You're reading it here first.
The sun always shines on TV: I learned just over two weeks ago that e.tv and the eNews Channel (DStv 403) is working on brand-new weather graphics, which I was told on Friday will start on-air from today, and now I can give the first exclusive look of what viewers on e.tv, the eNews Channel, kykNET's eNuus (DStv 111), and the eNews Africa service elsewhere on the continent will be seeing from this evening.
e.tv is also hard at work at rolling out an online weather service.
The new weather graphics on e.tv's eNews Prime Time, kykNET's eNuus and the eNews Channel will debut tonight at 19:00 and will feature revolutionary new enhancements such as 3D rendering and more enhanced graphics rendering, much more interactivity, more on-screen information, information on key weather events affecting the country, province by province weather information, and a country "fly-over" which will now start in KwaZulu-Natal and end in Gauteng as a more fluid weather oversight of South Africa.
"We have upgraded our weather capabilities to prepare for future growth within our news company," says Patrick Conroy, the group head of news at e.tv. "This will be the first phase of many exciting developments in the months ahead, including the launch of our online service."
"We have formed a new partnership with Weather Central, one of the largest weather data suppliers in the world," says Derek van Dam, e.tv's chief meteorologist. "This will allow for greater flexibility and enables us to offer viewers more enhanced and more sophisticated graphics. The system has never been used in Africa before," he says.
"We have sourced the best forecasting tools, to respond as quickly as the weather changes," he says. "It bring's the weather to our fingertips. Our new 3D modelling creates the most realistic, most detailed weather representation on television which is easy to read, and easy to understand, and engaging to watch."
"The weather forecasts will not be radically different to what viewers currently see. The design and structure of the weather forecasts are stillvery similar. One change is that the flyover of South Africa will now begin in KwaZulu-Natal and end in Gauteng. Currently viewers saw the Northern Cape first with the flyover ending on the Western Cape."
