Thursday, July 16, 2020

Coronavirus: China's CGTN channel quietly suspended its daily Africa Live programming block done from Kenya without explanation because of Covid-19 cases, should resume on Thursday.


by Thinus Ferreira

The Chinese TV news channel CGTN (DStv 409 / StarSat 266) has quietly done away with its African news coverage in its daily Africa Live strand without any explanation or notification following some positive Covid-19 cases.

Africa Live is set to return on Thursday 16 July 2020.

Africa Live, done from Nairobi, Kenya with anchors like Beatrice Marshall and Lindy Mtongana disappeared from the CGTN schedule at the beginning of July 2020.

The hourlong Africa Live news block used to incorporate programmes like Talk Africa and Face of Africa editions.

TVwithThinus has been told that CGTN's Kenya office had some positive Covid-19 cases in Nairobi and that the decision was made to shut down for 2 weeks. During this time the block that used to be devoted to coverage of African news was taken over by CGTN's Beijing office.

Africa Live should be back on Thursday 16 July but viewers can't know that because it doesn't show on CGTN's electronic programme guide (EPG).

CGTN has stopped providing MultiChoice and China's StarTimes pay-TV operators with schedules, meaning that their electronic programme guides (EPGs) are empty and devoid of programming details.

This is a breach of the carriage agreements signed between the TV channel and the pay-TV operators.

CGTN has remained silent to viewers asking what has happened to Africa Live.

Viewers have asked CGTN what happened to Africa Live news but nobody so far received any response.




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