Parliament - SABC board chairwoman Ellen Tshabalala on Tuesday revived calls for the funding model of the public broadcaster to be reviewed.
Briefing Parliament's communications portfolio committee, Tshabalala said the broadcaster was being “monopolised” by advertisers, hampering its ability to increase local content on its channels.
“The funding model is a problem because 86 percent (of ) funding comes from advertising. It cannot be right,” she said.
“Most of the broadcasters internationally...either the public broadcaster is funded 100 percent or it is funded 80 percent.”
Tshabalala cited previous resolutions at ANC conferences that the public broadcaster should be fully funded by the public purse.
“We are monopolised by advertisers and it makes life very difficult for SABC to rollout programmes of government...,” Tshabalala said.
The broadcaster continued to forge commercial relationships with companies to fund certain programmes of mutual interest, but these collaborations were declining.
“The tarnishing of the image of the SABC by some...is so bad that it is shying away the business people that want to trade with the SABC. That is the sad part,” Tshabalala said.
She took aim at opposition party MPs accusing them of “interference” in SABC business, effectively damaging the effectiveness of the business.
Tshabalala said she and executive management were loath to discuss the broadcaster's corporate plan in the public sphere, as SABC competitors were taking notes during parliamentary briefings.
“We do not think it's a wise idea to discuss our trade secrets in front of other broadcsasters,” she said.
“It has actually hampered us very negatively.”
Sapa