industry Emergency Coalition (TVIEC) was formed in response to the crisis. Together we represent more than 80% of the local content on air. In a meeting of the coalition in Johannesburg on 18 May it was decided to proceed with plans for a demonstration against the current management and administration of the SABC.
The protest has been provoked by the public broadcaster’s non-payment of millions of rand to independent producers and the subsequent retrenchments that are occurring throughout the industry. Estimates of up to R58-million owed have been made but it is not possible to confirm this amount as the SABC has been unwilling to reveal the extent of the debt. This amount does not take into account monies owed for royalties and repeat fees which artists, writers and producers have been struggling for years to elicit from the SABC.
The TVIEC is fighting FOR the SABC – for a transparent, fair and sustainable SABC that upholds the values of a credible and responsible public broadcaster, respectful of the South African public and its key partner in content supply – the local production sector.
Whilst the demonstration calls have been sparked by the anger over non payment, the TVIEC is convinced that the real issues are much deeper and more significant: unfair terms of trade, unsustainable business relationships with the content creators, unfair rights ownership (IP) and a deep arrogance manifested in the heavy handed management style the SABC displays.
Budgets are lower than they were seven years ago. Price fixing of fees for crew and cast and unsustainable production fees have left companies vulnerable and exhausted, while SABC management take home exorbitant fees and performance bonuses – some bonuses exceed an entire year’s production fee for a major daily soap – and enjoy first class air travel, 5 star hotel suites and lavish entertainment.
The Coalition has met repeatedly during the past months with a high level group of SABC executives but has received neither credible feedback nor action on commitments made by the SABC at these meetings. The Coalition is particularly dismayed that the CFO who is directly responsible for the fiscal management of the SABC - and thus the current non payment status quo - has not bothered to meet with the Coalition.
The industry has said NO MORE! A protest date has now been set for 4 June 2009. A TVIEC protest committee is coordinating participation by a broad spectrum of production companies, industry organisations, unions, friends of the industry, soapie stars, actors, technicians and the public at large.
Organisers have stressed that the campaign will be run in a responsible way, calling for immediate response to the demands for payment, for inclusive participation in the SABC’s turn around strategy and for interim management to be put in place to restore trust and integrity. It is anticipated that about 1,000 people will participate in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
The TVIEC is simultaneously attempting to engage with the new Minister of Communications and other government stakeholders to facilitate urgent intervention and alleviation for the industry. The TVIEC is also researching legal options and the possibility of collectively withholding material from the SABC.
The president has called for a new dawn, we hope this applies to the SABC.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: tvcrisis@gmail.com
PRESS RELEASE
TV INDUSTRY TO STAGE NATIONAL PROTEST ACTION AGAINST SABC ON 4 JUNE 2009
The television industry in South Africa is reeling due to the monetary and management crisis at the SABC. Crews and cast are without work, production companies are facing closure and viewers are being cheated of quality programming.
The Television Industry Emergency Coalition (TVIEC) was formed in response to the crisis. Together we represent more than 80% of the local content on air. In a meeting of the coalition in Johannesburg on 18 May it was decided to proceed with plans for a demonstration against the current management and administration of the SABC.
The protest has been provoked by the public broadcaster’s non-payment of millions of rand to independent producers and the subsequent retrenchments that are occurring throughout the industry. Estimates of up to R58-million owed have been made but it is not possible to confirm this amount as the SABC has been unwilling to reveal the extent of the debt. This amount does not take into account monies owed for royalties and repeat fees which artists, writers and producers have been struggling for years to elicit from the SABC.
The TVIEC is fighting FOR the SABC – for a transparent, fair and sustainable SABC that upholds the values of a credible and responsible public broadcaster, respectful of the South African public and its key partner in content supply – the local production sector.
Whilst the demonstration calls have been sparked by the anger over non payment, the TVIEC is convinced that the real issues are much deeper and more significant: unfair terms of trade, unsustainable business relationships with the content creators, unfair rights ownership (IP) and a deep arrogance manifested in the heavy handed management style the SABC displays.
Budgets are lower than they were seven years ago. Price fixing of fees for crew and cast and unsustainable production fees have left companies vulnerable and exhausted, while SABC management take home exorbitant fees and performance bonuses – some bonuses exceed an entire year’s production fee for a major daily soap – and enjoy first class air travel, 5 star hotel suites and lavish entertainment.
The Coalition has met repeatedly during the past months with a high level group of SABC executives but has received neither credible feedback nor action on commitments made by the SABC at these meetings. The Coalition is particularly dismayed that the CFO who is directly responsible for the fiscal management of the SABC - and thus the current non payment status quo - has not bothered to meet with the Coalition.
The industry has said NO MORE! A protest date has now been set for 4 June 2009. A TVIEC protest committee is coordinating participation by a broad spectrum of production companies, industry organisations, unions, friends of the industry, soapie stars, actors, technicians and the public at large.
Organisers have stressed that the campaign will be run in a responsible way, calling for immediate response to the demands for payment, for inclusive participation in the SABC’s turn around strategy and for interim management to be put in place to restore trust and integrity. It is anticipated that about 1,000 people will participate in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
The TVIEC is simultaneously attempting to engage with the new Minister of Communications and other government stakeholders to facilitate urgent intervention and alleviation for the industry. The TVIEC is also researching legal options and the possibility of collectively withholding material from the SABC.
The president has called for a new dawn, we hope this applies to the SABC.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: tvcrisis@gmail.com
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