How CNBC Africa's ongoing lack of punting its programming is creating a growing problem and doing increasing damage to the CNBC Africa brand.

CNBC Africa's (DStv 410) ongoing problem - its lack of punting and communicating about its programming to the press - is doing increasing damage to the CNBC Africa brand - so much so that advertisers, reps and the media are spreading rumours that CNBC Africa is struggling and has dumped efforts to do live local programming after 18:00 in the evening.

CNBC Africa has the same problem as the SABC, and similar to the South African public broadcaster has let it fester and grow. 

CNBC Africa is giving the media covering television nothing to go on.

By creating a total vacuum through a lack of actually promoting and talking about its existing and upcoming content and on-air talent, CNBC Africa is doing nothing to keep the press informed about what it's actually doing.

It makes the media turn from covering a broadcaster's programming, to covering its behind-the-scenes operational and management issues.

By doing very little to communicate about its actual programming (which would take up time, and time away from journalists doing other stories) what happened with the SABC is what's happening with CNBC Africa from a PR and publicity perspective. 

Once the media and journalists latch onto other issue-driven narratives like the SABC's behind-the-scenes crisis and Hlaudi Motsoeneng, it's very hard to get the media to now write and make stories out of SABC1's Khumbul'ekhaya synopsis (oh wait, those don't exist).

It's now happening to CNBC Africa as well, available on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform and on StarTimes elsewhere in Africa, with the pan-African business channel that does content that comes and goes just like a tree that falls in the forest with nobody hearing.

Case in point is for instance that last night, on Thursday, CNBC Africa apparently broadcast its annual All Africa Business Leaders Awards 2016 (AABLA) on DStv. 

The actual ceremony took place earlier this week in Johannesburg.

CNBC Africa communicated nothing about this to the relevant media actually covering or theoretically covering the channel - most have given up years ago.

CNBC Africa couldn't get itself to inform not just that the awards show, CNBC Africa's biggest localised event and argubly the biggest "thing" for the channel every year is taking place - but afterwards not even who won, or when and that it would be broadcast.

CNBC Africa couldn't be bothered to issue even one press release in the lead-up to the AABLA2016 finale, nor about the winners afterwards, nor even a programming note to the media of when it would be shown.

Meanwhile CNBC Africa's lack of any apparent consistent communication strategy to notify the media about its programming in the way other DStv news channels do, has lead to the start of rumours that CNBC Africa has done away with live programming during the evenings on the channel.

Speculation is rife that CNBC Africa is struggling, and that it's been too difficult to find advertisers and too expensive to continue to do local live programming.

If only CNBC Africa actually took the effort to let the media know not just that it is doing programming but what programming it's doing on a continuous basis, it's of course highly unlikely that the swirling rumours around CNBC Africa would have started in the first place.

Of course wrong information and rumours are highly damaging to a brand, and in this case it is CNBC Africa that's being damaged - self-inflicted damage by not doing the bare minimum of what's required when running something like a TV channel: To keep telling the media what you're actually showing.

Earlier this week, asked about rumours about cutting back its local programming during the evenings, Bronwyn Nielsen, executive director of the CNBC Africa told The Media magazine that there's "no truth to these rumours".

On Wednesday morning it was terribly awkward when a bus full of South African journalists and TV critics as well as from Africa who flew in, pulled up at the Westcliff in Johannesburg and bundled out on the steps at the (wrong) door: The one outside where Rakesh Wahi, co-founder of the ABN Group that includes CNBC Africa and Forbes Africa was to punt his book.

While Discovery Networks International was having its 2017 upfront programming on-air talent interviews at the same hotel, the driver accidentally dropped the press at the wrong venue.

Of course journalists who quickly piled back into the bus and rushed to the right Westcliff door, noted the irony of CNBC Africa and Rakesh Wadi doing a book speech event and the All Africa Business Leaders Awards 2016 taking place, but CNBC Africa and ABN not being able to actually communicate with relevant media to tell them anything about it.

Embarrassing. And ongoing lost media opportunities for CNBC Africa that doesn't seem to care.

In 2016 CNBC Africa's viewership in South Africa on DStv remained dismally low compared to other available TV news channels on DStv.

Would perhaps talking about programming and letting the press (and through the media, also viewers) know about what is going to be on, help to lift ratings and draw more viewers? Very possibly.

CNBC Africa did excellent live coverage a few weeks back regarding the Pravin Gordhan saga.

Anchor Chris Bishop was brilliant as CNBC Africa, during the afternoon, suddenly covered the big news of Pravin Gordhan being charged. It was a momentary upflickering of what the great live business news coverage and analysis that CNBC Africa can do and is capable of being.

Sadly, it was again like a forest falling in the CNBC Africa woods.

Not only did CNBC Africa fail on the day and subsequent days to tell the media anything of its coverage plans around the developing news with an utter lack of even a most basic programming note, but viewers also didn't tune to the channel but to general news channels to follow the news developments.

So far has CNBC Africa apparently slid back, that it's not thought of as a top-of-mind tune-to channel in the case of big business news breaking.

More viewers followed the Pravin Gordhan news and rolling analysis on channels like eNCA and ANN7, although CNBC Africa arguably had a strong(er?) content offering on the story.

While CNBC Africa tries to cover things like the World Economic Forum in Kigali and roll out all kinds of sponsor-branded programming, it constantly fails to close the loop by actually promoting and publicising that content through letting the media know about it, so it can be watched.

CNBC Africa that turned 9 this year, in its past, at times, did communicate schedules and programming notes and show highlights and anchor changes and new presenter additions and programming specials to the press.

It did know how and made some effort and also thought it was worth the effort.

Sadly not the CNBC Africa of today.

In 2017 it will be a decade since I attended the launch event of CNBC Africa in Cape Town 10 years ago as a journalist and as a TV critic eager to cover and report on and tell the ongoing CNBC Africa story and its programming.

With little help from CNBC Africa, especially over the past few years, the task and journey - especially from a TV critic's perspective - has been very disappointing.

Programming note: Greece - An Economic Odyssey to explore the Greek economic meltdown on Monday 19 July at 20:00 on CNBC Africa.

Greece: An Economic Odyssey is a one hour documentary which will be shown on Monday 16 July at 20:00 on CNBC Africa (DStv 410) with presenter Irene Nikolopoulou and narrated by CNBC Africa anchor Chris Bishop.

Greece: An Economic Odyssey will look at Greece's economic meltdown, what went wrong, and what steps are being taken and is necessary for a Greek recovery.

"We think the Greek cricis is one all Africa-watchers should know intimately because it has hurt us, but at the same time it has given us an opportunity to show Africa's investment worth," says Godfrey Mutizwa, CNBC Africa's editor-in-chief.

"This is a story showing how unbridled spending and unaccountability can bring even the strongest economies down, considering the fact that Greece was anchored by the European Union. Greece: An Economic Odyssey is the first of many incisive, in-depth and compelling stories that will come from CNBC Africa in the years and months ahead," says Godfrey Mutizwa.

Programming note: Power Talk with Chris Bishop on CNBC Africa looks at the energy sector across the continent.

CNBC Africa (DStv 410) monthly show, Power Talk with presenters Chris Bishop and Karabo Lethlathla looks at energy matters and the energy business in South Africa as well as across the continent of Africa.

Power Talk is broadcast on the first Monday of every month at 18:30 with interviews and debates with the leaders, decision-makers and roleplayers involved in the energy and power sectors across Southern, East and West Africa.

Power Talk that started in March, will run over 6 months says CNBC Africa and there will be 3 more episodes on Monday 6 June, Monday 4 July and Monday 8 August at 18:30.

TOLDJA! CNBC Africa explores the African oil industry in a fascinating new local oil documentary.

In July I broke the news RIGHT HERE that Chris Bishop is working on a revealing oil doccie for CNBC Africa (DStv 410) and now the local business channel just confirmed the news.

CNBC Africa's latest locally-produced documentary will be Africa: Crude Continent - Quest for the Oil Prize and will debut on CNBC Africa on Tuesday, September 28 at 18:00. Expert and leading author dr Duncan Clarke (pictured) shares his insight about the African oil game over the past three decades.

Africa: Crude Continent - Quest for the Oil Prize is (exactly as I've revealed) produced by Chris Bishop and reveals a fascinating tale by taking viewers into the heart of Africa's fast growing oil industry. The documentary reveals the inside drama of African oil, where it is found, its impact and significance, and examines the critical issues around its exploitation, and also talks to oil industry experts.

''The documentary challenges old ways of thinking about oil on the continent, looks at the present objectively and casts an eye on the future and how the players on the continent are likely to respond to its resource potential,'' says Jill de Villiers, CNBC Africa features and weekend editor.

Africa: Crude Continent - Quest for the Oil Prize will be repeated on CNBC Africa on Friday, October 1 at 21:00, Saturday, October 2 at 17:30 and Sunday, October 3 at 14:00.

BREAKING. Chris Bishop working on a new doccie about oil for CNBC Africa set to debut in September.

You're reading it here first.

I hear through reliable sources that Chris Bishop who produced the three part Liliesleaf: The Untold Story documentary for CNBC Africa (DStv 410) (a captivating effort of almost a year that's already getting rave reviews behind the scenes from insiders within the local South African TV biz) is already working on something else.

I can exclusively reveal that Chris Bishop - fresh off producing the glimpse into the Johannesburg house that was instrumental in Nelson Mandela's early political life - is already working on a new documentary concerning oil. Die new doccie on oil is set for broadcast in September on CNBC Africa.

The business channel's efforts on longform programming yielded another gem this week with CNBC Africa reporter Talia Sanhewe who snagged billionaire philanthropist Bobby Seagar for a sit-down interview during his visit to Cape Town recently for a really well put together The Entrepreneurial Edge.