Dear Comrades and Friends,
We were recently informed of the sudden termination of the weekly Workers on Wednesday (WOW) labour show by SAFM management. No substantive reasons were given, nor discussed with us – the show’s co-producers, a non-profit NGO, Workers’ World Media Productions (WWMP). This comes as a great surprise to us because the show has been running successfully with great listnership and participation for 15 annual seasons. The show was the product of an agreement between the SABC and the trade union movement during 2004 and was the only dedicated labour show on all the SABC radio and TV channels. Yet business has so many dedicated slots as well as features in current affairs and news broadcasts.
The historical irony is that the WOW show’s cancellation comes at a time of the COVID-19 pandemic when dedicated labour shows are even more necessary. This high-handed action is unacceptable. Moreover, it has caused us to revisit our concerns about the failure of the SABC to meet its public mandate and the exclusion of dedicated labour shows our immediate issue.
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Thank you!
