The gutting (and sexist behaviour) continues as eNCA (DStv 403) and e.tv's news division dumped Amy MacIver - the latest longtime (female) journalist and anchor who signed off on Friday as its news division people are retrenched in eMedia Investments' ongoing downsizing of its Cape Town operations.
Unlike what eMedia Investments, eNCA and e.tv does when men leaves - for instance Andrew Barnes (1), Derek van Dam (2), Pat Pillai (3), Ben Said (4) and Arabile Gumede (5) to mention just a few in a string of examples - the sexist looking, trashy eNCA and e.tv could once again not bother even the slightest to tell the media that Amy MacIver is leaving, or issue a basic press release noting the separation and thanking her for her service.
It's already bad that eNCA and e.tv is firing people.
It's worse when it never says anything when it's women and fails to comment on the contribution they made - but does it for their male counterparts when they sever ties with eNCA.
Not only does eNCA and e.tv executives and its publicity department fail spectacularly when it comes to the basic international standard regarding announcements of on-air talent moves at a news channel, it shows even less regard for its female on-air personalities than its men. And it's deplorably bad.
On Friday, a tearful and emotional Amy MacIver signed off during News Day on eNCA and e.tv - clearly distraught, sad and despondent.
What did eNCA and e.tv do about this and Amy MacIver leaving?
(Once again as with other women) Nothing.
From e.tv/eNCA there wasn't as much as a peep or even the pro forma press statement of "thank you for your contribution and this is how it affects viewers" about Amy MacIver's retrenchment.
It's exactly like how eNCA treated Bhavna Singh who was tossed away without any announcement or thank you, and when on-air reporting (female) stars like Robyn Kriel (2), Phakamile Hlubi (3) and others left eNCA.
Once can still be justified as co-incidence. But this isn't co-incidence. It happens time and time again.
It's not a "made-up" thing - it's a real, ongoing, unchanging, tasteless phenomena from eNCA and e.tv news that comes across as extremely sexist.
It appears as trashy and sexist behaviour from a TV news channel that used to be much better in years gone by, but now signals how little it actually thinks of TV journalism and the people who work at eNCA. Especially women.
When you can't do or say even the most basic nice departing words where someone like Amy MacIver - who gave almost 12 years of her professional working life to your service - what is inferred in the deafening silence by TV critics and media observers becomes painfully obvious: eNCA and the e.tv news division doesn't care and can't care less about the person leaving, who also happens to be female.
It's frankly disgusting that eNCA and e.tv thinks so little of its viewers that it cannot even tell viewers when on-air talent - it's actual product - is leaving and changing and won't be on TV anymore.
This lamentable state of affairs is sad - regardless of whether its for a man or a woman.
Sadly, it gets even more trashier and is compounded to say at least something when it men leaving, but nothing when it's women.
Amy MacIver has worked very hard for eNews, eNCA and e.tv.
She's anchored numerous eNews Early Edition news bulletins, eNews Late Edition and eNews Direct Weekend bulletins, as well as reporting stories over more than a decade.
That was besides her strong presence as a face of eNews Prime Time - e.tv's flagship English TV news bulletin.
That's not nothing. That type of legacy work deserves something - even as small as a basic token departure announcement of thanks and so long.
Recently this year with Michelle Craig on maternity leave, it was Amy MacIver who filled in as News Day co-anchor, after she produced and was a presenter of Earth Watch in 2015 as part of eNCA's now gutted current affairs programming slate.
Amy MacIver wasn't some "throwaway" intern moonlighting for experience at eNews.
She was a bona fide e.tv news star.
Sadly the message eNCA seems to be sending, through sending no message at all, is one of: "Don't let the door hit you on the way out Amy!"
Why is eNCA and e.tv failing so miserably to announce on-air changes - especially when women are concerned?
It's important to see eNCA's behaviour of how it treats women who gets fired and who resign, against the even broader context and background of eNCA scandal of the "doek" earlier this year and the spate of resignations also earlier this year of female journalists at eNuus - the Afrikaans news division doing news for kykNET (DStv 144) - with allegations that they resigned due to bullying by a man.
In my opinion eNCA has an ugly problem in failing to do basic notifications about changes to its on-air roster - especially when people leave.
By appearing to be even worse at it when it concerns women and female talent, it also comes across as worsening the perceived problem with sexist behaviour, making the ugly problem ... even uglier.
Since it's apparently too much effort and eNCA and e.tv couldn't get itself to say it, let me:
"Thank you very much Amy MacIver for your great work over more than a decade to help put eNews, eNCA and eNews Prime Time on the map, your never-ending enthusiasm, your news professionalism and your valued contribution over many years to South African journalism and TV journalism".
