BREAKING. BlackBerry, once the phone South Africa's TV biz couldn't live without, reports $1 billion second quarter loss as a dying brand.

Once the phone of choice for TV types and television executives in South Africa, its now all but over for BlackBerry which is a fast dying brand - BlackBerry is firing 4 500 workers or 40% of its global work force, is reporting a nearly $1 billion loss in the second quarter and is reducing its phone models from 6 to just 4.

BlackBerry used to once be the phone South African journalists and South Africa's TV industry executives couldn't live without - but it's market share within this group, as within many others, have sharply eroded over the past few years and now nobody wants its phones as it slips further and further into oblivion.

The news of the loss, the job slash and the disapponiting sales figures of new BlackBerrys saw trading in the company's shares halted after the share price plunged today. The company let 5 000 workers go last year.

BlackBerry used to be the dominant smartphone since it launched in 2007 - primarily because of the easy and mobility of making e-mail accessible - which saw South African TV producers, executives flock to get the phone.

Since then BlackBerry's popularity has plunged as it was overshadowed by Apple's iPhone and Android-based rivals like Samsung.

Take one look around at TV channel press conferences, media and press events, and cocktail parties where South Africa's TV types, journalists and executives hang out and you'll hardly see a BlackBerry - replaced by iPads, Galaxy Notes and other phones - complete as if executives are going out of their way not to get a BlackBerry when they upgrade cellphone contracts.

BREAKING. The third day of the BlackBerry Blackout sends South Africa's TV industry into a flatspin.

The debilitating BlackBerry outage that crept into a third day while BlackBerry gave customers the silent treatment, has now spread to America where BlackBerry crashed and went down, while the non-service has started to impact South Africa's television industry. South African TV executives and workers within the medium in all spheres are seriously starting to feel the now more than just a nuisance effect and are being forced to take adaptive measures.

TV with Thinus spoke with several TV executives and TV makers in all spheres of the industry ranging from MultiChoice to the SABC, both in South Africa as well as international visitors working in the television industry the past few days, who are all affected by what they call the ''BlackBerry blackout''.

They - as well as the rest of the 2 million South African BlackBerry users - all have to make do without email, mobile internet access, BlackBerry Messenger. The South African TV industry thrives on the quick dissemanation of news, production sheets and updates that influence anything from split decisions over what cameraman is available for a B-roll shoot to executive level decisions.

South Africa's TV people are starting to limit their out of office time, spending less time away from the office with several who have adjusted their outlook (no pun intended) for Thursday and Friday. ''It's the email. You come back; there's 400 more in an hour it wasn't possible to work away,'' said one. Hardest hit are field producers, cameramen, publicists, reporters and news gatherers and even executives who've started redoing their diaries to spend less time away from the desk.

''Im fearful to miss something [important],'' said a very high-ranking South African television executive involved in the pay television sector, echoeing a shared sentiment from several producers. ''It's also difficult when you have to be out of the office and there's nothing [no email]. It probably from putting all your eggs in one basket and now the basket is broken,'' said another. Visiting European TV executives to South Africa described the situation as a nightmare. ''You just have to work around it and log in from computers as often as you can in business suites.''

Meanwhile the BlackBerry mess has spread to America that has so far been imune to the BlackBerry Blackout. The BlackBerry crash has now also debilitated Hollywood as the global outage is causing tinseltown to struggle to function, reports The Wrap. Hollywood was paralyzed in its tracks on Wednesday as well.

Meanwhile BlackBerry remains stoically-ironically vague and unwilling to openly communicate about the problem after causing the communication meltdown that has now almost spread around the world. BlackBerry has shown blatant disregard for South Africa and Africa but will probably respond immediately now that America has gone down where an entrenched consumer culture will demand answers.

[Full disclosure: The editor of TV with Thinus also uses this mobile device.]