SABC crisis 'is a threat to democracy'.(News)

BYLINE: CRAIG McKUNE

BATTLING on in "survival mode" under the shadow of a bankrupt SABC, local film and television producers say the broadcasting crisis is a threat to democracy.

The SABC has begged government for a R2 billion bail-out, but unless "a sizeable amount" is ringfenced to save local producers, the industry could face irreparable damage, said Rehad Desai, a committee member of the TV Industry Emergency Coalition (TVIEC) and a board member of the SA Screen Federation.

And in a crisis meeting in Johannesburg last week, the TVIEC warned that the SABC was not commissioning new local content. This would mean a 67 percent drop in local content …