The new eNCA anchor line-up is excellent. It not only shows what's possible when you invest in people as a news media outfit, but the experienced telegenic news anchors are all qualified and the eNCA has a cache of talented TV news stars making several options possible.
The eNCA's new line-up will fully and officially come into effect from Monday 20 August although Iman Rappetti and Jeremy Maggs already co-anchored News Night together on Thursday night last week as their very first - and very successful - try-out.
Here is the new eNCA line-up:
06:00 - 09:00 Morning News Today
Gareth Edwards, Ayanda Allie-Payne
Gareth Edwards and Ayanda Allie Paine will co-anchor the morning broadcast from now on.
Ayanda Allie Paine is the least experienced of all the permanent new anchors; but is very able supported by the excellent Gareth Edwards who've transitioned extremely successfully from sport to anchoring the general news.
Bonus points for the times when Gareth Edwards has already shown to be able to suddenly integrate the latest sport scores into news bulletins and immediately provide context and insight without the help of a teleprompter.
09:00 - 13:00
Macfarlane Moleli, Eleni Giokos
Macfarlane Moleli has more than paid his dues and continues to do so (and how wonderful that someone who studied on a rugby bursary can become a news anchor!). Eleni Giokos who joined the eNews Channel in July - news I scooped RIGHT HERE and who have done anchor duty during the day during August now gets this fixed anchor position.
Macfarlane Moleli is well experienced as a TV anchor and holding down mid-morning coverage - as is Eleni Giokos.
Eleni Giokos must be so glad to be away from the doldrum pre-recorded CNBC Africa sponsored seminars which is so embarrassing to that business news channel while real news is happening. Eleni Giokos took the floor running and is a formidable asset for the eNCA in the anchor stable.
With business news coverage starting mid-morning she's also perfectly placed to bring immediate insight and analysis on business matters if that's required. Her sterling acquisition by eNCA has immediately been put to good news.
13:00 - 16:00 News Day
Andrew Barnes, Bhavna Singh
There is simply no better agenda-setting, real-time TV news show in South Africa during midday than News Day anchored from Cape Town by the already-good-wine-getting-better Andrew Barnes, recently paired with Bhavna Singh.
News Day on the eNCA does for South African TV viewers what American local city broadcasts have been doing for years and which Americans take for granted - it's real news, told visually, as it happens.
News Day not only report the news, but responds to it before the story is done - very difficult to do when you don't yet have all the answers or the complete picture and can't get guests to studio because they're still making the news.
Bhavna Singh is the next new co-anchor for Andrew Barnes. Will she last in this new timeslot? Since they all seem to leave, leaving Andrew Barnes almost constantly having to settle in with a new changing co-anchor dynamic.
He does pull the musical chairs of changing co-anchors off very well however - as well as being the de facto voiceover go-to guy for the eNCA news promos.
Bhavna Singh is a tad more serious in her on-screen presence than Andrew Barnes' previous co-anchors - it's not necessarily a bad thing. Being less breezy means overall more grativas for News Day as her demeanour more closely echoes that of the formidable Andrew Barnes.
16:00 - 18:00
Joanne Joseph
Currently on leave with Debora Patta sitting in temporarily on late afternoons on the eNCA, Joanne Joseph keeps her berth during the later afternoon when the tier in which the day's biggest news stories of the day are going to rank start to crystalise with more in-studio guests already talking about the day's news events and newsmakers doing phone interviews.
18:00 - 21:00 News Night
Jeremy Maggs, Iman Rappeti
Oh my. the eNCA immediately captured lightning in a bottle with the new pairing of Jeremy Maggs and Iman Rappetti for the news channel's flagship 2 hour nightly news show.
I'm so immensely impressed by the instant chemistry, utter flowing professionalism and spontaneous exuberance which has been unlocked by moving and pairing Iman Rappetti with Jeremy Maggs.
Is this powerful news duo now together on News Night the start of the greatest era for this nightly news broadcast yet?
Together Jeremy Maggs and Iman Rappetti makes News Night simply ooze sexy news appeal. They're television news stars in primetime in their prime; they're pulling the wagon together like workhorses who don't need to be told what to do - and they're very clearly and visibly having a lot of fun doing it.
You simply want to watch News Night now - with sly grins Jeremy Maggs and Iman Rappetti know they're doing the very best appointment television news bulletin in South Africa.
Having the luxury of two hours, the scope to do in-studio interviews and the resources to cover breaking news instantly incorporated into the show as well as perspective and analysis, News Night is a veritable tour-de-force of TV news coverage - strikingly well-done. If News Night isn't on you're PVR you're not getting the day's best TV news in South Africa.
