July 2, 2007
By Ndaba Dlamini
AT exactly 6pm on a chilly Sunday evening, the new venue of SowetoTV, Tloreng Primary School in Orlando West, Soweto, resonated with cheers as the station went live on television screens in thousands of households across the massive township.
Described as a great day, guests who attended the switch-on, on 1 July, included Baby Jake Matlala, Shakes Mashaba and Zwelakhe Sisulu. SowetoTV is the first community television station to be granted a licence to broadcast for a full year by the Independent Communications Authority (Icasa).
Interviewing SowetoTV chief executive Tshepo Thafeng
Speaking at the launch, Meshack Mosiya, the SowetoTV secretary, said the switch-on was a great achievement, not only for the community television station but for Soweto as well. "This television station will make South Africa proud. It's a creation of the people of Soweto for the people of Soweto," he said.
The television station occupies two classrooms at Tloreng Primary. It will offer community-oriented content, such as hip-hop, poetry, HIV/Aids and TB programmes. Documentaries on social issues will also be aired.
Run largely by volunteers, SowetoTV first broadcast in July 2005 for eight hours a day for a month. Residents were given a second helping in December 2006.
SowetoTV chief executive, Tshepo Thafeng, said the idea to start a community television station was hatched in 2000. The station had encountered "ups and downs" until Icasa issued a licence to broadcast for a month in 2005. He hoped that over the coming year, the station would develop into a fully commercial enterprise.
"The main objective of the station is to educate, inform and entertain the people of Soweto. It will be the voice of the voiceless covering issues that affect the people of Soweto."
Mosiya said various organisations had chipped in with much-needed help to make the station a success; of particular note was Urban Brew Studios, which provided essential technical support.
"The station will benefit the people of Soweto in many ways. It will [also] create job avenues for the youth of Soweto [and] it will develop skills in television broadcasting and in fields such as music and other performing arts," Mosiya said.
It was not set up to compete with broadcasters like the SABC or e.tv, but was meant to complement these stations, according to Mosiya. "We actually need their support to make this community station a success."
Celebrating: SowetoTV chairperson Force Khashane and secretary Meshack Mosiya in jovial mood
The station is available across Soweto on the UHF, bang after the e.tv frequency. However, the signal in some parts of the township, like Mofolo, Phiri and Dobsonville, was weak on Sunday. Deon Botha, the advertising sales manager, said the technical team would work flat out on Monday to rectify this.
"Our technical team will identify all those areas in Soweto where the signal is weak and we hope all areas in Soweto will receive a clear signal," he said.
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