SABC2 is dropping the ball on correctly, and in time, telling viewers and communicating with them directly, and through the press, about the channel's new upcoming Colour TV. But hey, what do you really expect from ''the funeral channel''?
Confused viewers and readers have been asking me for weeks: What is Colour TV? They're wondering whether it means a new TV station is coming from the SABC (no). Others think the lousy 10 second TV ad running on SABC2 and SABC3 that simply says ''Colour is coming'' has to do with TopTV's marketing campaign (no). Some are thinking it might be the launch of a 3rd party pay TV channel (no).
I have asked SABC2's publicity department multiple times over the course of three months for more information about Colour TV (yesterday I asked again and said it was the last time that I'll bother - and of course still nothing) which is actually a new variety comedy show starting on SABC2 with Joey Rasdien on Friday 8 July at 19:30. (Also not to be confused with the languishing SABC2 sitcom TV project of Joey Rasdien). Colour TV will try to delight the SABC2 audience with ''iconic coloured humour'' and coloured characters whatever that purports to be.
SABC2 acting channel head Pulane Tshabalala told me at the advertisers upfront presentation the channel has added the show to specifically target ''coloured'' viewers and that it's not Joey Rasdien's sitcom but that he's one of several coloured stars who will do skits similar to Saturday Night Live. ''Colour TV will target viewers who say there's not enough for them on our channel.''
Meanwhile SABC2 has done a big hallabaloo about nothing as it fails to actively tell viewers what Colour TV is, and has so far failed miserably in being upfront with the press or engaging entertainment journalists about the show that is supposed to start in a mere three weeks. If viewers think your failed clip campaign is about the SABC going digital, another pay TV channel or TopTV, I would venture to suggest you have a problem, SABC2. Of course no monthly magazines for July will have anything about Colour TV since they've already closed on those issues, those biweeklies are finishing off and the daily newspapers with their culled entertainment staffs can't care less unless they probably get a press release the evening before the show is set to start.
