2019 BUDGET SPEECH WATCH. Pre-analysis, live coverage and post-analysis broadcast plans on Wednesday of the SABC on SABC News and SABC2, eNCA, CNBC Africa, Open News and YouTube.

Several TV channels will be doing live coverage and analyses on 20 February when Tito Mboweni, South Africa's minister of finance, delivers his 2019 budget speech at 14:00 on Wednesday afternoon.

Here is TVwithThinus's round-up of what the coverage on South African television on Wednesday will entail:

SABC
The SABC tells me in response to a media enquiry that SABC News (DStv 404) and SABC2 will start with preview interviews and live crossings on Wednesday morning on Morning Live from the parliamentary precinct in Cape Town.

This will include economists, labour, politicians and various other experts. The SABC plans to do live crossings from the various regions on budget expectations from citizens on the ground, and also commissioned preview packages focusing on tax, Eskom, education, safety and security, and health.

Budget speech preview-related coverage will also be carried on the SABC News channel programmes, The Agenda and On Point.

Live coverage of Tito Mboweni's 2019 budget speech will start on SABC News and SABC2 at 13:50 as the minister of finance walks into parliament to deliver his address.

The speech will be carried live on these SABC channels. Subsequent to the speech, the broadcast will consist of analysis with various experts, as well as live crossings to the steps of parliament for reaction from political parties and civil society.


eNCA (DStv 403)
eNCA tells me in response to a media enquiry that it will provide full coverage and detailed analysis of Tito Mboweni's budget speech, live on the news channel from 14:00 on Wednesday.

The eNCA business anchor Devan Murugan will report live from the parliamentary precinct, leading the analysis and gauging the reactions from politicians and experts.


CNBC Africa (DStv 410 / Cell C black 512)
CNBC Africa tells me in response to a media enquiry that Godfrey Mutizwa and Karabo Letlhatlha will be anchoring the main desk from Sandton on Wednesday, crossing to Fifi Peters in Cape Town throughout the day for 2019 Budget speech coverage.

The business news channel will also carry the 2019 Budget speech live. CNBC Africa says it will naturally adapt to any changes or breaking news on Wednesday.

CNBC Africa's current run-of-day on Wednesday will be as follows:

13:00 - 14:00 Pre-Budget Panel with chief economists, banking heads and financial institutions

14:00 - 16:30 Live broadcast of the 2019 Budget speech & post-analysis with top economists, CFO’s and fund managers 

16:30 - 17:15 CEO and labour panel

17:15 - 17:35 Youth panel

17:35 - 18:05 Eskom panel

18:05 - 18:30 Tax and savings panel   

18:30 - 19:00 Highlights special (26 minutes)


Business Day TV (DStv 412)
Business Day TV tells me the business news channel will go live at 13:30 with a pre-budget speech panel anchored by Alishia Seckam.

From there Business Day TV will cross live to parliament for the speech and then come back for a brief analysis. Thereafter and into the rest of the evening, the channel will look at the various themes that come from Tito Mboweni's speech.

This will consist of various panels from tax, business, personal finance and politics, as well as taking a look at markets' reaction and some of the other news of the day.

Anchors for the day are Alicia Seckam, Leigh Roberts, Natassia Arendse and Giulietta Talevi.

Panellists appearing on Business Day for the day are Lumkile Mondi (senior lecturer: Wits School of Economics & Business Science), Zweli Mabhoza, founder/director: Priority Tax), Maarten Ackerman (chief economist: Citadel), Marcus Botha (BDO), Muneer Hassan (senior lecturer, taxation: University of Johannesburg), David Warneke (National Tax Committee Chair: SAICA), Vukani Mde (political analyst: Lefthook), Daniel Silke (political Analyst), Ralph Mathekga (political analyst), Andre de Ruyter (CEO: Nampak), Bernard Swanepoel (executive director: Small Business Institute), Nick Nick Kunze (Sanlam Private Wealth), Bernard Berson (Bidcorp), Razia Khan (Standard Chartered), Hanneke Farrand (director of private clients at ENS Attorneys), Lizl Budhram: Head of Advice at Old Mutual Personal Finance), Kevin Lings (chief economist: Stanlib), David Shapiro (Sasfin Securities), Nick Crail (Ashburton Investments).

YouTube

Parliament's YouTube channel will broadcast the 2019 Budget speech live.

Open News (Openview 120)

Open News tells me that the channel's viewers will get the opportunity to have their say from 17:00 on Wednesday afternoon when Open News starts its daily coverage of the day's top stories.

Anchors Naledi Moleo and Koketso Sachane will provide an incisive overview of the speech and weigh in on the key talking points. 

Social media anchor Ayanda Dlamini will gauge the reaction on social media, and viewers will have the opportunity to share their thoughts and reactions with the Open News team via Whatsapp.

CBNC Africa to open Mauritius news bureau on 11 July in Port Louis, marking its 11th African news bureau of the biz news TV channel.

CNBC Africa (DStv 410) will be opening a brand-new news bureau in Mauritius on 11 July in Port Louis on the island - the business TV channel's 11th African news bureau. It's not clear how many people will be employed by CNBC Africa in the news bureau.

"Mauritius is an important addition to our coverage map given the country's economic performance in the past few years and its role in attracting investment to Africa as well as its strong reformist agenda," says Godfrey Mutizwa, CNBC Africa's chief editor.

"From Mauritius, we hope to follow the east Asia money that we have seen coming into the continent as well as the country's efforts to maintain its remarkable economic advance."

With the opening of the Mauritius news bureau CNBC Africa plans an hour long televised panel discussion about the island nation's economic and investment prospects.

Behind the Business of the Arts, a new monthly, hour-long show starting on CNBC Africa on Saturday 13 April.

Behind the Business of the Arts is a new monthly, hour-long show starting on CNBC Africa (DStv 410) on Saturday 13 April at 08:00.

"The new show is part of our strategy to follow our typical viewers by providing them with the right content," says Godfrey Mutizwa, CNBC Africa's chief editor.

"The new fare forms part of our revised offering during weekends when we know viewers relax after a hard week in the markets."

Behind the Business of the Arts will repeat on the Sunday after the monthly Saturday when it's shown at 11:00.

BREAKING. CNBC Africa's first reality TV show, TopTrader, finally starting on Tuesday 11 September at 20:30 on the business channel.

Almost a year aftter CNBC Africa (DStv 410) first announced it in November 2011, the African business news channel's first reality show TopTrader is finally starting tomorrow, Tuesday 11 September at 20:30.

The TopTrader contestants, amateur stock market traders competing for a cash prize of R250 000 and ranging in age from 19 to 29 are Gary Barford, Goitse Konopi, Jarred Freedberg, Oluwatosin Olaseinde, Nqobile Promise Khumalo, Saul Kaplan, Steve Bolleurs and Zaheer Salojee.

The profile industry experts who will be mentoring the contestants throughout the competition are Nerina Visser (head of Beta Solutions at Nedbank Capital), David Shapiro (Sasfin) and Ashraf Mohammed (CEO of Ascension Properties).

"The introduction of TopTrader gives an opportunity to open the markets to young people as they begin their working lives," says Godfrey Mutizwa, CNBC Africa's chief editor. "It is a part of our drive to diversify our viewership and content while demystifying the markets to a broader audience."

Programming note: New show, The African Dialogues, on CNBC Africa starting Thursday and discussing issues impacting business in Africa.

CNBC Africa (DStv 410) will start a new series The African Dialogues with the first episode which will be broadcast on Thursday, 9 August at 17:00. The African Dialogues will be discussing issues and topics impacting society and business in Africa.

"Beyond our everyday markets coverage CNBC Africa is beginning to branch out to discuss some of the soft issues affecting business across the continent," says CNBC Africa chief editor Godfrey Mutizwa.

CNBC Africa anchor Hannah Viviers will moderate the first episode of The African Dialogues which will be filmed in Illovo, Johannesburg.

CNBC Africa opens its 8th African bureau in Zambia; plans 2 further bureaus in Rwanda and Ethiopia before the end of 2012.

CNBC Africa (Dstv 410) opened its 8th African bureau on the continent today in Zambia, following Mozambique in May earlier this year.

CNBC Africa's Zambian news bureau will be run as a joint venture with Zambia's national broadcaster, ZNBC from the capital Lusaka. Besides Mozambique and Zambia CNBC Africa wants to open two further news bureaus before the end of the year in Rwanda and Ethiopia.

CNBC Africa already has offices in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Gabon and Mozambique.

"THe new bureau is continuing testimony to our vision to provide comprehensive coverage of Africa's growing markets," says Godfrey Mutizwa, CNBC Africa chief editor in a statement.

"CNBC Africa has been active in Zambia for the past three months, conducting live interviews on Zambian markets, business and economic news," says Debbie Baillie, CNBC Africa's country bureau chief.

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.

CNBC Africa to turn 5 years old on 1 June will special TV documentaries, testimonials from reporters and anchors and short TV specials.

CNBC Africa (DStv 410) will turns 5 years old on 1 June and the African business news channel will celebrate its 5th anniversary as a TV channel with special documentaries; memorial testimonials by the network's reporters and anchors of the most memorable events of the past five years at CNBC Africa as well as short special features featuring African highlights.

ALSO READ: CNBC Africa adds Mozambique as its latest news bureau as part of a partnership between the ANB Group and Televisão de Moçambique.

CNBC Africa, launched on 1 June 2007 says in a just-issued press statement that it is "still Africa's first - and still the only - real-time continental financial and business news network. Part of the global CNBC family, which reports around the clock from major financial centres worldwide, it boasts bureaux in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Nairobi, Lagos, Abuja, Windhoek, Libreville, Lusaka and Maputo."

CNBC Africa says it plans to diversify CNBC Africa's content and to extend broadcasting hours in the next two years. "Our mission remains unaccomplished as long as there are markets and economies that go unreported in Africa," says Godfrey Mutizwa, CNBC Africa's chief editor.

CNBC Africa co-founder and chairperson Zafar Siddiqi says CNBC Africa will continue to provide Africa's business and economic leaders a "critical news service for a very long time to come."

"CNBC Africa has grown beyond all expectations since it was launched five years ago, and everyone on the CNBC Africa team is justifiably proud of the respected media brand that they have all helped to create," says Zafar Siffiqi.

CNBC Africa will be adopting the theme of "Celebrate Africa!" in June as part of its 5th birthday month.

"Now more than ever, in these times of globaluncertainty and the emergence of Africa as an economic crossroads of the world, we need excellence in our own financial journalism. The success of countries, companies and individuals hangs on the flow of great and timely information - and CNBC Africa will always be the place to find it," says Roberta Naidoo, ABN managing director.


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BREAKING. Oprah Winfrey on if she will be endorsing Barack Obama for a 2nd term as president of the United States: 'He doesn't need me.'

You're reading it here first.

Oprah Winfrey, asked on the CNBC Africa (DStv 410) programme Africa Prime by interviewer Godfrey Mutizwa if she's going to be endorsing the American president Barack Obama for a second term during this year's upcoming presidential election in the United States, the talk show host didn't give a straight yes or no answer and said ''he doesn't need me''.

Oprah Winfrey's endorsement - as reportedly the most influential woman in the world - ensured according to research as many as 1 million votes to Barack Obama's presidential bid in 2008 to help him become American president. The move reportedly cost Oprah Winfrey support as she lost some of her viewers who distanced themselves from her after her political endorsement.

While he will be seeking a second term in office in the United States later this year, Barack Obama's popularity has sharply declined in recent months in the United States due to a gridlocked US Congress, a stubbornly high unemployment rate and a resession hammered economy.

Asked if she will be endorsing Barack Obama for a second term, Oprah Winfrey told Godfrey Mutizwa that ''I don't need to do it again. I don't think he needs me''.

''The moment for me to step up for Barack Obama – you know I am still a big supporter, a big fan, a believer in Barack Obama – but that was a moment that was needed then,'' she said in the hour long interview that was broadcast on the South African business channel Tuesday evening.

''I did that then because even my own friends didn't know who Barack Obama was. Now the world know who Barack Obama is. He doesn't need me. But am I a supporter of his? Yes.''


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