by Thinus Ferreira
e.tv once again relaunched The Morning Show on Monday 1 May - which will now be simulcast on eNCA (DStv 403) and that dropped producing its own The South African Morning - adding Faith Mangope as a presenter and Brighton Mhlongo as a sports presenter.
Pay-TV subscribers will now get to see The Morning Show, with Yusuf Stevens as executive producer, on DStv at the same time as the breakfast show is seen on e.tv.
An additional half-hour of the Cheeky Media produced show is produced for eNCA between 08:30 and 9:00, s part of the South African TV news channel's latest on-air look and scheduling revamp.
e.tv issued no press release about The Morning Show, which launched five years ago in May 2018, undergoing yet another on-air revamp and presenter team change.
The show coincidentally shares a name with the Apple TV+ drama series set behind the scenes of an American breakfast TV show and which just got renewed for a fourth season.
eNCA cancelled the production of its own The South African Morning which had a bigger focus on news and current affairs, to now substitute it with the more edutainment-centric The Morning Show doing sponsored segments, as it tries to compete with frontrunner Morning Live on SABC2 also simulcast on SABC News (DStv 404), SABC3's Expresso, as well as Newzroom Afrika's (DStv 405) A.M. Report.
Faith Magope and Brighton Mhlongo join the current set of The Morning Show presenters Nelisiwe Mmape, Kgosi Rankhumise, Bolele Polisa and Obakeng Obakeng "OB Knows" Ngobeni.
"It's a bigger and better Morning Show," presenter Kgosi Rankhumise said on Monday morning.
On joining the show Faith Mangope, who woke up at 2:45 this morning, said it's "about working with a team that wants to help you out, want to make you feel welcome - that's what it is. It's about us being a family but a family mindful that it's not about us. It's not about Faith, it's not about Faith's glory, it's about the people - it's about South Africans who really want good quality content."
About now doing a simulcast with The Morning Show shown free on e.tv and to pay-TV viewers on DStv, Norman Munzhelele, eNCA managing director, on Monday morning said "It's important because we have to serve both worlds".
"We do have our own audience - loyal audience as eNCA - but we are driven by the fact that we have to service the whole audience as a person in terms of giving you diversity and plurality of voices in the morning."
John Bailey, eNCA managing editor, on Monday said "that while eNCA will remain true to its business of news and content creation, what we are offering our viewers is really looking at how we can enlighten our viewers, especially in the morning".
"That's why we are bringing our hard-hitting news that we have become known for over all these past years, but also just give you a different sense of let's talk about spirituality that The Morning Show has become so famous for - but also issues around lifestyle".
