CNN International (DStv 401) proved by far the best on Wednesday on the African continent as TV news scrambled to cover the breaking and evolving news story of the military coup in Zimbabwe of the decrepit dictator Robert Mugabe.CNN team in Harare says it’s tense, not yet clear why #Mugabe hasn’t made a promised TV announcement. @McKenzieCNN https://t.co/R2J5u9jrgF— Robyn Curnow (@RobynCurnowCNN) November 15, 2017
As South Africa's unprepared and inept TV news channels eNCA (DStv 403), SABC News (DStv 404) and ANN7 (DStv 405) lurched to try and put some semblance of Zimbabwe coverage on, CNN International, Al Jazeera (DStv 406 / StarSat 257) and Sky News News (DStv 402) ran circles around South African TV news channels who awkwardly proved incapable of measuring up.
After years of budget cuts, closing news bureaux, cutting coverage and decimating its once capable African staff, eMedia Investment's eNCA came off as worst on Wednesday, putting up the thin semblance of that "trying to" coverage that is more expected of its lame duck counterparts SABC News and ANN7.
While Al Jazeera has a bureau in Zimbabwe, and with CNN International's David McKenzie reporting live from Harare and doing packages for various dayparts and shows across CNN International, it made the wanna-cover coverage on eNCA, SABC News and ANN7 seem utterly awful and embarrassing.
eNCA, SABC News and ANN7 reported from non-near Zimbabwe places that worsened the "look, we're not actually there" effect and kept reporting news that ordinary news consumers could find as fast and consume directly, as what the TV news channels did from the same online news reporting and publications.
The constantly trying to play catch-up coverage on eNCA, SABC News and ANN7 was cringe-worthy to behold.
The constantly trying to play catch-up coverage on eNCA, SABC News and ANN7 was cringe-worthy to behold.
Wednesday's fail leading to fail Zimbabwe coverage from South African TV news channels underscored exactly just how much they're not prepared, not budgeted and are not geared towards even remotely being able to cover big political and other breaking news in other Southern African countries bordering South Africa.
Even the struggle to find analysts and commentators revealed how awful South Africa's TV news channels actually are when it comes to big, international breaking news with a Southern African angle.
Once again CNN International, Sky News and other channels ran circles around eNCA, SABC News and ANN7 as influential and big names were quickly booked, linked up and appeared - some from inside Zimbabwe - on international TV news channels.
It all helped to worsen the "kindergarden" effect of eNCA, SABC News and ANN7 rummaging around for some semblance of Zimbabwe coverage relevance.
It all helped to worsen the "kindergarden" effect of eNCA, SABC News and ANN7 rummaging around for some semblance of Zimbabwe coverage relevance.
This is what you get after years of reducing instead of growing, cutting back instead of expanding, cocooning instead of reaching out and networking, and isolating yourself instead of setting up bureaus when you're a TV news channel but doesn't want to do what the mere existence as a TV news channel requires.
eNCA, SABC News and laughably bad ANN7 are not going to catch up tomorrow, the weekend or next week on Zimbabwe and Robert Mugabe news and coverage. And that's sad.
Like the Southern Cape fire devastation earlier this year where eNCA, SABC News and ANN7 also looked shameful in its terribly bad and non-existent coverage, they can't simply flip a switch on Thursday and have their Zimbabwe coverage go from the flimsy superficial and reading wire services alerts on television to in-dept, on the ground and incisive reporting.
They've done little to improve and build newsroom systems that's responsive, able to act and mobilise any time of the day and to get reporters and camera crews to breaking news flash points in South Africa and Southern Africa.
They're likely going to continue to be shamed and embarrassed for doing "radio on television" when these big events occur because it's the most they've ever been able to be, and what they've been reduced to.
Both CNN International and Sky News in just 2017 have done more reports from inside Zimbabwe and from the South African side of the Zimbabwe border with David McKenzie and Alex Crawford than eNCA, SABC News and ANN7 combined.
That is absolutely great for CNN International and Sky News and prop up their credibility and viewers' belief that these are TV news channels they can instantly tune to when news happens there.
The terrible opposite holds true for eNCA, SABC News and ANN7, shining in mediocrity reading news reports under the safe and warm glow of comfy Johannesburg studios lights.
Congratulations to CNN International for fast mobilisation, having built networks and contacts, having gone and having kept going and being able to instantly depend on handlers and others to gain access and to report.
It's sad that in 2017 South Africa has three local TV news channels who would say they want to be and are news channels, but are not actually willing to put money, resources and on the ground original reporting behind what is core to what makes a real TV news channel be one.
eNCA, SABC News and laughably bad ANN7 are not going to catch up tomorrow, the weekend or next week on Zimbabwe and Robert Mugabe news and coverage. And that's sad.
Like the Southern Cape fire devastation earlier this year where eNCA, SABC News and ANN7 also looked shameful in its terribly bad and non-existent coverage, they can't simply flip a switch on Thursday and have their Zimbabwe coverage go from the flimsy superficial and reading wire services alerts on television to in-dept, on the ground and incisive reporting.
They've done little to improve and build newsroom systems that's responsive, able to act and mobilise any time of the day and to get reporters and camera crews to breaking news flash points in South Africa and Southern Africa.
They're likely going to continue to be shamed and embarrassed for doing "radio on television" when these big events occur because it's the most they've ever been able to be, and what they've been reduced to.
Both CNN International and Sky News in just 2017 have done more reports from inside Zimbabwe and from the South African side of the Zimbabwe border with David McKenzie and Alex Crawford than eNCA, SABC News and ANN7 combined.
That is absolutely great for CNN International and Sky News and prop up their credibility and viewers' belief that these are TV news channels they can instantly tune to when news happens there.
The terrible opposite holds true for eNCA, SABC News and ANN7, shining in mediocrity reading news reports under the safe and warm glow of comfy Johannesburg studios lights.
Congratulations to CNN International for fast mobilisation, having built networks and contacts, having gone and having kept going and being able to instantly depend on handlers and others to gain access and to report.
It's sad that in 2017 South Africa has three local TV news channels who would say they want to be and are news channels, but are not actually willing to put money, resources and on the ground original reporting behind what is core to what makes a real TV news channel be one.
