SABC's gain is e.tv's pain

Though slow out of the starting blocks, e.tv soon made an impact, particularly in the Western and Northern Capes. In no time, the station endeared itself to a sizeable chunk of the market, buoyed in part by its hard-hitting approach to programming.

Hard-nosed journalist Debora Patta, now editor-in-chief eNews and current affairs, spearheaded this approach with her confrontational style of interviewing. Her prime time show, 3rd Degree, still ranks among the most-watched programmes in South Africa. It has since moved to a new time slot of 9:30pm on Tuesdays, in direct competition with the SABC's Special Assignment.

Disturbing trend unfolding

Over the years, however, a disturbing trend has been unfolding: e.tv has been losing journalists to the public-funded SABC in droves. This scenario has the potential to undermine e.tv's efforts to provide healthy competition to the public broadcaster.

There seems to be no end in sight. If anything, the trend has taken on a vigorous pace. No sooner has a journalist made their mark at e.tv than they are quickly snapped up by the predatory SABC.

This all began innocently, when sports reporter Altaaf Kazi left e.tv for the SABC years ago. Soon afterwards, Jimi Mathews, then head of news at e.tv followed suit. The subsequent appointment of Mathews as SABC head of news seemed to have opened the floodgates. Since then, the never-ending brain drain from e.tv to the SABC has assumed a somewhat comical note.

Early defectors included the wide-eyed Clayson Munyela, Njanji Chauke, and yoyo-man Tshepo Mabona, who started off at the SABC before joining e.tv and then going back again.

The whiff of greener pastures has been too strong to resist. It lured Kalay Maistry, the unassuming Mzimasi Mgebisa, Eben Jansen and the loquacious Sindy Mabe to the SABC. The latter has since returned to e.tv, where she is co- anchor of Sunrise, the station's morning show.

It came as no surprise that then e.tv's morning anchor and lifestyle reporter, the affable Romy Titus, Vuyani Green, and the well-groomed Craig Marais all jumped ship to join the ever-swelling ranks of the SABC. Among recent defectors have been the feisty Nokwazi Zim, Jeff Zikhali, Blaine Heiman and Hyde Fitzpatrick.

Different career path

However, since the launch of eNews Channel, e.tv's sister station that broadcasts 24/7 and the launch of business channel CNBC Africa, there has been a reversal of fortunes. Senior journalists that have left the SABC to join eNews include the irreplaceable Jeremy Maggs, Redi Direko and Macfarlane Moleli; Lerato Mbhele, Alisha Seckum, Nikiwe Bikitsha and Mandakazi Mpahlwa have gone to CNBC Africa; and John Perlman sought greener pastures elsewhere. Makhaya Mani and Wardah Hartley are among few former e.tv reporters to follow a different career path - they joined the Western Cape Provincial Government and British American Tobacco respectively.

When asked, SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago denied that the SABC deliberately dangled a carrot at e.tv journalists, stating that the SABC does not have a strategy in place to entice journalists from e.tv.

“We advertise positions in the normal way and select applicants who best meet our recruitment requirements. In some cases these happen to be e.tv employees; in many other instances, they are not,” explained Kganyago.

Kganyago said journalists join SABC News because of its professional, well-researched newsroom. According to him, the other factor that attracts journalists to the SABC is its huge audience base - independent research indicates 85% of adult South Africans regard the SABC as their primary news source. There are also numerous opportunities for staff development, coupled with interesting and varied assignments in SA and abroad.

On why the SABC does not groom its own staffers, he said his corporation does not employ entry-level journalists.

‘Does not impact negatively'

Yet, said Kganyago, this trend does not impact negatively on the SABC's relationship with e.tv, given that the industry generally accounts for high staff turnovers. He denied any hint that this frequent flight of journalists was undermining e.tv's efforts to offer competition and provide an independent slant on news and current affairs.

“We believe a diversity of voices in the media is essential to a functioning democracy, but we also have a responsibility to our employees. We are bent on ensuring the SABC is the employer of choice in our industry and won't compromise on that,” explained Kganyago.

Patta agreed that the television industry is characterised by high staff turnovers, saying that this is because there are only two major players when it comes to news. But she said the SABC poaches e.tv staffers because they are the best in the business.

“Our reporters, camera operators and video editors are well-trained, professional journalists, as such are highly sought after. As a general rule, we refrain from employing SABC journalists because they tend to lack a proper understanding of journalism and ethics,” she claimed.

“We pride ourselves on developing fresh talent and practicing independent journalism that holds no one's brief.”

Continued Patta, “SABC journalists often behave like government spokespeople, and that's why the flow is generally in their favour and not vice versa. We could employ many of their journalists but we simply don't want to.”

‘Valued money more'

According to Patta, the SABC was in a position to woo young, impressionable journalists who valued money more than journalistic principles. This, she stated, skews the market, as young staffers with little experience are offered exorbitant salaries to defect to the SABC. But regardless of this, e.tv will continue to train and develop talented professionals, notwithstanding the fact that some will be poached by the competition.