CNN International (DStv 401) is turning its CNN Talk with Max Foster show into a weekday strand, extending it to a 5-day strand from Monday 12 March.
The panel show that is broadcast on CNN International and live streams on Facebook simultaneously started in May 2017 and will now become a weekday show at 13:00 for South African viewers between 12 and 23 March, and at 14:00 (SA/Africa time) from 26 March.
The topics and subjects on CNN Talk are either globalist or otherwise very British and Eurocentric in nature, CNN International would do well to replace CNN Talk with Max Foster at some point in the future, or in addition, add a programming strand like CNN Talk Africa that would be more suitable for African viewers.
CNN Talk isn't bad but it's not very relevant for African and South African viewers, covering topics like Brexit, gun control, international terrorism, Donald Trump's presidency and the #MeToo movement and sexual harassment.
The show has covered the British royal engagement from outside Buckingham Palace and the Parsons bomb attack in London, but not a lot has been said about issues affecting Africa so much.
Max Foster's panelists include columnist Ayesha Hazarika, the British radio presenter Iain Dale and columnist Liam Halligan. Other people like CNN correspondents and experts sometimes join the show as guests like for instance CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Nima Elbagir and Fred Pleitgen.
"From the very beginning this show has struck a chord with audiences," says Gill Penlington, the senior director for news and events programming at CNN International about CNN Talk.
"The level of engagement we've seen has been phenomenal. Having a daily edition of the programme will allow us to get into a wider range of topics through the week and broaden what is already a diverse and highly flexible agenda."
