You're reading it here first.
You are reading it right here first that the SABC is bringing down the axe on SABC News International which will cease all operations and its TV broadcast in exactly three weeks at the end of March 2010 - which will also leave several workers without jobs.
The beleaguered SABC News International was started as a TV channel in 2007 by the SABC's former head of news, dr. Snuki Zikalala at a cost of more than R85 million. Together with several international news bureaus the channel created a massive drain on the SABC's annual operational budget.
Now the SABC - which already closed down several SABC News International news bureaus at the end of last year - is ending the doomed experiment and closing down the entire operations of SABC News International. Last month signal distributor Sentech also didn't renew the contract to broadcast SABC News International on the limited Vivid satellite TV platform.
The closure of SABC News International will leave several people out of jobs. There is however the plan of the SABC to - as I wrote about RIGHT HERE, start a brand new TV news channel focusing on South African news.
''The SABC regrets that we will not be able to renew the contracts of a significant number of employees of SABC News International who are contractors, at the end of this fiscus, at the end of this month, due to the decision to scale down the operations of SABC News International,'' says Solly Mokoetle, the SABC's group CEO.
