You're reading it here first.
I have confirmed and can now break the news right here that the SABC, for the second year in a row, will not have an end-of-the-year press party or event for the press covering television in South Africa - a long tradition that's now turning into something of the past.
This December, just like last December when I broke the news RIGHT HERE and when the SABC claimed austerity measures are to blame for the lack of a press party, the public broadcaster once again has no plan to get South African TV critics, TV writers and journalists covering television together to tell them about the year and to celebrate the year in broadcasting.
For many years SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3 held one annual press party or press event (with differing levels of success) with the three SABC's TV channels each taking turns to organize it. The various events (and I've been on many over the past decade) are usually - and is still - very much talked about, laughed about and often discussed due to the unintended hilarity and madness that ensues when often bad organizing, some drunk journalists (and some drunk SABC publicists) converge.
The many, many stories I can tell you about what's happened at some of these SABC end-of-the-year press events are hilarious, completely over-the-top, incredibly unbelievable and funny and will all one day be recounted in detail in my book. (For now it will all remain often-recounted insider information, but if you meet a TV critic or writer who's actually been around for more than 3 years - and there aren't many - ask and hear if they'll reveal some of the shenanigans of a bus and a boat and a float and a casino with sand shipped in, and a train, and wind and a pool and skinny dipping, and sex and much, much more.)
SABC1 as usual couldn't bother to respond (but I used other sources) and SABC2 and SABC3 said no, so I can tell you there won't be any press event for the SABC's TV channels to boast about what they've done and accomplished together this year and what they're doing in 2011.
