BREAKING. South African total television viewership grows; biggest viewership gains made by e.tv, SABC1 and SABC2.

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I can be first to show you a comparable by-the-numbers comparison of the latest South African TV viewership figures that are out for South African TV television that shows significant television viewership growth in South Africa.

The South African television viewership is the very latest and just released Saarf AMPS data for the period between July 2009 and June 2010 and is for people who say they've watched a specific TV channel the previous day. Its technical and I won't bore you, but its also the first year that its possible to compare this Saarf AMPS data to the previous year's.

In terms of TV there has been an increase in the total television viewership in South Africa. The TV channels that have seen the highest increases include SABC1, SABC2 and e.tv. SABC1 is still by far the largest TV channel in South Africa with 19,44 million daily viewers but e.tv is slowly and steadily gaining and now has a massive 14,7 million viewers - a record number of viewers. SABC2 is next with 14,2 million viewers, followed by SABC3 with 9,8 million viewers. Just under 5 million people watch a DStv channel daily and M-Net on average has just over 1 million viewers daily.

BREAKING. e.tv's Popstars secloisted at the five star Fairmont Zimbali Lodge at the Dolphin Coast.

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I can reveal that the contestants of e.tv's Popstars are currently secretly secloistered at the ultra lux Fairmont Zimbali Lodge at Kwa-Zulu/Natal's exotic Dolphin Coast.

The contestants are currently being put through their paces while they reside at the beautiful five star boutique hotel with a magnificent view over the Indian ocean. Suites for the well heeled who lounge next to tranquil infinity pools can cost more than R7 000 and the Popstars contestants are getting full-on exposure to the luxury life.

So strict is security at the estate that - according to sources - even e.tv staff have had difficulty getting access to the production at the Fairmont Zimbali Lodge once they left and then wanted to return. With several camera crews following the contestants everywhere as they are practising, they have little time to enjoy their stay in the lap of luxury where international visitors are vacationing and even an unrelated modeling photo shoot took place today. ''It's really wonderful to be filming here,'' a member of the Popstars production crew told me.

''All the Popstars contestants are working incredibly hard. They all want to be here. They know what's at stake,'' another on-set source told me.

Sad Solly's simply gotta go: ''SABC board is fully committed to get rid of Solly Mokoetle,'' says insider.

The SABC board is slowly but surely wriggling the knife deeper and deeper. In ''return'' for keeping up with the insipidly sorry broadcasting bom dr Ben Ngubane as SABC chairman and finally caving to his unilateral decision to appoint Phil Molefe as the SABC's head of news, they will now have the scalp of the SABC's group CEO Solly Mokoetle.

''Basically it's a trade-off of sorts. Phil for Solly,'' a source close to the SABC board tells me. ''The disaster [with the appointment of] with Phil Molefe made the SABC board [who finally chose to confirm the unilateral appointment] adamant that it will give them even greater leverage and substantial charges against Solly,'' I'm told.

''The SABC board's fully committed to get rid of Solly Mokoetle. Cannot stand him,'' I'm told by another high-level SABC insider with knowledge of the current situation (but who's not an SABC board member). Solly Mokoetle is currently suspended with a wide range of accusations leveled agsinst hime by the SABC board, arguing that Solly Mokoetle has not done enough to implement a turn-around strategy for the beleaguered public broadcaster as he was tasked to do.

BREAKING. Idols sends Jess Yallup home, leaving a top 6 in M-Net's reality show.

Cobus Bodenstein/M-Net

Jess Yallup (22) got the least amount of votes and was sent home in tonight's Idols Results Show on M-Net with a top 6 Idols contestants now remaining in the reality show.

The redhead from Durban landed in the bottom three least vote getters for the third time, and this time she got the least number of votes from viewers. On borrowed time with Jess Yallup were Pieter West and Adeline Mocke.

From this coming Sunday's episode the top 6 remaining contestants will each be singing two songs - one of their favourite driving songs, and one chosen for them by the Idols judges.

Idols' Liezel van der Westhuizen, All Access' Ewan Strydom and 50/50's Katlego Maboyi promote SABC3's new Expresso morning show.

Just one day after her abrupt sudden last appearance on M-Net's Idols on Sunday night, Liezel van der Westhuizen is simply burning up promo time with a brand-new, heavily flighted on-air promo that started today on SABC3. In the promo for SABC3's new morning show Expresso, Liezel van der Westhuizen, Ewan Strydom from M-Net's All Access and Katlego Maboyi from SABC2's 50/50 are telling viewers about the exciting new morning breakfast show Expresso starting Monday, October 4 on SABC3 between 05:30 and 07:30.

Liezel van der Westhuizen, Ewan Strydom and Katlego Maboyi who've decided to leave M-Net and SABC2 to join the new Tswelopele Production made for SABC3, all speak seamless Afrikaans and English. It could be an indication of another first-ever coming to South African television: fully bilingual TV presenters who are absolutely comfortable in Afrikaans and English and who will also be allowed - and were actually sought out - to speak both.

''What is the first thing you do in the morning? Do you hit the snooze button?'' enthuses Liezel van der Westhuizen, before 50/50's Katlego Maboyi seamlessly continues: ''Soon it will be your remote button you press for your morning caffeine fix.'' All Access' Ewan Strydom continues (in Afrikaans) and touts what viewers will see on Expresso: ''SABC3's new morning show gives you celebs, décor, food, health and entertainment.''

Expresso will include inserts and information on sport, staying fit and following a healthy diet. Viewers who look closely, will even see Ewan Strydom lift Katlego Maboyi up in the air, doing a mock ''human dumb-bell press''. Ewan Strydom will be Expresso's new fitness expert.

ALSO READ: SABC3's brand-new morning show will be called Espresso.
ALSO READ: Liezel van der Westhuizen leaving M-Net's Idols immediately after being given an ultimatum.
ALSO READ: A first glimpse of the conceptual art design of SABC3's new Espresso morning show.
ALSO READ: Ewan Strydom leaving M-Net's All Access for SABC3's new morning show.
ALSO READ: Katlegoe Maboe from SABC2's 50/50 joining SABC3's new morning show.
ALSO READ: The pent house of the Equinox building in Sea Point, Cape Town is where SABC3's new Espresso morning show will be filmed.

MultiChoice on the new M-Net Movies 1 HD channel - and more HD channels to come: ''High definition is the future of broadcasting.''

On Friday, October 1 the new M-Net Movies 1 HD (MM1 HD) channel will become the 5th high definition (HD) TV channel to be added to MultiChoice's pay TV platform DStv on channel 175 at 07:00.

I asked M-Net as well as MultiChoice about the new M-Net Movies 1 HD that was officially announced on Friday and will be an HD mirror channel of M-Net Movies 1 (DStv 103).

For my Q&A, click on READ MORE below.

ISIDINGO DELICIOUSNESS. Catty Cherel and huffing Harriet making the SABC3 soapie must-see TV once again.

That soapie that nobody watched anymore . . . well, it's good again. In fact, it's delicious!

Isidingo weekdays at 18:30 on SABC3 has suddenly gone from awful to awesome. Why? Like Alexis and Crystal in Dynasty, there's little viewers love more than a good, great ol' bitch fight and that is what the Isidingo production company Endemol SA has been cooking up lately. And there will be even more zingy one-liners!

Cherel and Harriet are having the most delicious slap-downs, as Michelle Botes and Grethe Fox are truly becoming a must-see jousting pair. Of course Cherel, back at The Deep, is staying at The Duncan Hotel, knowing full well that Barker and Harriet simply cannot stand her. Of course Cherel with her goody-goody act is deliberately trying to make Barker - and especially Harriet crazy - and here's the thing: Harriet is going crazy! Isidingo is absolutely worth watching again, just for the brilliant reparte between super-sweet (yet dastardly evil) Cherel and Harriet looking like a crazy squirrel with rabies.

Take this evening's delicious jab by Cherel for instance, that sends Harriet over the edge. ''It's extraordinary Harriet. This blind loyalty like a slave,'' quips Cherel. ''Its not even human. Its more . . . almost Pavlovian!'' Then she sweetly turns around and says ''May I have a cuppacino please?'', the bitch of The Deep just cleverly having called Harriet Barker's bitch. Of course poor Harriet is left completely speechless - and looking positively like a squirrel with mad cow disease. Soon, soon, Harriet is going to snap!

BREAKING. Loyiso Gola to be the host of the 2010 Channel O Music Video Awards.

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Loyiso Gola will be the host of the 2010 Channel O Music Video Awards that's taking place on Thursday, November 4 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Loyiso Gola, who's satirical late night news show, Late Nite News starts this Wednesday on e.tv at 21:30 will be the main host of the annual awards ceremony honouring the best in music videos across Africa. Loyiso Gola will be joined by Channel O VJ's Kabelo and Lungile and Dineo Moeketsi who's the new O Access presenter. Viewers can currently vote at http://www.mva.channelotv/ for their favourite music videos in 14 categories.

ALSO READ: Channel O announces the 2010 Channel O Music Video Awards nominees.

BREAKING. M-Net to broadcast new drama The Event a mere 36 hours after episodes air in America.

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M-Net viewers are already complaining bitterly to me since yesterday and today about M-Net's The Event countdown clock counter buzzing in the corner of their TV screens. But the pay broadcaster is shaking up the status quo by further closing the broadcasting window between America and South Africa and is making sure viewers know about it.

Early in September I broke the news RIGHT HERE that M-Net has secured the broadcasting rights to The Event that kicked off in America last week with the first episode and will be starting this week on M-Net. (''Today its two days because yesterday the irritating buzz block said three days,'' a reader told me this morning - so M-Net's buzz-o-countdown-clock is having the desired effect.)

To help combat piracy in a digital world, cash in on global buzz and just do it because they can, M-Net will be showing The Event a mere 36 hours later in South Africa after episodes air in America. Currently South Africa will be a few days behind (9) America, but will catch up dramatically when the American Superbowl causes The Event to skip a week.

The Event grabbed 12,2 million viewers last week in America and is off to a great start. Even better - because even American viewers don't know what the event of The Event is yet by the end of the first episode (MASSIVE shocking final scene!). So in a wonderful the mystery remains for M-Net viewers as well, since the channel is showing it while the narrative of the show is playing out in au courant popular culture. 

The Event has been snapped up by 200 countries Variety was first to report last week which includes M-Net. ''It's a great achievement for us to be able to broadcast The Event as part of NBC's worldwide release. It has been made possible by the latest broadcast technology which allows us to acquire HD files through a state-of-the-art new file delivery service,'' says Pierre Cloete, M-Net's channel head.

TOLDJA! Afrikaans TV channel ASTV launches on TopTV as one of the new channels in October.

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I broke the news RIGHT HERE at the beginning of September that ASTV will be added to TopTV in October and now On Digital Media (ODM) just confirmed that the Afrikaans Satelliettelevisie (ASTV) channel will indeed be added to the bouquet from October.

Earlier today I also had word first about a brand-new Indian bouquet that TopTV plans to introduce in November and is currently working on. But back to ASTV joining TopTV. ASTV that operates from out of Rustenburg started with a haphazard launch/delayed launch towards the end of last year and the beginning of this year with limited viewership. With the ASTV and TopTV deal, TopTV gets an Afrikaans TV channel to ''compete'' with MultiChoice that has kykNET on DStv and ASTV gets a much wider footprint and audience.

ASTV will be available on TopTV's Variety bouquet of R99 per month says Ian Woodrow, TopTV's general manager for content. ASTV broadcast a mix of actuality, outdoor, lifestyle, youth and teen content as well as Afrikaans music videos. ASTV says viewers can look forward to shows such as Vaskap, Eksieperfeksie, Kos is oppie tafel, Ons Gesels Met. . ., Klankbaan, Joernaal and Diere Maniere.

''Afrikaans is in my blood and from my side I want to promote our language and culture,'' says Jaco Ferreira, managing director of ASTV, who says he's excited about the opportunity to have ASTV broadcast on TopTV from October. ''We're very excited to become a part of the TopTV family. It's a big moment and we know that viewers will enjoy the new shows a lot.''

BREAKING. TopTV planning to add a whole new Indian bouquet to the pay platform in November.

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I can confirm that On Digital Media's (ODM) TopTV is working feverishly behind the scenes to add a whole new Indian bouquet to the pay TV platform in November.

Reliable sources tell me the Indian bouquet will not form a part of the new channels - between 5 and 10 - that TopTV is planning to roll out in October. I scooped the news RIGHT HERE that ASTV will be one of those channels added in October to TopTV which has not been confirmed by TopTV but that I can absolutely guarantee will happen.

Meanwhile speculation is rife, with channels such as CBS Reality and 4Music now mentioned. At this specific moment its just conjecture. It could be, it also couldn't be. TopTV will never confirm it before they make an official announcement but my sources (and I have the best sources, believe me) don't know anything about it. That's not to say its a ''no'', I just haven't heard of any more channels yet.

BREAKING. SuperSport ready to broadcast the Commonwealth Games across 4 channels and in high definition (HD).

SuperSport just announced that it will be broadcasting the Commonwealth Games across four TV channels.

The Commonwealth Games that run from October 3 until October 14 will be broadcast on SuperSport 5 (DStv 205), SuperSport 6 (DStv 206), SuperSport 7 (DStv 207) and SuperSport HD (DStv 171). SuperSport 4 (DStv 204) will show selected events and daily highlights. SuperSport 5 and SUperSport HD will carry a daily one hour highlights show at 20:00.

According to SuperSport a crew of seven people will travel with the South African team to Delhi, India, including presenters James Wokabi and Crystal Arnold. Both will interview the athletes and do news stories.

''We've had to install a new satellite dish on campus to accommodate the feeds, but we were happy to do so,'' says Tex Teixeira, SuperSport's head of channels. ''Events such as the Commonwealth Games traditionally draw South Africans together, so we are delighted to be able to play our part.''

BREAKING. Amy Brooke goes prime time as anchor of the eNews Prime Time bulletin from Cape Town this week.

Just in is that e.tv is telling me that Amy Brooke will be anchoring the eNews Prime Time news bulletin on e.tv this week.

eNews Prime Time will still be done from Cape Town after the damage to Studi0 101 in Hyde Park a week ago. Robyn Smith anchored e.tv's main news bulletin of the day last week and this week Amy Poole is getting her chance. The broadcaster is still working at repairing the studios after the lighting rigging mishap and there's is no definite indication yet of when the broadcast of eNews Prime Time will be happening from Johannesburg again.

BREAKING. SABC3's brand-new morning breakfast show will be called Expresso.

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I can be first to break the news that SABC3's brand-new morning breakfast show will be called Expresso.

Expresso is the current ''to go'' name that SABC3 will likely be going with for the new Tswelopele Productions breakfast show that is set to debut on SABC3 on Monday, October 4, at 05:00. The original working title was Op & Wakker. Then, when the show changed from being 100% Afrikaans to being bilingual (Afrikaans as well as English) the producers decided on a viewers' competition to choose the name that had to work in various languages.

Sources now tell me Expresso is what will most likely be used for the morning show that will be more lifestyle centered than SABC2's Morning Live or e.tv's Sunrise. Espresso is of course perfect. The Italian moniker for that jolting black brew perfectly conveys what the show will be about: Espresso = Expresso. Expresso won't be just concentrated coffee to wake up to, it will be a slightly upscaled morning show that's literally getting Italian stuff like kitchenware and designer things fitted and it's all about the style of it all.

Expresso as the name of the breakfast show has not yet been officially confirmed by SABC3, neither that the show will be done from The Equinox building which I scooped, that Top Billing's Michael Mol (same production company) will appear as the resident doc to give health advice, or of course that Liezel van der Westhuizen, Ewan Strydom and Katlegoe Maboe will be presenters. I've also showed the first conceptual art designs of how SABC3's Expresso will kind of look like.

Oh . . . and what's this I hear about e.tv now also wanting to do a morning show from Cape Town?

ALSO READ: A first glimpse of the conceptual art design of SABC3's new breakfast show.
ALSO READ: Ewan Strydom leaving M-Net's All Acces for SABC3's new morning show.
ALSO READ: The Equinox building in Sea Point, Cape Town is where SABC3's Espresso will be filmed
ALSO READ: Top Billing's Michael Mol set to show up on SABC3's new morning show as the resident doctor giving health advice.
ALSO READ: M-Net's Idols host Liezel van der Westhuizen and SABC2's 50/50 presenter Katlego Maboe set to join SABC3's new breakfast show.

EXCLUSIVE BREAKING NEWS: Liezel van der Westhuizen leaving M-Net's Idols IMMEDIATELY after being given an ultimatum.

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TV with Thinus can exclusively break the shocking news that Liezel van der Westhuizen is leaving M-Net's Idols reality show immediately.

Several members of the production staff and the remaining contestants were completely shocked by the unexpected news of Liezel van der Westhuizen's immediate departure that's now sending shockwaves through the NeverMachine production. Sunday evening's Idols episode is recorded today at the Mosaiek Theatre where the news is spreading like wildfire under shocked crew members and the Idols contestants.

I can tell you that the Idols set is abuzz with this major shocker. According to on-set sources the severely marginalized Liezel van der Westhuizen  who had to take a backseat this season when M-Net and NeverMachine decided to add co-host ProVerb this season and give him the lion's share of hosting duties, is leaving Idols immediately. ''There is like two lines telling viewers that Liezel is leaving Idols in Sunday night's show,'' a source tells me. ''There's absolutely no explanation of why,'' says another insider. ''Just something that she won't be with the show anymore. There's no goodbyes.''

With Idols judge Mara Louw doing double duty on M-Net and appearing in SABC2's Skwizas and Idols judge Randall Abrahams doing double duty on M-Net and appearing in SABC2's SA's Got Talent (and appearing on massive billboards for both broadcaster's shows), I'm told by insider sources that the pay broadcaster earlier this week suddenly seemed to develop a problem with Liezel van der Westhuizen continue to be an Idols co-host AND joining SABC3's new morning show from October.

Although I'm told by multiple sources that there's ''absolutely no animosity involved'', they all say that Liezel van der Westhuizen was apparently given an ultimatum days ago and that she was told choose: Idols or SABC3's new breakfast show . . . but not both. She was allowed to remain on Idols, if she decided to drop SABC3's new lifestyle breakfast show starting in October.

Her greatly reduced on-screen time in Idols where she was literally forced backstage to quip a few lines with the contestants, as well as SABC3's longterm production prospects for the new show (on a channel where she used to be a continuity presenter and anchored Lunchbox) is what most probably made Liezel van der Westhuizen's decision very easy. I'm told Liezel van der Westhuizen's last appearance in Idols will be this Sunday. She will immediately be cut from the show with ProVerb suddenly remaining as the sole Idols host - stopping M-Net's highly touted co-hosting plan dead in its tracks. Liezel van der Westhuizen won't appear in Tuesday's Idols Results Show on M-Net, the partner episode to Sunday's Idols show where another one of Sunday's contestants will be going home.

I'm awaiting word or comment from M-Net on this shocking Idols development.

FIRST LOOK! A glimpse of the original concept set design of SABC3's brand-new breakfast show set to debut in October.

You're seeing it here first.

The design has changed from how it looks here, but I can give you the first glimpse of the beautiful original artist concept design for SABC3's brand-new morning show Expresso that's set to debut on October 4 and that will be broadcast on weekdays from The Equinox building in Cape Town.

Expresso produced by Tswelopele Productions with presenters Liezel van der Westhuizen, Ewan Strydom and Katlego Maboe will boast at lounge area such as in the artist's impression above, and also incorporate a vast kitchen as envisioned below. The Fold Architecture is responsible for the interior design of this highly anticipated new morning show that will have a strong emphasis on lifestyle matters. The set has to be a real, functioning space which is making the new The Equinox building and its top floor pent house in Sea Point the perfect place.

I'm told the top section will accomodate the big set where filming will take place, with all the back of house and utility areas, as well as a full production office one floor below. The set will incorporate the latest in touch screen technologies and rear-projection screens. Besides the lounge and kitchen there will also be a performance area for artists, a state-of-the-art gym (Ewan Strydom will be the fitness expert) and expansive terrace with panoramic views Cape Town.

Get ready for couture and high-end industrial design and a ''fantasy world'' I'm told, with ''hanging gardens and an abundance of natural South African light''. Some of the best international companies as well as local designers and artists are working on this new SABC3 show's set design at this very moment.

ALSO READ: Ewan Strydom leaving M-Net's All Access for SABC3's new morning show.
ALSO READ: The Equinox building in Seap Point, Cape Town is where SABC3 will be shooting their new breakfast show.
ALSO READ: Top Billing presenter and hot doc Michael Mol set to join SABC3's new morning show from October.
ALSO READ: M-Net's Idols host Liezel van der Westhuizen and SABC2's Katlego Maboe set to join SABC3's new morning show starting October.
ALSO READ: SABC3 set to start a new breakfast morning show from October.

BREAKING. Meet the new Gossip Girls - Vuzu has the rights for Pretty Little Liars from November.

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I can be first to tell that Vuzu (DStv 123) has snagged the exclusive broadcasting rights to the hot new teen drama Pretty Little Liars. I can reveal that the first season of Pretty Little Liars will debut on Vuzu on Wednesday, November 17 at 20:30.

Pretty Little Liars has big TV buzz and is doing great in America halfway through its first season. It's basically the new Gossip Girl that's now turned somewhat stale - and is based on Sara Shepard's popular novel series. Vuzu will have the full 22 episodes of the first season of this hour long teen drama that revolves around a group of girls (including South African teen Sasha Pieterse) who attend the Rosewood High School.

The popular clique of Alison, Aria, Hanna, Emily and Spencer rule the school - until Alison mysteriously disappears. A year later the rest of the girls start receiving mysterious SMS messages from ''A'' about their biggest secrets that only Alison knew - and now threaten to expose! Holly Marie Combs and Chad Lowe play a set of parents.

BREAKING. Freek Robinson doing double duty from October with a new, year long, second season of Robinson Regstreeks.

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I can break the news that Freek Robinson will soon be doing double TV duty when his anchor job as news reader of the daily eNuus on kykNET (DStv 111) will get extended with a major second season renewal of his weekly actuality show on kykNET, Robinson Regstreeks.

After a brief first season of Robinson Regstreeks that started in January on kykNET, the channel decided to halt the production, as talks ramped up to create the new daily news bulletin eNuus that kykNET wanted Freek Robinson for. Because of the new work load, having to oversee the new bulletin and learning the eNews Channel's system and settling in, it would have been to much for Freek Robinson to continue doing Robinson Regstreeks as well on a weekly basis.

Now with eNuus stabilizing in terms of work flow I can tell you that Robinson Regstreeks will be back from Tuesday, October 5 and for 52 episodes. It means that Freek Robinson will basically be on eNuus - as well as fronting the weekly actuality show from Randburg for the next year.   

BREAKING. Bones finally starts a second season on South African screens thanks to FX.

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South African viewers can finally get to see the rest of the story as I can be first to reveal that the second season of the forensic drama series Bones is set to premiere on FX (TopTV 110) on Sunday, October 10 at 20:30.

SABC3 only broadcast the first season of Bones starring David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel in 2006, co-incidentally also in the 20:30 timeslot. SABC3 told me low viewership made the channel decide not to pursue further seasons. When TopTV started its commercial pay TV broadcast in May the FX channel started with the first season of Bones. Now FX will continue with further seasons and the new second season season's 21 episodes that's never been seen in South Africa before.

In Bones dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) is a highly skilled forensic anthropologist who works with special agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) to help the FBI solve a series of unsolved crimes by studying decaying bones found in all kinds of obscure places.

Programming note: CNBC Africa adds Eureka! to its line-up looking at inventors in Africa.

CNBC Africa (DStv 410) has added a new show, Eureka!, to its line-up on Tuesdays at 21:00 presented by Jacqui Nel.

Eureka! that will initially run for three months on Tuesday nights will explore the world of African inventors and all the challenges they face, look at young inventors, tell the stories behind various inventions and discuss intellectual property rights and patents.

''We are very excited about this show,'' says Jill de Villiers, CNBC Africa's Features and Weekend editor. ''Eureka! will have a broad-based appeal and will attract viewers from among those who are inventors themselves and need to know the ins and outs of intellectual property rights, to those who are simply interested in the great ideas and inventions of their fellow Africans.''

BREAKING. The eNews Channel's News Day duo Andrew Barnes and Robyn Smith have split up! Why are they on night shift?

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The eNews Channel's (DStv 403) dynamic News Day anchor duo Andrew Barnes and Robyn Smith have slit up! But don't worry, the brilliant Cape Town anchor team won't be apart permanently. Both are temporarily doing the night shift.

Viewers will now have seen Robyn Smith suddenly being the news anchor of eNews Prime Time on e.tv at 19:00 (and doing a superlative job) this week. Meanwhile her News Day cohort Andrew Barnes suddenly popped up on the eNews Channel's Johannesburg set for the local news channel's own prime time News Night show - for instance crossing over to Nikiwe Bikitsha and Jeremy Maggs who's usually in the News Night anchor chair.

Its part of a magnificent logistical ''musical chairs'' manuevre that will make the best of the best TV producers sit with a headache. All of this is caused by a variety of factors like this past weekend's studio damage at e.tv in Hyde Park that damaged the eNews Prime Time set as well as breaking news events.

Robyn Smith in Cape Town is anchoring eNews Prime Time on e.tv with the news bulletin being done from Cape Town while the Johannesburg studio is being repaired. The anchor for next week's eNews Prime Time bulletin has not yet been confirmed, e.tv tells me and when Robyn Smith is doing eNews Prime Time, she won't be doing double duty anchoring News Day as well. (I would say keep Robyn Smith for a little while longer - she's definitely doing stellar work).

Also doing a great job is Andrew Barnes who flew up to Johannesburg to anchor News Night since the regular anchor duo of Nikiwe Bikitsha and Jeremy Maggs went on location to cover the ANC's national general council meeting in Durban.

TOLDJA! CNBC Africa explores the African oil industry in a fascinating new local oil documentary.

In July I broke the news RIGHT HERE that Chris Bishop is working on a revealing oil doccie for CNBC Africa (DStv 410) and now the local business channel just confirmed the news.

CNBC Africa's latest locally-produced documentary will be Africa: Crude Continent - Quest for the Oil Prize and will debut on CNBC Africa on Tuesday, September 28 at 18:00. Expert and leading author dr Duncan Clarke (pictured) shares his insight about the African oil game over the past three decades.

Africa: Crude Continent - Quest for the Oil Prize is (exactly as I've revealed) produced by Chris Bishop and reveals a fascinating tale by taking viewers into the heart of Africa's fast growing oil industry. The documentary reveals the inside drama of African oil, where it is found, its impact and significance, and examines the critical issues around its exploitation, and also talks to oil industry experts.

''The documentary challenges old ways of thinking about oil on the continent, looks at the present objectively and casts an eye on the future and how the players on the continent are likely to respond to its resource potential,'' says Jill de Villiers, CNBC Africa features and weekend editor.

Africa: Crude Continent - Quest for the Oil Prize will be repeated on CNBC Africa on Friday, October 1 at 21:00, Saturday, October 2 at 17:30 and Sunday, October 3 at 14:00.