RiSA CEO Nhlanhla Sibisi says sorry to media for trashy treatment, lack of access at 23rd South African Music Awards.

The South African Music Awards (Samas) apologised to media for the trash treatment behind-the-scenes of Saturday’s awards show broadcast on SABC1 that saw media not given demarcated red carpet positions, media bundled into a backroom to watch video with no sound and a litany of media access problems.

Media complained after organisers of the 23rd SAMAs only gave the SABC a proper red carpet position with dozens of accredited journalists deliberately kept away from the carpet and herded into an adjacent “media booth” away from celebrity arrivals.

Even Bonang Matheba and Kat Sinivasan covering the SAMAs for an E! Entertainment (DStv 124) red carpet special – the second time the channel from NBCUniversal International Networks did SAMA red carpet coverage – got shoddy treatment and battled to get proper access.

Media across the board were bundled into a cramped backroom with a TV screen showing the ceremony, but unlike viewers at home they got no audio, with several frustrated journalists remarking they could have gotten better access watching it from home.

Adding to the litany of logistical mismanagement and access problems not addressed by SAMA organisers and HM Entertainment, was a lack of food and a complimentary craft table. While covering the hours long award show, hungry journalists who had money had to forage to try and find something they could buy to eat.

Upset entertainment journalists from several media outlets openly grumbled and spoke about how they will limit coverage for the 24th SAMAs in 2018 and adjust their approach because of the shoddy treatment and lack of proper access and some even saying they will boycott next year’s ceremony.

“There were challenges we faced and we profusely and unreservedly apologise for the unpleasant experience some of you endured on Saturday night,” says Nhlanhla Sibisi, CEO of the Recording Industry of South Africa (RiSA) in an email to media.

Hloni Modise, HM Entertainment managing director told media that “it is only fair that you received the correct treatment. Yes, everything was planned well and unfortunately when it came to execution things fell down the cracks, for that, I take full responsibility and I humbly apologise for that”.

RiSA and HM Entertainment said it will be doing a “media debriefing session” soon and is “going back to the drawing board” to prevent a recurrence and to relook press access and media management.

SABC, 'limping from day to day', owes artists millions of rand in unpaid royalties; blames its financial crisis for its failure to pay.

The SABC owes singers and musicians millions of rand in unpaid royalties and more millions in residuals to actors, with the struggling public broadcaster on the brink of financial collapse, blaming its severe money woes for its failure to pay.

The SABC on Wednesday told parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) that the SABC "is behind with royalty payments" and owes artists at least R75.4 million.

The SABC owes the Southern African Music Rights Organisation (Samro) R14.5 million, the SA Music Performance Rights Association (Sampra) R52.7 million, the Association of Independent Record Companies (ARIC) R2.8 million, the Composers Authors and Publishers Association (Capasso) R3 million and the Recording Industry of South Africa (Risa) R2.4 million.

The SABC didn't provide any numbers for the outstanding millions it owes actors and writers for residuals for the rebroadcasts and repeats of TV shows like Sgudi 'Snaysi on SABC1 and the library shows broadcast on its SABC Encore channel on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform.

The SABC told parliament that the last time it paid any royalties to artists was in December 2016 but didn't specify an amount, and blames the public broadcaster's cash-strapped status.

The SABC also failed to pay all artists, winners and contributors for the 2017 Metro FM Awards held months ago.

Bessie Tugwana, acting COO, blamed the SABC's non-payment of artists on a "struggle to get verified documentation so we could pay" and the SABC's "cash-flow problem". She told parliament that everyone will be paid at the end of May.

A year ago, in May 2016, SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago announced that the SABC will immediately increase the royalty tariff paid to artists for music content played on the SABC's 18 radio stations and TV channels from 3.2% to 4% - but nothing came of that, with the SABC unable to even pay the 3.2%.

The SABC referring to its situation as "dire" and saying it's "limping from day to day", told parliament on Wednesday that the "90% local content" decree for local music airplay on radio and "80% local content" on SABC TV ordered by the former chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng has destroyed the public broadcaster and is threatening the very existence of the SABC that doesn't have the money to pay for it.

New SABC interim deputy chairperson Mathatha Tshedu revealed that the SABC blew an additional R72 million on new local content to replace other local content no longer deemed suitable, for the 90% local content policy.

"We are looking at taking back detrimental consequences of some decisions. We are looking at the 90% which saw both the television and radio losing millions. It's implementation has to take cognisance of the fact that it mustn't threaten the existence of the SABC itself, which is what it is doing."

The SABC revealed that it wasted another R74 million in TV content it bought but never showed, marked as fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

The SABC, now struggling to pay staff and producers, further spent hundreds of millions of rand on irregular content buying, for instance R63 million in 2016/17 and R240 million in 2015/16.

Already owing them millions of rand in outstanding payments, last week the SABC told South African producers going forward that it only wants to pay them 25% monthly of the money they're due although they're expected to keep delivering 100% of the content the SABC requires to keep its TV channels on the air.

Communications minister Ayanda Dlodlo told parliament that "the dire state of the SABC wasn't brought to us voluntarily by executives. We had to dig".

Ayanda Dlodlo said the SABC's initial bailout request to treasury was inadequate. "It was like putting an Elastoplast on a wound instead of treating the wound".

After getting a bailout in the form of a R1.47 billion government-guaranteed Nedbank loan in 2009 during its previous bailout when the SABC teetered on the brink of collapse eight years ago, it's not yet known what amount in another government-guaranteed loan the SABC is seeking this time in its next bailout.