CNBC Africa's "Greek tragedy" - the loss of anchor Eleni Giokos who jumped to the eNCA (DStv 403) - has resulted in a spectacular must-watch, mid-morning gestalt for South African television.
The sharp, informed, exuberant, cleverly chatty and wonderfully-at-ease Eleni Giokos has brought a unified wholeness to mornings on the eNCA - a wonderful steal by eNews and an excellent and well-utilised on-air addition to the 24-hour news channel's line-up.
Eleni Giokos who suddenly resurfaced on the eNews Channel in July as a financial reporter (news TV with Thinus broke RIGHT HERE) and then got instantly "promoted" to eNCA morning anchor, is now the undisputed princess of South African morning television from her gleaming perch at the eNCA's Hyde Park studios.
Eleni Giokos as a toddler probably did a lot of little dances and songs around the Christmas tree while the whole family watched, nodded, and clapped approvingly. For that's how these select few people are made - real and natural public presentation talent which got encouragement and external approval over years.
It's impossible to fake natural exuberance as a TV presenter, although that skill can and has to be channeled, and the talent be finely honed like a skilled swordfighter his blade. Eleni Giokos has both the outward natural, radiant charm, as well as the inner voice and presence of mind to direct that on-air presentation skill (which very few people possess) and to combine the two to make it look beguilingly easy.
As the new face on eNCA in the mornings the past few months, Eleni Giokos not only manages to transmit to viewers the genuine interest she feels in the news she's reading and the topics she's discussing, she also - without showing off - has such a deep real knowledge-base and innate understanding of news topics and especially financial issues, that she can instantly give insight and perspective on a myriad of stories.
This obvious repository of background information and facts which Eleni Giokos immediately draws on without the help of an autocue, is what real TV newsers are made of.
Her insta-insight and gravitas, coupled with her really palpable pleasant personality, now makes Eleni Giokos South African television's top draw in the mornings. Watch her closely and within a few minutes you'll see: She doesn't just read the news, she brings it in a fuller, still fact-based, perspective.
Now not only can you see that she really wants to be there and enjoys what she's doing (which is bringing the news); you can feel it.
Was Eleni Giokos in school the girl who knew everything but more in the sense of the one whose homework you wanted to borrow because you knew it would be right, instead of the one who just wanted to show off? You can be absolutely sure of it.
There's no fake TV smiles here. Just self-evident, honest interest from an obvious overachiever, but one who unlocks that dividend - the result of a lot of hard work, constant reading and diligent research - for the benefit of the ordinary TV viewer.
There's very few things viewers respond to more instantly than earnest effort and a sense of warmth, presence and confidence, and Eleni Giokos, unshackled from her CNBC Africa claustro squawk box, has all of that in abundance - and keeps bringing it to every eNCA morning.
With her fast, incisive delivery, present in every moment for the viewer, although she talks to co-anchor Macfarlane Moleli and has a control room voice in her earpiece, Eleni Giokos is the closest South Africa has ever come to a South African TV version of Maria Bartiromo.
And Eleni finally has the opportunity and platform to show it.
