Interview with Deidre Uren

Upon graduating in 1988 with a BJourn from Rhodes University, Deidre Uren moved to the SABC in the Eastern Cape as a radio and television journalist. Thereafter she became, in turn, radio assignment editor, TV assignment editor and provincial editor Eastern Cape from 2005 to 2021. In 2021 she was the acting head of SABC news output for six months before becoming the Head of Innovation and Content Development at SABC News. Deidre was also the head of the SABC election project in 2021, and responsible for the M-Plan Project for the SABC and co-ordination of the International Broadcasters plan around the funeral of former President Nelson Mandela. In 1996 Deidre co-authored Who’s Who in local government – a practical guide to the new local government dispensations in the Eastern Cape. In the 2019 Vodacom Journalist of the Year Awards Deidre was a national winner in the Opinion category for the production and implementation of the award-winning show Democracy Gauge. She has had international exposure to the broadcast landscape through the Media Heads Development programme offered by the Chinese Government and a postgraduate business development course at Gibbs Business School. She completed the Women Towards Management course with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.