...The much-maligned group executive of news Phil Molefe [has given] people a reason to start watching SABC TV News again with the announcement of the return of veteran newsman Jimi Matthews as head of television news. No stranger to the job, Matthews worked his way up through the ranks, but proved himself with his performances as head of television news at both etv and SABC, as well as the ill-fated Telkom TV. These experiences make Matthews realistic about the challenge facing him, because, as challenges go, this one is a monster.
"Anyone who understands television will tell you it will take three to six months before any kind of difference is visible, and it would probably take the better part of a year to sort out some of the issues at SABC TV News," says Matthews. "I think it would be unreasonable for anyone to expect that within a month of my arrival there would be dramatic or radical change. To effect change takes time, because of the complex and complicated process of producing television."
Read the full interview on www.freeafricanmedia.com, a Daily Maverick initiative.
Free African Media is an initiative of The Daily Maverick team, in collaboration with journalists from all over Africa. With free, quality media and freedom of expression under attack from just about every corner of African reality, it's become more and more obvious that a concentrated, Africa-wide effort is needed to help the fight, and Free African Media aims to do just that. It will function as a platform dedicated to freedom of expression throughout the continent, as well to helping improve the overall quality of reporting, analysis and opinion Africa-wide. Like Free African Media on Facebook; follow on Twitter at @africanmedia and, to contribute, email moc.aidemnacirfaeerf@krow.
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