e.tv adds Afrikaans TV news, Nuusdag, and the dubbed Turkish telenovela, Gebroke Harte, to eExtra on Openview.

e.tv is rolling out more Afrikaans content from today in a 2-hour programming block between 19:00 and 21:00 on the eExtra channel in the form of Afrikaans news and a Turkish telenovela dubbed into Afrikaans, before the launch of its new 24-hour TV news channel OpenNews on 1 November.

e.tv will launch its second daily Afrikaans half hour TV news bulletin, Nuusdag om 8, this evening at 20:00 on eExtra (Openview 105 / DStv 195 / StarSat 489) on its Openview free-to-air satellite TV service.

Nuusdag om 8 will be followed by a companion show at 20:30 in the form of a new half hour Afrikaans current affairs show, Nuusdag Perspektief.

Nuusdag Perspektief will do interviews with newsmakers and discuss big news stories and issues.

The 20:00 Afrikaans news and current affairs block will be preceded by the hour long Gebroke Harte, a Turkish telenovela dubbed into Afrikaans that will be broadcast on weekdays on eExtra.

Nuusdag om 8
The veteran broadcaster and sports journalist Echbert Boezak has been appointed as Nuusdag news editor who will also do sports reporting.

Nuusdag om 8 will be anchored by Rozanne McKenzie previously from kykNET's Kwêla, Flits! and Nasie in Gesprek, along with the former SABC2 Afrikaans TV news anchor Suzaan Steyn, and the former Pasella presenter Charlene Lackay.

The actress and Mrs Africa Hemisphere, Lorna Greyling will be the Nuusdag om 8 weather presenter.

Nuusdag with its studio done in amber and red tones will not just compete with SABC2's Afrikaans TV news bulletin at 18:30 but also itself - eNuus on kykNET (DStv 144) and kykNET & kie (DStv 145) at 19:00 that is produced for M-Net's Afrikaans TV channels on DStv by eMedia Investments that is also responsible for Nuusdag.

To differentiate from the heavy Johannesburg news bubble of other shows - although the Nuusdag om 8 studio is located in Johannesburg similar to the others - the TV news bulletin will add, beyond a look at international and national South African news, a flavouring of regional reports from some South African provinces, done from Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, Bloemfontein and the Northern Cape.

Reporters like Craig-Lee Smith from EWN, Sue Pyler from RSG, Elvin Presslin and others have joined Nuusdag.

"We are committed to producing an independent Afrikaans TV news bulletin that South Africans can really trust," says Marlon Davids, managing director of e.tv channels. "We have put together a very talented and experienced team of reporters, producers and anchors and have no doubt that Nuusdag om 8 will keep our Afrikaans-speaking viewers informed".

Gebroke Harte
At 19:00 from today on weekdays, eExtra will play out Gebroke Harte, an Afrikaans dub of the Turkish telenovela, Paramparça (Broken Pieces in English) produced by Endemol Shine Turkey.

Unknown to them, two women Gülseren and Dilara, have had their babies accidentally switched at birth and .

Gülseren (poor) lives with her "daughter" Hazal, and Dilara (rich) lives with her "daughter" Cansu - and then their paths meet again.

South African actors like Carmen Maarman, Marcelle van Heerden, Desiré Gardner and Abdu Adams are part of the voice cast. Gebroke Harte is the first prime-time drama series to be dubbed into Afrikaans in 20 years.

Gebroke Harte will have an omnibus broadcast on eExtra on Sundays at 14:00.

e.tv launching its second daily Afrikaans TV news bulletin, Nuusdag om 8, on 1 October on Openview's eExtra channel.

e.tv will launch it's second Afrikaans TV news bulletin, Nuusdag om 8, on 1 October on Openview's eExtra channel, as part of a 2-hour block of new daily Afrikaans content.

Meanwhile e.tv's second TV news channel, OpenNews, starting on its Openview free-to-air satellite is apparently also looking at a 1 October launch according to insiders, although that couldn't be independently confirmed.

OpenNews will be a direct rival to e.tv's own eNCA (DStv 403) channel supplied to MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform and is created to boost and expand Openview's existing channels offering but to also serve as a new TV news channel brand back-up in case future channel carriage negotiations between MultiChoice and eMedia Investments for eNCA don't work out and eNCA is removed from DStv.

eMedia Investments hired staffers and reporters for Nuusdag om 8 - or Nuusdag (Newsday) for short - and the daily news show will be broadcast on e.tv's eExtra channel from 1 October on channel 105.

Besides being on Openview, the eExtra channel is also available to all DStv subscribers on channel 195, and to StarSat subscribers on channel 489.

Nuusdag scheduled at 20:00 will not just be competition for SABC2's Afrikaans TV news bulletin at 18:30, but ironically also for eNuus on kykNET (DStv 144) and kykNET & kie (DStv 145) at 19:00 with eNuus that is produced for M-Net's Afrikaans TV channels on DStv by e.tv's news division.

Although still covering news nationally and presumably using the same eNews footage archive, according to insiders Nuusdag and OpenNews will be predominantly done from e.tv's Cape Town building in Zonnebloem to somewhat counter eNCA on DStv that is predominantly produced from e.tv's Hyde Park headquarters in Johannesburg.

Other Afrikaans content on eExtra starting on 1 October in the dedicated 2-hour Afrikaans programming block will include the hour-long drama series Gebroke Harte at 19:00, followed by the half-hour Nuusdag at 20:00.

After that eExtra will show series like Nisboere with presenters Anrich Herbst, Chris de Clerq and Simonia Magardie that's been shown on Media24's VIA (DStv 147) channel on DStv.

Last week Openview held retail workshops for satellite TV installers and previewed the new programming under the theme of "Kuiertyd".

e.tv's marketing communications manager, Makatseng Mokome, didn't respond to media requests this week seeking clarity around Nuusdag and OpenNews and more programming information.