"In Urban Brew Studios, we have found a partner who has come to the party when the station really needed partners who could realise its belief in developing community television," says Meshack Mosiya, a Soweto TV board member.
The partnership benefits and adds value to the community TV objective of providing a voice and expression to the local people. It leverages the resources and expertise at its disposal to make high quality television possible at community level. It also contributes to addressing training and capacity concerns, broadcast production, advertising sales and personnel development.
"We are extremely positive about the opportunities community television, and in particular, Soweto TV has to offer and our main aim is to ensure growth, sustainability, and maximum benefit for our communities. Another area where this medium can be extremely helpful to a community is by allowing young entrepreneurs to thrive and better their individual circumstances," adds Mosiya.
He believes that the station's youth strategy is premised on the understanding that all young people have potential and should be afforded an opportunity to grow and to realise their full potential.
This strategy is already bearing fruit. A talented producer taking care of two parents dying of AIDS is already making a mark in television. Another young man, hurting from just having buried a friend, is passionate about becoming the best cameraman he can be. He knows working at Soweto TV keeps him focused and out of jail. A beautiful woman greets audiences everyday and challenges them not to succumb to negativity; as she has been living with AIDS for 13 years.
When community television stations grow, so too will the number of people who can make a living from television - producers, directors of photography, editors, graphic artists, actors, presenters, directors and other entrepreneurs. The station plans to become an access point into the media industry for the next generation of television practitioners to come out of Soweto.
"As part of the broader community TV fraternity, we look forward to collaborating with other community TV licensees to strengthen the sector for the better," he concludes.
