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SABC 2

{{short description|South African television channel}}

{{mi|{{Cleanup rewrite|date=July 2024}}

{{Copy edit|date=July 2024}}}}

{{Infobox television channel

| name = SABC 2

| logo = New logo - SABC 2.jpg

| logo_size = 200px

| logo_alt = SABC 2's logo

| image =

| launch_date = 5 May 1975 (test transmission)
6 January 1976 (start of regular broadcasts, as SABC TV/SAUK-TV)
31 December 1981 (as TV1)
4 February 1996 (as SABC 2)

| closed_date =

| picture_format = 1080i HDTV

| network = SABC

| owner = SABC

| country = {{Flag|South Africa}}

| language =

{{Plainlist|

  • Sepedi
  • Sesotho
  • Setswana
  • Venda{{cite web|url=http://www.info.gov.za/view/DownloadFileAction?id=70339|title=The Media Development and Diversity Agency - a draft position paper|date=November 2000|publisher=South African Government Information|page=68|access-date=2008-11-30|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831080611/http://www.info.gov.za/view/DownloadFileAction?id=70339|archive-date=2009-08-31}}
  • Tsonga
  • Afrikaans (Removed)
  • English

}}

| area = {{Flag|South Africa}}

| affiliates =

| headquarters = SABC Television Park, Uitsaaisentrum, Johannesburg, {{Flag|South Africa}}

| former_names = CCV TV

| replaced = TV 2/3/4

| replaced_by =

| sister_channels =

{{Plainlist|

}}

| timeshift_service =

| website = {{URL|http://www.sabc2.co.za}}

| terr_serv_1 = Sentech

| terr_chan_1 = Channel depends on nearest Sentech repeater

| sat_radio_serv_1 =

| sat_radio_chan_1 =

| adsl serv 1 =

| adsl chan 1 =

| online_serv_1 =

| online_chan_1 =

| 3gmobile serv 1 =

}}

SABC 2 is a South African free-to-air television channel owned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). The channel was createdin its current form on 4 February 1996, due to the restructuring of the three national SABC networks.

As of March 2024, SABC 2 broadcasts programming only in English, Venda, Tsonga, Sotho, Sepedi & Setswana.

In August 2018, the channel started broadcasting in high definition.

History

=SABC TV=

South Africa was already served by some closed-circuit systems in hotels before SABC-TV started.{{cite web |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Business/World-Communicatiions-Unesco-1975.pdf |title=World Communications |date=1975 |publisher=UNESCO |accessdate=19 April 2024 |page=112 }} SABC began airing test cards in early 1975 on its transmitters{{cite web |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1977-TV-Factbook/1977-TV-Factbook.pdf |title=Television |date=March 1975 |accessdate=5 February 2024 |page=1121 }} and started trialling its first television service on 5 May 1975 in South Africa's largest cities, and officially launched its first television channel on 6 January 1976 under the name SABC Television/SAUK-Televisie. The launch of SABC-TV caused South Africa to become the last country in the industrialised world to introduce television and had a viewership base of one million. Around 222,000 television sets were tuned in to the inauguration.{{cite news |last=Botha |first=Koos |title=Gala-wegspring vir SAUK-TV! |trans-title=Gala launch for SABC-TV! |url=https://gpa.eastview.com/dtsa/?a=d&d=dtsa19760106-01.1.1 |access-date=30 January 2025 |work=Die Transvaler |date=6 January 1976 |page=1 |location=Johannesburg, South Africa |language=af |via=East View Global Press Archive}} As with other countries, the launch of television had negative effects in other sectors of the country's entertainment industry, especially cinemas. Within the corporation, SABC's regional radio stations would suffer from loss of listeners to the new television network, but Radio 5's playlists remained unchanged.{{cite web |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/70s/1976/Billboard%201976-02-14.pdf |title=Billboard |date=14 February 1976 |accessdate=5 February 2024 |page=46 }}

The service opened at 6pm with a bilingual opening speech presented by Heinrich Maritz (Afrikaans) and Dorianne Berry (English), the culmination of a five-year project. The first programme seen was a special presentation from the Children's and Youth division, in Afrikaans, which presented Haas Kas and other characters produced by the unit. The English-language The Everywhere Express, which had been shown in the test service the previous year, was also introductory in nature.{{cite web |title=TELEVISION COMES TO SOUTH AFRICA

|url=https://repository.up.ac.za/bitstream/handle/2263/24845/07chapter7.pdf?sequence=8&isAllowed=y |access-date=5 February 2024 |website=University of Pretoria |date=2008 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20220320094055/https://repository.up.ac.za/bitstream/handle/2263/24845/07chapter7.pdf?sequence=8&isAllowed=y |archive-date=20 March 2022}}

The official opening of the service was at 8pm with a speech from Prime Minister John Vorster. One million viewers saw its opening night, while approximately 250,000 television sets were sold in the country in the second half of 1975 alone.South African TV Makes Debut; Vorster is Wary of Its Dangers. (1976, Jan 06). New York Times (1923-)

As of 1977, the SABC-TV service was delivered over eighteen transmitters:

  • Alverstone-Durban-Pinetown: channel 4{{cite web |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1977-TV-Factbook/1977-TV-Factbook.pdf |title=Television Factbook |date=1977 |accessdate=31 March 2021 |page=1121 }}
  • Bloemfontein: channel 9
  • Cape Town: channel 8
  • Davel-Bethal-Ermelo: channel 22 (UHF)
  • East London: channel 9
  • George Mosselbay: channel 5
  • Glencoe-Dundee: channel 27 (UHF)
  • Hartbeesfontein-Klerksdorp: channel 45 (UHF)
  • Johannesburg: channel 13
  • Kimberley: channel 4
  • Kroonstad: channel 57 (UHF)
  • Middelburg-Witbank: channel 41 (UHF)
  • Port Elizabeth-Uitenhage: channel 7
  • Port Shepstone-Margate: channel 8
  • Pretoria: channel 5
  • Theunissen: channel 5
  • Villiersdorp: channel 7
  • Welverdiend-Potchefstroom: channel 7

Two years after launch, a South African Sunday newspaper called the service "prissy and pricey": "prissy" due to the strict moral standards of the SABC and "pricey" due to the high costs of both buying a television set and paying the licence fee. The introduction of television advertising would at the time threaten advertisers in newspapers. The schedule lasted for five hours (6pm to 11pm, earlier closing on Sunday nights) with a few hours of sports on Saturdays. On a technical level, the SABC claimed to have the highest standards, but not at programming level. The service was also touted as a propaganda vehicle for the then-ruling National Party.{{cite news|title=The black and white TV show|url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/newnation19780108-1.2.53|access-date=6 February 2024|newspaper=New Nation|date=8 January 1978}}

By 1979, the broadcasts were picked up by 80% of the white population and 42% of the black population. Censorship was still recurring, a famous example included SABC TV skipping an episode of Dallas in August 1979 that featured a homosexual affair, which was deemed "too sensitive" for the conservative South African mindset of the time, infuriating fans of the series.Missing Dallas episode enrages South Africans. (1979, Sep 05). The Globe and Mail

=TV1=

On 1 January 1982, two television channels were introduced: TV2 broadcasting in Zulu and Xhosa and TV3 broadcasting in Sotho and Tswana, both targeted at a Black urban audience and broadcasting on the same television frequency.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rJ-uCwAAQBAJ&dq=TV2+broadcasting+in+Zulu+and+Xhosa+and+TV3+broadcasting+in+Sotho+and+Tswana%2C&pg=PA222|title=The Press and Apartheid: Repression and Propaganda in South Africa|first1=William A.|last1= Hachten|first2= C. Anthony |last2=Giffard |publisher=Springer|year=1984|page=222|isbn=9781349076857}} The main network, now called TV1, divided its broadcasting languages evenly between English and Afrikaans, as before. The channel introduced its first non-white continuity announcer, Vivian Solomons, for its Afrikaans segments in July 1983, who was of mixed race. Because SABC did not have a separate channel for mixed race and Indian South Africans, the corporation would increase the amount of non-whites appearing on the channel, though this caused complaints from viewers due to his appearance, making up most of the nearly 40 callers who contacted the corporation upon his introduction.INTERNATIONAL NEWS IN BRIEF. (1983, Jul 08). Philadelphia Inquirer

A sitcom comparable to All in the Family, People Like Us, had its 26 episodes taped throughout 1987, but only aired for the first time on 23 December 1989 at a late slot (10:25pm on Saturdays) in order not to offend its white audience, while the timeslot was also chosen on purpose as kids of any race were already asleep by then. One viewer accused the corporation of cowardice under the grounds that, in order to increase its white audience, the series should have been moved to a prime time slot on weekdays.Wren, C. S. (1990, Jan 08). South African TV gets its own Archie Bunker. The Globe and Mail The series aired weeks before Nelson Mandela's speech on 11 February 1990, which was broadcast by the corporation, breaking its biases for the first time in fourteen years.[https://mg.co.za/article/2020-02-17-february-11-1990-mandelas-media-conquest/ February 11 1990: Mandela’s media conquest]

The end of Apartheid caused a series of radical changes for the channel, distancing itself from its segregated past. Ethnic mixing was now possible; its morning show Good Morning South Africa now had a white man and a black woman side by side, impossible in Apartheid days.{{cite news |last1=McLairn |first1=Kimberly J. |title=The Voice of Apartheid Goes Multicultural |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/25/world/the-voice-of-apartheid-goes-multicultural.html |work=The New York Times |date=25 July 1995 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526145831/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/25/world/the-voice-of-apartheid-goes-multicultural.html |archive-date=26 May 2015}} In 1992, four non-whites were hired for current affairs programming and a further four for religious programmes.Cohen, T. (1993, Feb 01). South African TV network now broadcasts in black and white: [1* edition]. An agreement was signed with Sky News on 21 September 1993, enabling TV1 to air the channel during off-air hours from 15 October that year, akin to sister channel CCV which already had a contract with CNN International.{{cite news|title=Murdoch enters African market|url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19930923-1.2.52.5.2|access-date=21 July 2024|newspaper=The Straits Times|date=23 September 1993}} In 1994, with post-Apartheid democratisation, it was suggested that TV1 should broadcast entirely in English,"SABC changes slowly in the new South Africa", Africa Film & TV Magazine, nº. 4, September 1994 by October that year, it was suggested that a model similar to the one adopted in 1996 would be suggested for two of the SABC channels, with the third channel being run for "profit and entertainment", entirely in English.AP. (1994, Nov 25). S. AFRICAN TV HOPES TO REFLECT NATION'S NEW FACE: [FIVE STAR EDITION]. St.Louis Post - Dispatch (Pre-1997 Fulltext) At this time, the channel's slogan was This one's for you! ({{lang|af|Dié een is vir jou!}} in Afrikaans).

From February 1996, per a November 1995 decision, TV1 (under its new guise as SABC 2) would increase its programming in English, following the results of a demographic survey. The three channels combined would provide 65% English programming during prime time hours.DAVID BERESFORD, I. J. (1995, Dec 01). Afrikaans loses battle for air time on S african TV. The Guardian (Pre-1997 Fulltext)

=SABC 2=

In 1996, the SABC reorganised its three TV networks with the aim of making them more representative of the various language groups."1, 2, 3, SABC!", Africa Film & TV Magazine, nº. 9, April-June 1996 These were renamed to SABC 3 (formerly TV1), SABC 1 (formerly CCV) and SABC 2 (formerly NNTV). The amount of time allocated to Afrikaans-language programming on the new channel (SABC 2) fell from 50% to 15% - a move that alienated Afrikaans speakers. A spokesman for the SABC said that such a reduction was "inevitable in the post apartheid era", and that the SABC had not abided to the IBA's recommendations.

Under the new format, 40% of SABC 2's schedule was in English, with the remaining 60% given to the other languages. The new service catered at Afrikaans and Sotho speakers during prime time, all-day language breakdown was as of the time of the change: 41% English, 15% Afrikaans, 8% Sepedi, 6% Sesotho, 8% Setswana and 1% each for Xitsonga and Tshivenda. 21% of its programming was multilingual.

With the commercialisation of the SABC in July 1997, the channel decided to drop its loss-making breakfast show Good Morning South Africa that it had inherited from the Apartheid-era TV1.{{cite news |last1=Haffajee |first1=Ferial |title=SABC's radical changes |url=https://mg.co.za/article/1997-06-20-sabcs-radical-changes/ |work=Mail & Guardian |date=20 June 1997}} In late 1997, the SABC announced that the channel would house more public service programming. On 1 December that year, SABC 2 adopted a new look.{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Janet |title=New-look Simunye channel |url=https://mg.co.za/article/1997-12-05-new-look-simunye-channel/ |work=Mail & Guardian |date=5 December 1997}}

For 2002, the channel was committed to be "the voice, the heart and the mind of South Africans", owing to its broadcast footprint - the largest out of any SABC terrestrial network. Aiming at increasing its audiences in the Black and Afrikaans sectors, the channel sought to increase its local offering, reflecting individual South African cultures and communities. Three new projects were being developed, The Res, Dark City and Zero Tolerance. 7de Laan increased its number of weekly episodes to four, while Muvhango was planned to enter its third season in April that year."SABC 2 - plans for 2002", Africa Film & TV Magazine, nº. 32, February-April 2002

On 1 March 2013, SABC 2 adopted its current logo. Blue is the main colour of the channel, but red, yellow and green are also used. However, at the time of rebranding, its programming was still seen as "dated"[https://www.news24.com/life/sabc2-relaunches-brand-you-belong-20130301 SABC2 relaunches brand: You belong]

SABC 2 was initially announced to begin HD broadcasts via DStv during July 2018,[https://www.news24.com/life/sabc-tv-finally-going-hd-20180608 SABC TV finally going HD] broadcasts started on 8 August 2018.[https://www.sabc.co.za/sabc/wp-content/plugins/download-attachments/includes/download.php?id=2835 SABC 2 SWITCHES TO FULL HD][https://www.tvsa.co.za/user/blogs/viewblogpost.aspx?blogpostid=49793 SABC2: now also in HD]

Programming

After the SABC restructured its television channels, SABC 2 took the place of the old TV1 channel. The reduced prominence of Afrikaans angered many speakers of the language, although the channel still features a significant amount of Afrikaans programming, including a news broadcast every week night at 19:00 and weekends at 18:00.

M-Net seeing the market need, launched the Afrikaans subscription channel KykNet in 1999 and followed in 2005 with the music channel MK (originally known as MK89.) In 2009, M-Net launched Koowee, a kids channel broadcasting in Afrikaans.

= Soapies, dramas and telenovelas =

The channel is popular for its two longest-running soapies 7de Laan and Muvhango, dramas such as Erfsondes, Geraamtes in die Kas, Roer Jou Voete and 90 Plein Street, and Telenovelas such as Keeping Score, Giyani: Land of Blood and Die Sentrum.

= Series =

SABC 2 has in the past, broadcast international series such as NCIS, Pretty Little Liars, Teen Wolf and The Vampire Diaries. However, the channel is currently focused on local reality and actuality series such as Speak Out, Relate, and Saving Our Marriage, comedies such as Ga Re Dumele and Ke Ba Bolleletse, and a few international series such as American Ninja Warrior.

= Talk and magazine =

The channel has a small number of talk, travel and magazine shows. Shows include Motswako, Vusaseki, Nhlalala ya Rixaka, 50/50, Voetspore and TalkAbility.

= Music =

SABC 2 plays local afro-soul and pop music interludes in between shows. It also has music shows such as Afro Cafè, Soul'd Out Sessions, Kliphard, Musiek Roulette and Noot vir Noot.

= Religion =

The channel has religious shows aimed at Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism. Local shows include longest running show It's Gospel Time, Gospel Classics, Psalted ["Simcha"], Derech Eretz, and Issues of Faith.

= Sports =

SABC 2 rarely broadcasts live sports due to funding issues, and instead focuses on sporting highlights. It is mostly focused on boxing, rugby, swimming and athletics. In the recent{{when|date=May 2025}} year, it has broadcast a few football matches due to a high load of football broadcasting. It broadcasts Bafana Bafana, Banyana Banyana and CAF Champions League matches

= News and current affairs =

The channel provides two primetime bulletins for the TshiVenda/xiTsonga, and Sotho/Setswana/Sepedi languages. In addition, it has current affairs programmes including Ngula Ya Vutivi, Zwa Maramani and Leihlo La Sechaba. It also airs the longest-running breakfast show Morning Live. It is known for national events such as presidential inaugurations, State of the Nation Address, Budget Speeches, and parliamentary events. On 4 March 2024, the Afrikaans bulletin has been moved to SABC 3 on Mondays to Fridays @ 20:30 and Weekends @ 18:15.

= Movies =

The channel is known for family-friendly and dramatic movies, autobiographies and animated movies.

= Youth and education =

{{Main article|List of children and youth programs produced by the SABC}}

SABC 2 has a roster of shows from its SABC Education slate, most notably Takalani Sesame, It's For Life, The Epic Hangout, among others, and also brings educational shows on how to manage money and a focus on senior citizens, as well as other children's shows from Disney Junior, either in their original English soundtrack or dubbed in South African languages, such as The Lion Guard in isiZulu, Ben 10 in Afrikaans and Doc McStuffins in Sotho. For teens and preteens it offers comedy series from Disney Channel and Nickelodeon, such as ICarly, True Jackson, VP, A.N.T. Farm, Sanjay and Craig, The Sparticle Mystery, Star Falls and Cookabout, as well as local series including Signal High, Snake Park and Hectic Nine-9. Content that is most watched among the youth is the 17:00 slot, for airing anime series from Toei Animation, Studio Pierrot and TV Tokyo, notably airing popular series that have a cult following such as Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, Beyblade, Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Z Kai, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball SUPER, Naruto Shippuden, One Piece and Bleach.

List of Programmes

=Imported Programmes=

==Current==

===Children's===

==Former==

===Children's===

===Comedy===

===Drama===

===Magazine===

===Soap Opera===

===Documentary===

  • {{flagicon|USA}} Story of a People

===Talk Shows===

See also

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • {{official website}}

{{SABC}}

{{Greater Johannesburg|media}}

Category:Television stations in South Africa

Category:Television channels and stations established in 1976

Category:Afrikaans-language television