The South African TV news woman Chantal Rutter Dros who will from Wednesday evening become the new primetime news face of ANN7 (DStv 405), the new 24-hour TV news channel launching on MultiChoice's DStv, says it's tantalising for her to once be part of a start-up.
Viewers have come to know Chantal Rutter Dros on eNews on e.tv when the TV news service of the free-to-air broadcaster started more than a decade ago and where she's worked several years, after which she moved to M-Net's Carte Blanche a few years ago.
Chantal Rutter Dros is set to become the prime time face of South Africa's third 24-hour TV news channel ANN7 (DStv 405) which launches Wednesday on DStv. The news channel will be competition for both the established eNCA (DStv 403) and the SABC's second 24-hour TV news channel attempt, SABC News (DStv 404), which started at the beginning of August.
From Wednesday evening Chantal Rutter Dros will be the news anchor of ANN7 Headlines, as well as ANN7 Prime on South African television.
"I left Carte Blanche which has been my media home for the past three and a half years for ANN7 because the prospect of once again being part of a start-up was tantalising," Chantal Rutter Dros tells TV with Thinus.
"The vision for the news is to reflect information which is relevant, impartial and digestible to people across the rainbow nation," she says. "I have always been passionate about news and the prospect of redefining how we tell news and what we define as news is appealing."
"We have state-of-the-art technology and the most advanced generation of news in the African continent, She says.
"We have a truly awesome graphics set-up, outside broadcasting (OB) vans and backpacks - which allows us to cover news live from the most remote of areas. We have access to more than 33 global stringers and a network of very well respected local reporters," she says of ANN7's TV news gathering abilities.
Chantal Rutter Dros will anchor ANN7 Headlines from 19:00 to 20:00, followed immediately by ANN7 Prime between 20:00 and 21:00 on channel 405. "The first show will be the headlines and stories of the day. The second show will be an in-depth analysis of four or five key stories."
"My aspirations for the future are to develop our news into an informative, entertaining and relevant news source. I hope that we can invite our viewers to share in this vision and to feel that ANN7 is their news station," she says.
