The Eastern Cape may be set to bolster its media infrastructure with the introduction of a community TV station aimed at public development.
The Eastern Cape may be set to bolster its media infrastructure with the introduction of a community TV station aimed at public development.
This initiative, which is still in its early stages, has been handled by the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) in partnership with the Media Development and Diversity Agency since the middle of last year.
The ECDC hopes to cover all aspects of social development using the station as a platform, with the intention of assisting not only the Eastern Cape but the rest of the country as well.
By broadcasting programmes aimed at aiding the general public, important information on civic matters such as industry, commerce, politics, agriculture and transport will be the main focus.
It has not yet been decided whether or not the station will carry a subscription fee, however the ECDC’s Executive Manager of Development Services Noludwe Ncokazi says that the service will most likely be free of charge as “the developmental nature of the project prescribes such, otherwise it would be irrelevant to the province”.
Ncokazi reports that a number of interested parties are involved in developing the initiative which could not be named at this time.
A project steering committee has been set up by the ECDC with the job of co-ordinating and assembling all the relevant parties involved in order to formulate an effective model for the scheme.
It is still unknown as to when the initiative will come to fruition. Formed in 1996 by the Eastern Cape Legislature, the ECDC is based centrally in East London, with a number of regional offices dotted around the province.
The ECDC works closely with provincial and national departments, municipalities, private business, communities and other development agencies in order to plan, finance, co-ordinate and promote economic and social reform in the underdeveloped Eastern Cape.
