The MultiChoice Group that has been investing in and helping community TV stations across South Africa like Bay TV in Port Elizabeth with equipment upgrades, technical training and content-sharing partnerships on community-level, says the pay-TV service is doing so to build out bigger and more video entertainment players in the country's broadcasting sector.
MultiChoice says that South Africa's community TV stations will not escape the onslaught of the rapid technological changes and innovation and the drastic global consumption trends that are sweeping the world and impacting all broadcasters, and will have to make adequate preparations, adapt and change with it, to ensure their ongoing existence and relevance as well.
On Thursday Port Elizabeth's Bay TV (DStv 260) officially unveiled its upgraded green-screen studi and control room facilities that are part of a R2 million upgrade investment in the community TV station from the MultiChoice Group.
The studio, servers, cameras and control room investment will help Bay TV as a community TV channel to improve its production values and on-air playout quality with the station that serves viewers in the Nelson Mandela Bay area in the Eastern Cape but can be watched nationally in South Africa on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service as well.
The upgraded Bay TV facilities include digital mobile news-gathering DMNG Pro 180 – RA (3G/4G) with a downlink server and uplink; 8 professional studio cameras; as well as a digital screen panel for alternate backdrops.
In 2014, MultiChoice donated a state-of-the-art final control centre (FCC) to Bay TV and in 2018 MultiChoice installed a studio and control room, making it possible for Bay TV to produce their own talk shows, news and other local content.
Mandla Ndlovu, MultiChoice's senior manager for corporate social investment (CSI) and transformation, about Bay TV said "you can't take for granted what it takes to build a TV station from nothing to what Bay TV is today".
"For us, it really reinforces our vision, which is a video entertainment sector that has many players; players who are able to understand their communities; players who are able to build opportunities for young people, and players who are able to bring the nuances of communities to the fore."
"That is why we invest in local community TV stations because we believe that the story of local communities, of young people, the story of our history - all of those stories are important and the best people to tell those stories are these TV stations."
"For Bay TV we were not just looking at helping to improve the studio or final control centre (FCC). We also look at what goes on to the screens - what do people see, and to what degree are the people putting this together trained," said Mandla Ndlovu.
"So what we've done over the past few years - in fact, it's been 5 years now that we've been investing in Bay TV in particular - we started with the FCC in 2014 ... so it was the equipment and then the content that goes with it."
"We also help to train the young people who work at Bay TV or Soweto TV on how to use this equipment. So they've become hot property now. You find them everywhere. You find them at SABC. You find them at e.tv. You find them at MultiChoice. But they started here."
"If you look at Bonang Matheba's show or Somizi's show and you track where that show comes from, you'll find that it's being produced by a young person who came from one of South Africa's community TV stations."
"A few weeks ago we had a State of the Province address in the Eastern Cape province and Bay TV carried that State of the Province address live. So from what Bay TV was in 2011 to what it is today, we are very, very proud."
"Bay TV, along with all the other community TV stations, need to understand that this environment of video entertainment is changing. They are not going to be competing with MultiChoice or e.tv or the SABC. There are now a lot of other players."
"So they are growing in a field where they are going to have to compete with people who are watching TV on devices in the taxi, or at work, or wherever they are watching."
So as TV stations like Bay TV and others grow, they need to be cognisant of what they need to achieve. They need to win all of those viewers," said Mandla Ndlovu.
Finding and building local broadcasting talent at community level
Motse Mfuleni, Bay TV chairperson, said "the important part is that you must build the talent locally so that they're able to tell the stories locally".
"It's important to use the expertise of these people for the Eastern Cape as well as Nelson Mandela Bay which includes Port Elizabeth, Dispatch and Uitenhage and not have that talent leaving the province and the Bay".
"Without talent, you're not going to be able to tell these stories. The biggest asset is Bay TV being able to play a role in skills development in television without people having to go to Johannesburg and Cape Town to work in the film and video content industry."
"Bay TV allows local content developers a platform to have airtime to show the portfolio of their work, without having to worry about waiting to be commissioned by a broadcaster. It's also important to reflect the cultural diversity of this region."
The TV and radio presenter Zizo Tshwete said "In this upgraded facilities the studio is beautiful and certainly the promise for the future looks absolutely bright for the Bay TV broadcasts that will be happening here".
Sibongiseni Tyali, Bay TV's head of production said "What Bay TV has done for people who want to enter the local media space is that it has given them a different avenue".
Reinhardt Botha, final control centre (FCC) controller at Bay TV, said "Bay TV has given me the opportunity to grow as a person and as a media professional as well".
Monwabisi Nzimela, the head of admin and HR at Bay TV, said "It has been an interesting journey. All I can tell you is that you learn new things every day and with all the challenges that are there, you get to understand that TV is changing on a daily basis.
A platform for local content creators to tell their stories
Joe Heshu, MultiChoice's group executive for corporate affairs, said that a community TV station like Bay TV is a platform for local content creators to "tell their stories - to tell stories about Nelson Mandela Bay, and in so doing create a talent pool that can help feed all of South Africa, and indeed take our stories to the world as we see Bay TV alumni going on and doing great things".
Tony Duba, an ANC political party member and portfolio chairperson for economic development, finance, tourism and environmental affairs in the Eastern Cape provincial legislature committee, said "Seven years ago Bay TV took its first steps as an infant in the South African TV industry but has since them claimed its rightful place as the voice of the people of not only Nelson Mandela Bay but of the entire Eastern Cape".
"The media industry in South Africa, in general, is a 'survival of the fittest' industry that is highly monopolised - which is highly monopolised."
"For community TV entities like Bay TV to survive it means people with passion and drive who are willing to kick open doors if they are not answered".
"I'm quite certain that to a large degree the pillar of support of Bay TV to date has been the support it has received from government and other progressive partners such as MultiChoice who are true to their conviction of pursuing the transformation agenda in our society."
"The Eastern Cape government has for many years been vocal about the need to transform and support new players in the media industry," said Tony Duba.
"Ownership of the industry is still too white. And what we must understand is that those who are at the top are not willing to lower the ladder so that the rest of us can climb to the top," said Tony Duba.
"This, therefore, exposes us to a dangerous situation where the few players in the broadcasting media are forcing their narrow narrative down our throats because they have means of control. As government, we have communicated our intention to transform the industry."
ALSO READ: IN IMAGES. 29 photos of the Bay TV community TV station's official inauguration ceremony of its upgraded studio and control room in Port Elizabeth done with the help of MultiChoice.
ALSO READ: Port Elizabeth's Bay TV community station officially unveils its upgraded studio and control room facilities with the help of MultiChoice.
