first place?
The new SABC’s first mistake may have been to hire Jill Chisholm, argues a former colleague of hers, Vivien Morgan
DID she jump or was she made to walk the plank? According to SABC television chief executive Jill Chisholm it was a mutually agreed parting of the ways. Her exit brings forth a flood of questions.
The first naturally is who will succeed her? Secondly, does it need another chief executive? Is there perhaps another way to restructure, giving each channel greater independence? Finally, looking back on the two years of her captaincy – did she steer the corporation in the right direction? Was it wise to choose an outsider from overseas in the first place? Some say the SABC is once again looking for someone from abroad to replace her.
Perhaps they should listen to the message from the SABC staff who state quite clearly that “the SABC should do its homework properly”.
“Look at what she’s left behind – she quite frankly messed things up,” said one producer. “Even though we gave a lot of generosity to her when she came, no one ever knew what she’d done in the UK.”
Chisholm’s career is no secret. Before I proceed further, let me declare myself. I knew her at Independent Television News (ITN) when I was an Item Editor on Channel Four News and she on News at 10.
ITN was a small “family” organisation in the 1980s and those who knew her and worked with her at ITN were quite frankly amazed at her elevated position at SABC.
Comments suggested it was unbelievable she ever got the job, that she lacked leadership qualities, rubbed people up the wrong way and in some people’s judgment at ITN the job was way out of her league.
Her decision-making skills were equally called into question, and it is suggested she was fired for spending huge sums of money when on News at 10.
The above comments are not an attack on Chisholm, but a prelude to a discussion on how the SABC proceeds in the wake of her departure and in the search for her successor.
Surely this is not the time in the broadcasting corporation’s history to get it wrong. The most fundamental question is whether someone from abroad can come to terms with its political legacy. The nature of the job demands a high degree of management skill.
So where do you find a person who can fully understand the coming-to-terms politically, socially and professionally which is taking place as black and white SABC employees break down the broadcasting walls within the corporation?
Any overseas candidate will lose valuable time adjusting and comprehending the nature of the beast. A South African who has all- round TV skills plus management experience will be preferable to an import. Perhaps the job could even be divided into two – separating administration from creative input.
Furthermore, it needs a person who can focus the SABC on the task which is its mandate – programme-making. Somewhere in the maelstrom of attack and counter-attack which the SABC staff are immersed in, the business of making programmes has been lost.
The job of reflecting back to the newly enfranchised electorate what is happening in this rapidly changing economic and social era is just not apparent on the screen.
None of the three channels are asking difficult questions of politicians. Reporting of news is often just factual – neither analytical nor placed in a wider context – and reports from abroad on how South Africa is perceived are virtually non-existent.
Beyond that, the social issues which are tearing society apart -rape, child abuse, corruption and racism -are not aired on talk shows or sufficiently discussed in documentaries, with few attempts to suggest solutions or ways forward.
According to independent film-makers there is no vision or originality in the output. Yet there are people within and outside the SABC who could provide the breath of fresh air, the new voices and views to reflect the country’s catharsis.
Did Chisholm fail to recognise or harness that talent? Certainly in the case of one person who’s credited with being an “innovative thinker”, Melanie Chait (albeit another returnee). There was a well- publicised quibble over expenses which resulted in her being effectively sidelined.
And as for other cases, look no further than Jeremy Thorpe, whose crime was to question the cancelling of a wire service upon which the newsroom relied heavily. He was fired.
Now his boss, Joe Thloloe, has walked the plank. Rumour has it that Allister Sparks – a man respected in his heyday for his print journalism, but one with little TV experience – is to replace him. Is this the right choice?
With 22 years in TV production I can say with brutal honesty that qualifications count. It’s not just a matter of learning a few technical terms, sitting in on a few editing sessions and believing that good ideas are enough. It is a high-tech business where experience, the right instinct, a knowledge of logistics and strong creative sense matter.
To labour the marine analogy further: with all the crew jumping ship, isn’t now the time to read the distress signals correctly?
— Vivien Morgan is a South African-born producer working in British television