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TopTV turned two last week and today the South African pay TV operator did its first ever programming press preview for journalists and TV critics in Cape Town.
Last month I was upset that TopTV was planning on only having a preview event for Johannesburg press only while the bigger chunk of the real press covering television in South Africa - both in terms of reach, mettle and comprehensive coverage - are actually based in Cape Town.
At today's press preview TopTV answered any and all questions journalists had, showed sizzle reels, trailers and on-screen promos of new programming and shows, went through programming highlights channel by channel, and held an educational session with the media about the brand.
Heather Kennedy, TopTV vice president for marketing flew in from Johannesburg and fronted the programming press preview for May to July held in a conference room at the 5 star trendy-lux The Pepper Club Hotel. It included a finger lunch afterwards where the press mingled with food like mini-hamburgers, sauteed chicken on sticks; even colourful cupcakes.
She started off by showing the press a video message from TopTV's interim CEO, Eddie Mbalo.
Heather Kennedy answered everything. Questions were as diverse as Seventeen magazine who wanted to know what youth programming TopTV has, tvplus magazine who asked about new channels, Tashi Tagg from TVSA who asked about local talk shows nobody even knew existed and when TopTV will get a PVR.
She fielded a myriad of questions from various journalists and publications ranging from the TLC channel, ASTV, the Indian bouquet, the porno debacle and Top One to TopTV's free installation subsidy and decoder costs, kids channels, what the company's turnaround strategy and restructuring entails and what the popular channels are.
She also revealed the look of TopTV's new print and television marketing campaign.
Heather Kennedy explained what channels are packaged elsewhere, that local TV content is important to TopTV but how it all factors into the pay TV operator's overall compilation system. She talked about the new interim CEO Eddie Mbalo and how he was adamant that being CEO is only an interim measure, how TopTV is intent on listening to subscribers, is talking more, and explained in very honest terms TopTV's problem with sport and acquiring sport content and channels.
She knew all of the journalists - many whom she's never met face to face before - by name before they had name tags on. During questions, she also addressed and answered them, prefaced by their name. She spoke glowing of TopTV's on-air promos for different channels and the people who produce them.
Heather Kennedy didn't rush anything, although the questions kept coming. She didn't have all the answers, but tried and spoke to background to give context where she didn't have a specific answer.
When journalists made comments regarding TopTV matters or matters relating to specific channels ranging from ASTV to Top Gospel and third-party channels Heather Kennedy took notes from behind her podium.
With many tricky questions (not from me) like "Which news channel is better, MSNBC or Fox News?" Heather Kennedy deftly gave answers like a TopTV mother who loves all her children equally. "The one is far left, the one is far right, it depends on your personal perspective and the point of view from which you want to get your news," she said.
She explained how unique CurrentTV was which TopTV lost as a TV channel and said there wasn't really anything TopTV could ever get to replace it. She had surprises, like One Music which was actually back (who knew?) after the whole "HiNolly, ByeNolly HiTV" collapse. She said the Top Movies +2 and Top Movies +24 movie channels are actually watched and are popular.
Heather Kennedy elicited laughs from journalists when she said the kids channels are the ones people complain about the least "because I don't have children, but there's always new babies being born and new children who haven't seen any of it before".
Everyone laughed again when she said that the movie 2012 about the end of the world and scheduled for July should probably have been scheduled for the end of the year.
