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I can exclusively break the big news that SABC2's Morning Live is moving - with the longrunning breakfast show on the public broadcaster that will be vacating its long-used studio on the first floor balcony of the SABC's Auckland Park head office to a brand-new studio which will be unveiled next week, with further big changes in store for the show later in the year.
I can reveal that Morning Live , in a longrunning two horse race with e.tv's Sunrise (SABC3's Expresso's viewership is comparatively still marginal at best) is set for a massive shake-up coming soon according to insider sources connected to the show.
Months in the works, Morning Live on SABC2 with Leanne Manas, Vuyo Mbuli and Peter Ndoro will relocate to a new specially-constructed studio within the SABC and out of the foyer within days, insiders told me.
Last month sources told me that producers and the channel decided to once and for all deal with two longrunning irritants impacting the show physically although not so noticeable to viewers - noise and wind.
''Despite having the nice backdrop of the escalators in the background and seeing the SABC foyer in the background with the dynamic of people moving around and coming and going there's often all these unexpected noise and sometimes volume that's difficult to control,'' a source told me last month.
''The air - the wind - is not such a big factor but it does play a role and is also one of the reasons which finally prompted the move,'' whispered another. Officially SABC2 and Morning Live have not yet announced any move. The move will leave SABC2's daily Afrikaans news bulletin, the Nuus @ 7 as the only SABC News production making use of the balcony studio.
I can also reveal that other big changes are coming to Morning Live and is being planned as well. Although not yet official, yet definitely discussed, is ''Morning Live going seven'' I was told.
Although not approved on paper but already months in the planning and proposal stages, is a big shake-up in the way that Morning Live plays out.
Currently viewers on SABC2 see Morning Live on weekdays and Weekend Live on Saturdays and Sundays. I'm hearing that a more ''fluid continuous'' seven day production for Morning Live is in the works.
