12 August Xtraordinary Women: Coastal Networking Event

TOPIC: Build Your Brand’s Community on a Shoe String Budget

Never say never! Never give up on your dream – even if you don’t have the means to do it by yourself. Karen Thorne – Founder and Station Manager of Cape Town TV is testimony to the fact that: You can build your brand’s community from a shoe string budget! Karen Thorne – did it with her dream - Cape Town TV. 

She founded a community TV station in 2006 with little or no funds. Make no mistake it has been a roller-coaster ride. They had their ups and downs, their fights, their disappointments and their hardships – but they never gave up!

“When I look back at our journey I realise that we’ve had a huge amount of inspiration, motivation, and support from our community – our staff, our funders, our interns and our listeners.” Starting a television station… are you crazy? With what money? How? That’s just not attainable… how you going to do it? 



Simple. With passion, hard work and dedication! Any community can own and run a television station. What makes it a success is the community you surround yourself with. It’s the people that you put at the centre of your business. And in Cape Town TV’s case – it’s the people that have helped take our community from where we were in 2006 a dream, a wish, a burning desire – to where we are now – a community TV station that currently reaches 2.6 million people on two free-to-air footprints in Cape Town and on Channel 263 on DSTV. At any given time – Cape Town TV literally doesn’t have 1c to pay for content – and yet – they broadcast 24/7 every day – 365 days a year. 



How do they do it?

About Our Guest Speaker:

Karen Thorne is the founder and Station Manager of Cape Town TV - Cape Town's own community TV channel. Karen studied Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University in the 80's and has dedicated her professional life to the establishment of community television in South Africa.

She was involved in the negotiations during and after Codesa aimed at democratising media and communication in the new South Africa. Since the early 90s Karen has championed community television as an alternative to traditional top down, commercially orientated or state controlled media, as we know it. In 2008 she successfully launched Cape Town TV.

Cape Town Television has successfully reinvented television as we know it through its focus on education and information as well as content that is locally relevant and entertaining.

Today, Karen Thorne lives in Cape Town with her husband - a film producer, and has three children.

Please book your seat here:
http://www.xtraordinarywomen.co.za/events/events-calendar?task=view_event&event_id=262

Date: Tuesday 12 August
Payments close: Friday 08 August 2014

Registration: 08:00 Tea/Coffee on arrival

Time: 08:30 - 11:00

Venue: Blowfish Restaurant, Blouberg
Investment: R175 via EFT or R195 if cash paid into account to cover cash deposit fee

Members: R145.00

No cash payments will be accepted at the door.



A light breakfast will be served followed by Information Session and Networking.

Please e-mail us on Events@XtraordinaryWomen.co.za for any booking queries.



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