I have more specific details on the mishap that's forced e.tv's breakfast show Sunrise off the air this week, replacing it with the eNews Channel's (DStv 403) excellent Morning News Today between 06:00 and 08:00 while Studio 101 at e.tv's Johannesburg head office in Hyde Park is being repaired.
Over the weekend extensive structural damage was caused to the studio on ground level by the lighting grid, but I can tell you that was exactly happened is that the lighting grid actually collapsed.
The damage happened at some point between Saturday evening and Sunday morning when the lighting grid - that is the structure that holds the studio lights in Studio 101 - partially collapsed. That fell onto the Sunrise and the eNews Prime Time sets and damaged them.
Currently e.tv is busy with an extensive investigation into what caused the problem with the lighting grid. At this stage, sets need to be rebuilt, camera equipment replaced and the lighting grid replaced. I've asked e.tv for an estimation on how long it will take to get Studio 101 and the set back in shape and the broadcaster tells me that e.tv hopes to have Sunrise ''back on air in the next week''. Sunrise will however originate from another studio within e.tv's Hyde Park offices. ''Most of the damage is to the Sunrise set which was in the studio at the time and a temporary set is being built for Sunrise.''
''At this point it is difficult to say how long it will take to repair the damage to the studio as investigations are currently underway.'' Since the eNews Prime Time set was damaged as well, eNews Prime Time will be broadcast from Cape Town for the time being.
