South African viewers will be able to get their first real glimpse on television inside Oprah Winfrey's private school for girls with a new once-off special documentary, The First Graduating Class: Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls coming to TLC (TopTV 453 /DStv 186) on Friday 28 September at 18:30 (South African time).
The broadcasting of the special documentary which will be giving viewers an exclusive glimpse inside the school as it has never been seen before by outsiders, is timed to co-incide with the one year name-change of Discovery Travel & Living to TLC in October last year.
TLC is one of the few pay-TV channels available on both MultiChoice's DStv as well as On Digital Media's (ODM) TopTV platform, making the channel widely available to a big pay-TV audience in South Africa.
The special documentary looks at Oprah Winfrey's effort to start and run the private school for girls, as well as at the lives of the girls with the first class of 72 girls who've now graduated and are now all attending university.
"I am honoured that our partnership with Discovery Networks has made it possible to present The First Graduating Class: Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls to the TLC viewers of South Africa," says Oprah Winfrey in a statement.
"My heart holds a deep love and commitment to the people of South Africa, and to create a school that is able to change the trajectory of these student's lives has been one of the greatest gifts of my life."
"It's been a fantastic first year on air for TLC Africa and we're delighted with the incredibly positive reception the channel has had with South African women," says Lee Hobbs, the channel director for emerging business for Discovery networks for the Central and Eastern European, Middle East and Africa (CEEMEA) region.
"We are proud to be sharing this beautiful journey with them and to be working wth Oprah to help celebrate the first graduating class of her Academy in South Africa. TLC is all about celebrating the lives of modern women and we feel the spirit and achievement of these first graduates at Oprah's Academy really embody the channel's ethos," says Lee Hobbs.
The documentary is repeated on Saturday 29 September at 17:40 and Sunday 30 September at 16:00.
