"The TV Crisis March is calling on South Africans to send an SMS that tells the SABC what people think of the current crisis and the state of the broadcaster’s programming," said the Television Industry Emergency Coalition (TVIEC) in a statement on Thursday.

"We will collate these comments and deliver them to the powers that be as well as to the media."

The TVIEC, which claims to represent the producers of more than 80 percent of local content on air, said it has drawn more support for its planned 4 June protest against the SABC.

"The response to the TVIEC’s call for companies and individuals to join us has been well received and our numbers are growing. Many unions, actors and musicians are on board," said the organisation.

TVIEC launched the protest because it says local producers of content have not been paid for their work and also because of "unfair terms of trade, unsustainable business relationships with the content creators, unfair rights ownership and a deep arrogance manifested in the heavy handed management style the SABC displays".

The SABC is facing a R784-million deficit this year. It had been plagued by in-fighting between its axed CEO Dali Mpofu and its former head of news, Snuki Zikalala, while at least three board members resigned since March.

Beeld newspaper reported on Monday that local producers had received an SMS from the SABC, informing them to stop any new production.

Several newspapers had reported that popular soap operas such as Isidingo and Sewende Laan might be pulled from the air due to non-payment.

"The current monetary and management crisis at SABC means we are being fed a diet of repeat programming and foreign content. Ultimately, it is viewers who suffer when the television production industry is offered untenable budgets and when payment is withheld due to mismanagement," said TVIEC.

Sapa

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