SABC3 is replacing Three Talk with Noeleen from Monday, 4 May at 16:00 with a new female-centric local talk show in the vein of The Talk and The View, with presenters Bonang Matheba and Jeannie D turning talk show hosts, hoping to bolster the channel's sagging afternoon ratings.
Afternoon Express will take over the 16:00 timeslot on SABC3 from Monday on weekdays, with Bonang Matheba - known as "Queen B" - and Jeannie D, both known as Top Billing presenters, as well as Bonnie Mbuli from e.tv's Traffic who will present the show as a live broadcast.
A 4th woman will join the existing three as a newbie on Afternoon Express within a month when the top 3 winners are announced from the Presenter Search on 3 reality show on SABC3, with the two others going to Top Billing and Expresso respectively.
Afternoon Express, produced by Tswelopele Productions which is also responsible for Top Billing, Presenter Search on 3 and other TV shows, will try to lift SABC3's viewership in the dull afternoon daypart similar to the ratings rejuvenation the morning breakfast show Expresso, also produced by the same company, brought to SABC3's early morning timeslot where viewership lagged.
With the added heavy lifting of the new weekday interactive afternoon talk show done from Cape Town, Bonang Matheba and Jeannie D will be featuring somewhat less on Top Billing in the future.
Afternoon Express, which will have a big social media interactive component in a sense similar to SABC2's afternoon youth block Hectic Nine-9, will cover female interests ranging from cooking and fashion to finance tips and inspirational stories and interviews. The show will also feature live musical performances similar to Expresso in the mornings.
"Afternoon Express is a first for South Africa and for SABC3," says Aisha Mohamed, SABC3 channel head. "To combine fun interaction, practical advice as well as engaging conversation into one show is definitely taking the quality of programming to the next level and we are proud to have this kind of uplifting and empowering content for women as part of our offering".
"The show will give women an opportunity to interact and engage daily," says Bradley van den Berg, Afternoon Express' executive producer, saying the talk show will inspire viewers "to take the courage to try something new and become their best selves".
"I am really excited to be stepping into a new terrain with SABC3 and the opportunity to co-host with Jeannie D and Bonnie," says Bonang Matheba.
"I'm very excited to be part of this experience and to be doing a new show with my Top Billing family," says Jeannie D. "This is a winning formula that keeps growing and growing."
"I'm so thrilled to be one of the hosts; it is a great concept and there is so much to look forward to," says Bonnie Mbuli. "I don't think there has ever been a more exciting time for television in South Africa - I can't wait".
"We hope that making a date with Afternoon Express will be making an appointment to have fun," says Patience Stevens, the managing director of Tswelopele Productions.
"We have three of the country's most talented presenters, we are very excited to have this opportunity and we are looking forward to this challenge".
