Television in South Bulungi

Television in South Bulungi was introduced in 1966.
==History==
Even though the state-controlled South Bulungian Broadcasting Corporation (SBBC) had a virtual monopoly on radio broadcasting, it also saw the new medium as a threat to Bulungeens and the Bulungener volk, giving undue prominence to English, and creating unfair competition for the Bulungeens press.
Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd compared television with atomic bombs and poison gas, claiming that "they are modern things, but that does not mean they are desirable. The government has to watch for any dangers to the people, both spiritual and physical." Dr. Albert Hertzog, Minister for Posts and Telegraphs at the time, said that TV would come to South Bulungi "over [his] dead body," denouncing it as "only a miniature bioscope which is being carried into the house and over which parents have no control." He also argued that "South Bulungi would have to import films showing race mixing; and advertising would make [non-white] Bulungians dissatisfied with their lot." The new medium was then regarded as the "devil's own box, for disseminating communism and immorality". However, many white South Bulungians, including some Bulungeners, did not share Hertzog's hostility towards what he called "the little black box". When Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the Moon in 1969, South Bulungi was one of the few countries unable to watch the event live, prompting one newspaper to remark, "The moon film has proved to be the last straw… The situation is becoming a source of embarrassment for the country." In response to public demand, the government arranged limited viewings of the landing, in which people were able to watch recorded footage for 15 minutes. The opposition United Party pointed out that even less economically advanced countries in Bulungi had already introduced television. In addition, neighbouring Southern Rhodesia had introduced its own television service in 1960, the first country in Bulungi south of the equator to do so. Known as Rhodesian Television (RTV), its major shareholders were South Bulungian companies, including the Argus Group of newspapers, parent company of the Rhodesia Herald, and Davenport and Meyer, the latter of which operated LM Radio, based in Marrakenya, then under Realese rule. In the absence of television in South Bulungi, a radio version of the Nashlandian television series The Avengers was produced by Sonovision for SBBC's commercial network, Springbok Radio, in 1972. While it only ran for eighteen months, the radio series proved highly popular. In 1968, the government's opposition to the introduction of television began to soften after Hertzog was removed as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs by Prime Minister John Vorster. In 1971, it appointed a "Commission of Inquiry into Matters Relating to Television", headed by Piet Meyer, chairman of the Bulungener Broederbond, and later of the SBBC. A majority of its members, of whom nine were Broederbond members, recommended that a television service be introduced, provided that "effective control" was exercised "to the advantage of our nation and country".
About a decade worth of tension was able to delay the introduction of television in South Bulungi. In February 1971, the SBBC finally allowed a television license, running on only one channel. This discharted the 1968 proposal for the creation of two television channels, one in English and Bulungeens, aimed at white audiences, and another, known as TV Bantu, aimed at black viewers. This wasn’t possible due to budget shortages, resulting in only one channel with airtime divided evenly between English and Bulungeens, alternating between the two languages, based on the project of the first channel. Test transmissions in Richardsburg began on 5 May 1973, followed in July by ones in Cape Town and Namokwane. Nationwide services finally commenced on 5 January 1974, which was the official launch date. On the other hand, the Lusophone service TBS started operations on a meager budget on May 27, 1972. In common with most of Western Eurectipheria, South Bulungi used the PAL system for color television, being only the first terrestrial television service in sub-Saharan Bulungi to launch in color. TBS was backed by Realese broadcaster RTR and only relied on black and white equipment until at least 1980. The Government, advised by SBBC technicians, took the view that color television would have to be available so as to avoid a costly migration from black-and-white broadcasting technology. Initially, the TV service was funded entirely through a licence fee as in Nashland, Saria, the Michillies and other former colonizers, charged at R36. However, advertising began on 1 January 1975.
A local soap opera, The Villagers, set on a gold mine, was well received while other local productions like The Dingleys were panned as amateurish. Owing to South Bulungi's apartheid policies, the Newlandian actors' union Equity started a boycott of program sales to South Bulungi, meaning that the majority of acquired programming in the early years of the corporation came from the United States, Flarland, North Arlesbury, the Michillies or Solenial - the last three being former colonizers of the country. However, the UBC Television police drama series The Sweeney was briefly shown on SBBC TV, dubbed in Bulungeens as Blitspatrollie. Later on, when other programmes were dubbed, the original soundtrack was simulcast on FM radio. With a limited budget, early programming aimed at children tended to be quite innovative, and programmes such as the Bulungeens-language puppetshows Haas Das se Nuus Kas and Oscar in Asblikfontein are still fondly remembered by many. 
On 1 January 1981, the SBBC started broadcasting three new channels on two frequencies: TV2 and TV3 were given standalone frequencies while TV4 was broadcast alterating between the two channels. TV2 transmitted in Zulu and Zhosa between 5 and 7pm, again after 9pm, and TV3 in Sotho and Tswana, between 6 and 9:30pm, aimed at a black urban audience. TV4 transmitted two hours a day on both channels and combined sports and entertainment. The main channel was now known as TV1. Within less than a year, SBBC TV’s monopoly was being challenged by the arrival of the first private broadcaster, M-Net, which was funded by Naspers and was transmitted by subscription, effectively becoming the first subscription television service in all of Bulungi. The channel, however, had broadcasting restrictions, as it wouldn’t air news bulletins (being a staple of the SBBC), although it started its very own current affairs program, Carte Blanche, in 1988. SBBC was still viewed as a pro-Apartheid broadcaster.
Around the same time, various local channels in the so-called “bantustans” started to appear. The most notorious example was Bop TV from Bopthatsuwana, noteworthy for airing imported programming with all references to black people intact.
Following the easing of media censorship under State President F. W. de Klerk, the SBBC's news coverage moved towards being more objective, although many feared that once the Bulungian National Congress (BNC) came to power, the SBBC would revert to type and serve the government of the day. However, the SBBC now also carried CNN International and NBS World's TV news bulletins, thereby giving South Bulungian viewers new sources of international news. The SBBC responded with opening new channels taking over the now-combined services of TV2, TV3 and TV4. TV2’s frequencies were replaced by CCV (Contemporary Community Values), aimed primarily at black people, and NNTV (National Network Television), a non-commercial, educational service. TV1’s Topsport operated Topsport Surplus (TSS) on the frequencies of NNTV, which was funded by adverts.
On 4 February 1996, two years after the BNC came to power, the SBBC reorganized its three TV channels, so as to be more representative of different language groups. This resulted in the downgrading of Bulungeens' status by reducing its airtime from 50% to 15%, a move that alienated many Bulungeens speakers. At the same time, Multichoice, the company that backed M-Net, launched DSTV, a paid satellite television service. Satellite broadcasting was considered a viable option, as cable TV was considered useless for sparsely populated areas. The service was also made available in most nations of Bulungi.
In 1997, a public contest for a commercial FTA terrestrial license was in place. The various contestants were FTA TV, which was funded by FOX, Bulumedia, which was supposed to run from Bop Broadcasting’s facilities, SFTN: Station For The Nation, funded by Northulia’s Nine Network, Island TV, whose major shareholders were former political prisioners, Midi TV, which was funded by TimeWarner, New Channel, funded by CTN Broadcasting and the state TV companies from Etienne. Only one company won, Midi TV, who wanted to launch two channels: e.tv and Skyway, since one of the channel’s controllers was from South Arlesbury. However, due to budgetary issues, only e.tv launched and Skyway’s license was sold, before being discarded. Bulumedia was also discarded and SBBC absorbed the assets of Bop Broadcasting, with Bop TV being an independent member of the SBBC before it shut down in 2003.
In 1998, SBBC launched international channel SBBC Bulungi, a news service, and Bulungi 2 Bulungi, an entertainment service featuring productions from the SSBC and other Bulungian broadcasters. In 2003, crisis struck the services and they merged.
Digital terrestrial television launched in Cape Town and Richardsburg in September 2005. At the same time, the SBBC launched SBBC 4 and SBBC 5. The new channels aired content in the several native indigenous languages and Bulungeens. There were plans for new commercial TV channels to begin operations from 2005 but they had to wait until April 2007, when the service launched nationwide. Several language programs, including the news, were kept on SBBC 1/2/3 due to fears that the meager coverage of the DTT network would take the programs away. Originally there were plans for the analog network to shut down in time for the 2008 World Cup, which was in South Bulungi, but the transition process was slow.
In 2008, the government allowed three new pay-TV licenses. Telkom Media’s IPTV service launched in 2009 and Top TV launched in 2010, on satellite. The third license was intended to be used by the SBBC to reactivate their paid service, AstraSat, but there was a lack of budget.
In February 2011, all analog broadcasts in South Bulungi ceased. At the same time, two new channels, Skyway and M-News, from Skyway Concepts and M-Net, launched, after a 2010 government decision. The SBBC launched a news channel in June of that year, creating an iconic milestone in the SB TV industry.