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From the editor SABC showdown in Parys The platteland is upset. And when a small town’s people get annoyed, they don’t sit round dinner party tables like city folk and yapp, yapp about their complaints. No, they take action, as is the case with the residents of Parys. The town of Parys, just over an hour’s drive from Johannesburg, resides alongside the Vaal River, thus its name which is derived from the French city on the banks of the Seine. Like the French, the Parysians are not adverse to a revolution as you can read about on this page. They have started an effective online petition to bring back their favourite magazine programme, 50/50, which they say was canned by public broadcaster SABC because it dealt with issues which did not always reflect well on government authorities responsible for maintaining the balance in the environment. They also threaten to revolt against the payment of SABC TV licences if the 25-year old programme 50/50 is not reinstated. The SABC is also confronting protests on its very doorstep. On our front page, we record the hunger protest undertaken by producer/director Michael Lee in response to the arrogant manner in which the public broadcaster has dealt with its R60m obligations to the production companies and its decision to freeze commissions, effectively bringing the industry to its knees. Besides the industry protest march which took place in June and ongoing industry press statements damning the SABC for its callous actions, writers and actors told stories of desperation of many in the industry in a visually powerful “guerilla action” which took place outside SABC’s high rise building in Auckland Park on 27 August. Distribution comes to the fore South African distributors have been much criticised by filmmakers in the past for their lack of support in the screening of homegrown films. Our two headline news stories reveal that both Ster-Kinekor and Nu Metro have adopted a creative approach to distribution and cinema audiences have been presented with a regular monthly selection of films which originate in the country and that this is set to be the norm. The commissioning of a slate of films by Ster-Kinekor from proven film companies makes good financial sense for both parties. Close on 10 years ago, Screen Africa presented the first of its annual focuses on the animation production sector. We are proud to have been there over the years to record the development and success of this talented group of South Africans who have made significant inroads in the world market with three computer graphic features and four international television projects in production, as well as setting a higher animation benchmark for children’s TV shows, music videos and new media content. We wish those companies who are participating in MIPJUNIOR in Cannes, France, good sales. This issue also heralds the success of the trade show Mediatech Africa with a report back on the products showcased at the event. For those who are in the market for new production equipment, this survey will hopefully assist you in your search. Look out for Screen Africa at the premiere advertising awards event, the Loeries, and at MIPCOM in Cannes. Angela van Schalkwyk IN THE NEWS 50/50 Uproar in Parys The residents of the small Free State town of Parys are so incensed at the removal of 50/50 from our screens, that they have started an online petition. Cliff Graham reports. SCREENAFRICA Publishing Editor/Proprietor: Angela van Schalkwyk, Sun Circle Publishers (Pty) Ltd editor@screenafrica.com Physical address: Block D2 Sasani Studios, 2 Johannesburg Road, Highlands North Ext 6, Johannesburg Postal address: PO Box 89271 Lyndhurst 2106 Deputy Editor: Joanna Sterkowicz joanna@screenafrica.com Contributors: Andy Stead, Sonja Hodgen, Cliff Graham, Karen van Schalkwyk Sub-Editor: Mandy Collins Advertisement Sales: Marianne Schafer (Manager) marianne@screenafrica.com Hermione Ballinger hermi@screenafrica.com Antonio Diogo (Website & Directory) antonio@screenafrica.com Head of Design: Trevor Ou Tim design@screenafrica.com Editor’s PA: Anusha Dayal info@screenafrica.com Subscriptions Manager: Debbie Heard – DATAFOCUS Tel: 011 469-1522 debbie@datafocus.co.za Production Updates: Anusha Dayal info@screenafrica.com Ratings: Enid Venter enid@ihjohannesburg.co.za Accounts: Marietjie Esterhuizen accounts@screenafrica.com Admin Assistant: Delight Ngwenya adminsa@screenafrica.com Advertising, Editorial and Subscriptions: Tel: 011 719-4380 Fax: 011 719-4392 TROUBLE IN PARYS – The town of Parys in the Free State The SABC announced early in July that it had decided to can the popular environmental magazine programme 50/50. Launched 25 years ago, 50/50 is the world’s longest-running environmental series and the SABC’s longest-running feature. Thousands of viewers throughout South Africa, and especially in the rural areas, are angered by the removal of this respected weekly programme, but one small town has taken the matter in hand – the residents of Parys have started an online petition to bring 50/50 back. Within a matter of days of disgruntled viewers launching the website www.save5050.co.za, it carried more than 8 000 signatures. For most of the townsfolk of Parys, 50/50 was the highlight of their weekly viewing, especially as the programme dealt with issues that they could relate to, says De Wet SCREENAFRICA – September 2009
IN THE NEWS DISGRUNTLED VIEWERS – De Wet Oliver Jonas Maine Johan Oosthuizen Oliver. He feels strongly that the programme was taken off due to political reasons. Controversial issues covered by the show include South Africa’s water crisis, mining in the Wakkerstroom wetlands, dune mining in Pondoland, at Xolobeni, and the involvement of a Vietnamese diplomat in rhino horn smuggling. The programme also criticised the appointment of Buyelwa Sonjica as Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs. Worth watching “50/50 wasn’t scared to tackle service delivery issues and other subjects, and was the only programme worth watching for most people in Parys. Now they are bringing back old episodes of Maak n’ Las, where half the guests are now dead. Added to this, the sound is bad, compared to today’s standards. I suppose SABC will now drag out Nommer Asseblief and other junk, hoping to keep us happy. “Also, what gets my goat, is the annoying SMSes from the SABC licensing department, which assume we will renew our licence, when we have to put up with this trash they are pumping out.” As a result, Oliver rarely watches TV and is concerned that his grandchildren are being exposed to bad quality programming that will have long term effects on their future. In addition the TV signal is bad, so most viewers have had to resort to DStv, installing dishes and expensive decoders to get a clear picture. Shirley Vermaak of the Democratic Alliance explains; “DStv is very expensive, especially for pensioners who have decided to retire in Parys. The bouquet that M-Net offers is generally for big city viewers, thus to spend approximately R2 000 on upgrading to DStv doesn’t make sense. In addition, the violence, sex and constant repeats don’t justify the expense. I enjoy watching cricket, but one needs a decoder to view this.” Johan Oosthuizen, a motor mechanic, is passionate about rugby, as is the case with most of the males in Parys. With rugby broadcasting rights firmly in M-Net’s hands, he will go the extra mile to watch a rugby match in a pub that has DStv. Monopoly “I feel M-Net has a monopoly, which is wrong. There is not much to view across all the channels. My wife and 14-year old daughter watch 7de Laan, but there is nothing else of interest to view. Hence we hire DVDs to fill the gap. My having to go to a pub to watch the Boks play is causing trauma in the family, as I am away from home to see what I feel the national broadcaster should show. After all, why do we pay a TV licence?” It’s an opinion shared by most of the disgruntled residents. The only accredited dealer for DStv installations in Parys, Quentin Botha, is starting to feel the pinch of the current situation; “We used to do an average of 25 installations a month, but this has dropped to nine a month. Also, due to the economic situation and content, potential customers are becoming more difficult. They want value for money, and think twice before committing themselves to installing DStv. They now want the full bouquet for the price of the most basic one. “To compound the problem, there are a lot of ‘fly by night’ operators, especially in the black areas, who install inferior equipment, which fails after a month. I often have call-outs to solve problems, only to find the cables installed are rehashed from previous installations. The M-Net signal is not the best and varies from area to area. But apart from this, the programmes of the past were more interesting than the current fare, so people are reluctant to fork out R499 for the full Monty, plus decoder and dish costs, just to view something interesting.” Rural needs The general view is SABC is trying to squash the Afrikaner tradition, not caring for rural needs. As one lady (who wished not to be named) put it: “In a small town like Parys, we rely on the public broadcaster to keep us informed of world events. Instead we get politics rammed down our throats, even when watching Isidingo. I Quentin Botha have given up watching soapies, and rather opt for Pasella. At least that covers local community events, and is of interest to all.” In her view, Morning Live is totally political and does not represent the true picture of what is happening. Soccer is not a big issue among the whites, but has a huge following with the Black community, mainly farm workers whose work load doesn’t allow for much time to view programmes. The issue of costs for a decoder comes into play, but most go to local taverns or shebeens that offer this facility as an attraction for customers. As Jonas Maine, a handyman, says: “We appreciate the extended coverage SABC is giving to soccer over the weekends, as we cannot afford to travel all over the country to see these matches, or pay the price for the entrance ticket. Until a few years ago, TV was for whites, but now we can follow our favourite team’s progress on a weekly basis. Sport is our passion, including rugby, and we look forward to viewing a game in the company of friends on Saturday and Sunday in a great atmosphere.” He is looking forward to the 2010 World Cup, even though Parys won’t be directly involved in hosting any matches. As far as DTT (Digital Terrestrial TV) goes, he was unaware of what is happening, but feels this could be a viable alternative to DStv. He also felt sad over the demise of 50/50, as this was one of the few programmes that reflected rural events. Television viewing in rural towns is limited, as unlike the urban areas, work and weather play an important role in the lifestyle of most of the people living there. One gets the impression that this is an area that’s crying out for attention in the future. As Arnold Schoonwinkel of the DA puts it; “50/50 was one of the most informative programmes on TV, but the clowns at the SABC decided to stop it.” September 2009 – SCREENAFRICA
Page 1: A Y LOERIES CR SCREENAFRICA MIPCOM
Page 4 and 5: NEWS Drama in the township Johannes
Page 6: NEWS Compiled by Karen van Schalkwy
Page 9: New DeckLink HD Extreme has Dual Li
Page 14 and 15: PICTURE PERFECT adcetera Report on
Page 16 and 17: AWARDS Where egos dare CHAIRPERSON
Page 18: TRACKINGTECHNOLOGY PRODUCT NEWS Goo

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