To Queen’s funeral
inside Westminster Abbey, as well as St. George’s Chapel and Westminster Hall, with 14 outside broadcast (OB) trucks transmitting from 10 different locations.
Cable News Network (CNN) International, which is available on DStv, had Anderson Cooper and Erin Burnett anchoring live from London with special coverage kicking off at 11am with respected senior journalists Christiane Amanpour, Max Foster and Richard Quest in London.
Like the BBC, which is also available on DStv, CNN had reporters stationed throughout London, including at Westminster Abbey, along the procession route, and Windsor Castle.
Subscribers of MultiChoice’s video streaming service across sub-Saharan Africa were also able to live-stream the Queen’s funeral on the BBC World News TV channel, made free until September 23.
The live news channel was available to all Showmax subscribers regardless
BROADCASTERS THAT BROADCAST FUNERAL:
DStv
DStv subscribers had a choice of six channels where they watched Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
They are:
Al Jazeera (DStv 406)
BBC World News (DStv 400)
CNN International (DStv 401) Euronews (DStv 414)
Sky News (DStv 402)
Showmax
Subscribers to Showmax across sub-Saharan Africa live-streamed Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on the BBC World News TV channel (free until September 23).
Other channels that broadcast the funeral:
StarSat 257
StarSat 256
Britbox SA
CBS News live-streamed on
cbsnews.com and YouTube
Fox News (StarSat 261)
France 24 (StarSat 259)
MSNBC (StarSat 263)
NBC News Now live-streamed on YouTube and nbcnews.com
of their plan.
ESTVA’s Mayisela said the local TV station’s journalist had to report the activities of the head of State.
“That was the expectation; he had to send back footage, which I am sure that he did. We have to have our own footage because he has to narrate what was happening, and from our own perspective as a country, what role we played during the funeral. We expect that narrative to be conveyed by the journalist and not to request this information from other broadcasters,” he said.
On its Twitter page, the television station announced that it would be broadcasting live the Queen’s funeral service.
“Eswatini TV will be broadcasting the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II on channel 2 on the Sigujana set-top box platform, Monday, September 19, 2022. Be sure to tune in!” the station told its viewers.
Mayisela said it was an obligation that they sent someone to the funeral and they just could not miss the event.
He conceded that ESTVA was faced with financial difficulties, but said they were not the only ones in this position.
FINANCIAL CHALLENGES
“Yes, we have financial challenges, which is not unique to us but everyone in the country is faced with this. We are hopeful that is a situation that will soon pass,” he said.
He said the journalist was now back and the station had also sent another reporter to Japan for the funeral of that Asian country’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in July.
His Majesty the King delegated the deputy prime minister to again represent him at Abe’s funeral.
Mayisela said the same travelling protocols that applied to the London trip would apply in the case of their journalists because they considered the DPM to be representing the head of State.
“There is nothing untoward, we have an obligation to cover an assignment where Cabinet has been delegated by the head of State,” he said and also confirmed that the journalist who attended the Queen’s funeral was accredited.
For radio station EBIS, its director said where possible, they cover international events attended by a representative of the Head of State so as to provide a local angle as per journalism principles.
“Presence is not determined by the presence of live television whose broadcasters also focus on the angle of their target audience,” he said.
Dlamini said it was for similar journalistic reasons that thousands of journalists from all over the world covered this historical event despite it being shown live on television.
When asked on accreditation of the journalist and the positioning given to him at the event, the director said like all international events, access was given to journalists for specific areas and restricted in others.
“The same applied for the referred to assignment,” he said.
Dlamini was further asked if it would not have been a cost-cutting measure to localise the content while getting information from the live broadcasts of the major networks.
PUBLIC DOCUMENTS
He responded: “Ministerial expenditure is reported in al quarterly and annual reports which are public documents.”
The question of finance had also included whether EBIS had the financial luxury of sending a journalist to an event that is broadcast live around the world and could be accessed though international media platforms.
Meanwhile, regarding the funeral of Japan’s Abe, Dlamini said EBIS had not sent any of its journalists there.
In the United States, national broadcaster ABC came under public criticism for sending 12 journalists and nine production staff from ABC News, plus three presenters and three production members from ABC Radio to cover the Queen’s funeral.
An additional two journalists who were in Europe, reportedly also joined their reporting team.