The popular pastor Andries Enslin from the Alberton LewenSentrum has dumped the Afrikaans TV channel kykNET (DStv 144) on MultiChoice's DStv with his Sunday broadcast Die Woord ("The Word") which will be moving to e.tv from 4 January 2015 after refusing to give in to kykNET's demands for copyright.
After three and a half years Andries Enslin is done with kykNET, saying the TV channel wanted control over the programme.
kykNET will have to change its replacement Sunday morning programme in January and has to give it a new name - Die Boodskap ("The Message") - a timeslot where Andries Enslin was responsible for a surge in ratings on Sunday mornings.
Earlier this year kykNET courted controversy when it suddenly inserted crass TV commercials in Die Woord which instantly led to viewer outrage. In May kykNET said the TV adverts was not supposed to be flighted during the Sunday morning show and that it was a mistake.
kykNET in a statement said that its contract with Die Woord, Andries Enslin and the Alberton LewenSentrum is coming to an end at the end of December, saying the channel wants to "give bigger exposure to other congregations and pastors from across the country".
"The format of the programme will remain the same, with a weekly church service on Sundays, as well as shorter bits lengthened to 10 minutes".
Karen Meiring, M-Net director of Afrikaans channels says in the statement that Andries Enslin "will naturally be invited to form a part of this bigger spiritual channel strategy, should he be available".
Karen Meiring says that kykNET wants to give more institutions the same opportunity."There is also big plans for gospel music on kykNET Musiek (DStv 146) as well as kykNET & Kie (DStv 145)".
