by Thinus Ferreira
South Africa's free-to-air commercial TV channel e.tv has added a third daily e.tv news TV news bulletin at 18:30 as a direct result of the spread of the Covid-19 virus in South Africa and the growing global novel coronavirus pandemic.
e.tv keeps its TV news bulletins at 13:00 and 20:00 on weekdays, and 19:00 on weekends and has added the e.tv news - Covid-19 Update half-hour TV news bulletin at 18:30.
e.tv says in a statement that the broadcaster is "committed to delivering factual news coverage and reporting to its viewers and with the advent of Covid-19 the channel has seen the importance of factual reporting around the disease and its impact".
"We aim to broaden access to breaking news and accurate information to the broadest possible audience," says Marlon Davids, e.tv managing director.
"We want to fight the spread of fake news by giving our viewers the facts and enabling them to make informed choices at a time when the entire world is concerned about the spread of the disease."
Publicist Hendrik Tolomo at PR company Meropa was asked on Wednesday morning when e.tv added the e.tv news - Covid-19 Update but there was no response by the time of publication.
UPDATE Wednesday 8 April 2020 21:25 - Meropa says that the etv news - Covid-19 Update bulletin started on 24 March 2020.
