Rugby World Cup news boycott

The M&G are also reporting that Mpofu may have neglected to “mention a commercial interest that might have clouded his own judgement” when he led the SABC to quit from SANEF. Mpofu is denying there is a conflict of interest. The M&G has also published edited excerpts of Mpofu's letter to SANEF (plus the letter in full as a pdf, which Bizcommunity.com published on Tuesday [SABC's blistering attack on SA media]), with a counterpoint response from Thabo Leshilo, editor of the Sowetan and SANEF member, who states that the letter is “the most explicit display I have yet encountered of the racist notion that genuine concern about the erosion of press freedom is nothing but a bourgeois indulgence or a white pastime”.

Still on the SABC, the M&G writes that it has possession of a confidential market research survey, commissioned by Snuki Zikalala's news and current affairs division, that found in March 2007 this year that “South Africans think the South African Broadcasting Corporation treats government officials with kid gloves and tends “to cover up” government's wrongdoings” and that “[o]nly the investigative programme, Special Assignment, was seen as “above board” regarding credibility”.

Business Day writes that “[i]t is thought that the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) brought the pay-TV licensing announcement forward because leaving it any later would give MultiChoice sufficient time to sign up a list of exclusive deals with channel content providers for its satellite broadcasting platform DStv.” Multichoice announced earlier this week that it had made at exclusive content deals with two major channel providers (see end of MultiChoice to renumber DStv channels).

Finally, a few days ahead of the second annual Digital Citizen Indaba (http://dci.ru.ac.za), Internet researcher Arthur Goldstuck blogs from the new M&G-branded platform Thoughtleader.co.za that “[t]he three months from April to June 2007 are likely to be remembered as the beginning of the tipping point for social media and social networking in South Africa.” Goldstuck also predicts that by the end of August 2008, “blogs will not only be a mainstream component of most online media in South Africa, they will also be a dominant component.”

For more:

Mail & Guardian Online: Agencies flex muscles in World Cup row
• Business Day: Rugby World Cup faces news blackout

• Business Day: Government, editors in media talks

• Mail & Guardian Online: What Dali Mpofu didn't say ...

• TheStar.co.za: Pahad may cancel adverts in Sunday Times

• Mail & Guardian Online: Enemies of the people? Point and Counterpoint

• Mail & Guardian Online: SABC: Simply incredible

• Business Day: MultiChoice defends pay-TV domain

• Thoughtleader.co.za: The numbers are in: Blogging reaches tipping point in SA