■ Russian TV weather report says conditions "excellent" for bombing Syria.
Russian television goes into mega propaganda mode (again) as Russian state television start relentlessly positive coverage of Russia's bombing of Syria, with even the weather reports chiming in to say that conditions are perfect for flying fighter jets and launching airstrikes.
Russian television has suddenly switched from covering Russia's war in the Ukraine to Russia's attack on Syria.
Russia is bombing civilians in Syria and an Al Jazeera team of journalists narrowly escaped a Russian airstrike and lived to tell about it.
■Actor Sammy Moeti from Muvhango on SABC2 has died.
Passed away after a long illness and playing the character of Vho-Mushasha.
■ Back to court for the SABC's matricless boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng.
With the one part of the controversial SABC boss' court case heading to the Constitutional Court (the part of suspending him and for the SABC to start a disciplinary hearing), the other "B" part is continuing today at the Western Cape High Court over his alleged irregular appointment as chief operating officer (COO) at the SABC.
- Inside the confused mind of the SABC's Hlaudi Motsoeneng.
- The COPE political party is delighted "that Baba can't always get what he wants".
■ The once-open SABC has shut itself off, dictating to people, with brazen salary increases, successive qualified audits, and a pathologically dysfunctional SABC Board presiding over losses of hundreds of millions of rand says the public pressure group for public broadcasting, SOS Coalition.
■ South African Airways just opened its refurbished domestic lounge and calls it VIA.
Which is unintentionally very funny and might create a problem soon when there's more than one brand with the same name in South Africa.
■ MultiChoice hikes DStv subscriptions by 30% from 8 November in Zambia.
The second DStv price increase from MultiChoice this year for Zambia, following similar, second price increases in Uganda and Kenya last month. MultiChoice Africa blames the local currency drop against the dollar.
■ Nigerians furious after MultiChoice dumps ONE Gospel (DStv 331) from DStv in Africa.
- In Malawi DStv and Gotv subscribers are annoyed over MultiChoice's decision to take ONE Gospel off.
■ Felicia Mabuza-Suttle lives her dream.
The former Top Level and Felicia Mabuza-Suttle Show talk show host talks on SABC2's Morning Live about her new book.
■ Even more changes coming to MSNBC (StarSat 263), says channel boss Andrew Lack.
Executives looking at expanding Morning Joe, testing a lot of programming ideas, and pleased with the return of the disgraced Brian Williams now anchoring on the channel after dumped from NBC Nightly News for lying.
■ DStv incurs the wrath of subscribers.
In the Ghanaian cartoonist Makaveli's latest cartoon, DStv subscribers are burnt and roasted in a DStv pan as MultiChoice looks on. DStv subscribers across Africa are furious over a 2nd subscription increase in the same year from the pay-TV operator.
■ Boomerang (DStv 302) gets Grizzy and the Lemmings.
Turner Broadcasting International buys the new p"playful family comedy" for its Boomerang channel worldwide.
■ SABC1's Roots presenter Ngizwe Mchunu arrested for speeding.
TV presenter drove 161km per hour in Mpumalanga. Says "everyone sometimes drives over the speed limit but journalists only report it if the culprits are celebrities".
■ Caxton says with the MultiChoice and SABC deal that Naspers and the public broadcaster merged
"MultiChoice has acquired the ability to materially influence the television broadcast business of the SABC," says Caxton.
■ Empire: TV's biggest show is waiting for the cliff to come.
The hit drama on FOX (StarSat 131 / DStv 125) that just started its second season and is also coming to e.tv is burning through story so quickly and bringing in so many guest appearances that it's set to crash and burn like so many series before it.
■ The BBC's television boss Danny Cohen is leaving.
BBC director-general calls him "one of TV's great talents".
■ Algeria shuts down private TV station El Watan
which according to the government "isn't licensed" to broadcast news in the country, after an interview is broadcast which critised president Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
■ SABC buys Among Wolves and Doctors Without Borders
at the annual Mipcom TV buyers festival, while MultiChoice buys 28 hours of natural history programming from Terra Mater for its video-on-demand (VOD) service.
- Meanwhile digital TV is the "new TV world order" as TV produced by and for over-the-top (OTT) platforms and players fuelled the lastest Mipcom TV market.
■ Incompetent minister of communications, Faith Muthambilashes by ANC over digital terrestrial television (DTT) migration mess.
Could possibly be forced to reverse the policy on non-encryption of set-top boxes (STBs) needed in South Africa for digital television. Meanwhile the ANC says it can't ignore the "destruction of the SABC".
■ Game of Thrones filming delayed over a fantasy castle.
The HBO show on M-Net Edge (DStv 102) can't get filming permission for the 6th season for a fake fantasy castle set in a Northern Ireland village.
■ Minority Report on FOX (DStv 125 /StarSat 131) gets its episode season order cut down to 10
while Extant seen on M-Net (DStv 101) is cancelled.
■ The now trashy and irrelevant, yet once great TV Guide magazine sold again.
for the 3rd time in 10 years.
■ Significant viewership drop-offs for new American TV season.
Up to 25% less viewers.
■ Viacom has big problems.
The conglomerate that owns MTV,Comedy Central and Nickelodeon is in trouble. Once MTV defined what was cool for kids. Now Viacom is in turmoil and getting lost amid the explosion of competition from traditional and digital platforms.
