Last month was the last time I wrote about the SABC's new 24 hour news channel venture that it wanted to start on 1 April and the sense of irony of it not being lost on actual SABC News staff (who had to sign confidentiality agreements on that as well as the broadcaster's new funeral coverage plans for Nelson Mandela).
The SABC is only prepared to tell me that the broadcaster is now negotiating with MultiChoice to possibly have the news channel on DStv in the future. The SABC announced plans for a new news channel in March 2010.
''We are negotiating with MultiChoice,'' Kaizer Kganyago, SABC spokesperson tells me. ''There's possibilities,' he says. ''We might go with MultiChoice; we might not. Nothing is definite. We're negotiating.'' The new 24 hour news channel is envisioned as a local, domestic news channel covering news within South Africa.
Kaizer Kganyago says MultiChoice is the only TV platform the SABC is talking to at the moment regarding the 24 hour news channel that will be replacing SABC News International. ''Once contracts are finalized we will communicate it. The channel is not starting on 1 April. The channel doesn't have a name yet. How would we have started on 1 April and not have done any marketing for it yet at this stage?''
ALSO READ: SABC talking to operators about its new domestic 24 hour news channel it wants to start.
ALSO READ: SABC plans a new 24 hour, domestic news channel.
