eNCA news channel again accused of racism in an open letter; eNCA says it takes 'a dim view' of the allegations and will start disciplinary enquiry.

Angry eNCA (DStv 403) staff is once again accusing the 24-hour TV news channel on MultiChoice's DStv of racism, accusing eNCA in an open letter of preventing workers from organising and joining unions, and questioning why top executive positions are given to whites.

The open letter to John Copelyn, chairman of the eMedia Investments board and the Hosken Consolidated Investments (HCI) CEO comes after a similar letter that circulated company-wide through eNCA in September last year with allegations of racism, intimidation and victimisation.

The latest letter comes after the announcement that eMedia is making top executive changes, with eNCA news boss Patrick Conroy taking over the reigns of Platco Digital's OpenView HD (OVHD) free-to-air satellite service while the noted academic Prof Anton Harber will be taking over from 1 March as eNCA's new editor-in-chief.

eNCA remains the most watched by far of all of the local and international TV news channels available in South Africa on MultiChoice's DStv and StarTimes Media South Africa's StarSat platforms.

John Copelyn is accused of creating "a clique of hand-picked managers" since taking over from Marcel Golding with the letter slamming the appointment of Prof Anton Harber who is the Caxton Professor of Journalism at the University of the Witwaterstand and who was a founder of the Weekly Mail (now the Mail & Guardian).

"We are aware that there is no dustbin for whites in your company, no wonder why racism is so rife and goes unpunished in this company".

The letter from an eNCA staff member was addressed to an executive, office bearer and shareholder representative and has circulated within the company and outside.

Vasili Vass, spokesperson tells TV with Thinus in response to the open letter that eMedia as the holding company of eNCA and e.tv "takes a dim view of this 'open letter' which appears deliberately intended to bring the group and its companies into disrepute".

"A letter which is defamatory, grossly untrue in many respects, inciteful and harmful has been penned and distributed."

"We will deal with the matter by holding a disciplinary enquiry into the letter and its allegations and in the circumstances do no propose to deal with its content any further in the media."

eMedia says it "has always operated in accordance with the law, the Labour Relations Act and the Constitution and will continue to do so. Recent management appointments have been made by the board of eMedia Investments to meet future opportunities and challenges of the media group and it stands by them".

Damage control inside e.tv as executives try to calm e.tv and eNCA staff, following the shocking exit of e.tv CEO Marcel Golding.

e.tv isn't talking amidst major upheaval and scandal swirling around the free-to-air TV station and its 24-hour TV news channel eNCA (DStv 403), but insiders are telling me executives are scrambling to try and calm staff.

Following the shocking resignation of CEO Marcel Golding on Monday - part of a deliberate move by Hosken Consolidated Investment (HCI) shareholders to push him out and his resultant shocking revelations of political interference into e.tv's eNews and eNCA operations - I'm told e.tv is trying to calm the chaos.

"e.tv's group attorney just arrived in Cape Town today to try and calm people," I'm told by a source.

"Patrick [Conroy, managing director of eNCA and eSat news services] also flew to Cape Town," an insider tells me. 

"People are just wondering whether there will be a Christmas party for the staff this year. And if there is one, who will be addressing them this year?" says another one.

BREAKING. Suspended e.tv boss Marcel Golding alleges government political interference in eNews and eNCA news coverage.

The suspended e.tv boss Marcel Golding says his suspension is the result of government political interference in news coverage on e.tv's eNews and eNCA (DStv 403).

Marcel Golding alleges in filed court papers to block his shocking suspension which took place this week, that his suspension is partially the result of behind-the-scenes corporate and political infighting in which Hosken Consolidated Investment's TV channel e.tv and its news division eNews and 24-TV news channel eNCA were pressured to cover positive ANC news.

The political pressure for certain news coverage allegedly followed after e.tv's lobbying process of the government to take e.tv's side of the ongoing, and unresolved, battle over set-top box (STB) control for decoders when South Africa eventually switches from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting (DTT).

In an affidavit lodged with the Cape Town Labourt Court, Marcel Golding details how he was "forced out" due to the trade union SACTWU who first sidelined his wife, Bronwyn-Keene-Young who is e.tv's chief  operating officer (COO), when she allegedly resisted and rebuked a direct instruction to do political news coverage from an ANC minister.

The pressure allegedly comes from HCI director Yunis Shaik, the brother of Schabir Shaik.

Marcel Golding alleges that a technical transaction with Ellies is now being used to try and force him out. He says the disciplinary hearing "has been launched after months of attempts to get me to relinquish the chair of the board of HCI and resign as CEO of e.tv and Sabido as a result of my refusal to permit e.tv to be used for political purposes by a trade union that is invested in the group".

In his affidavit Marcel Golding alleges that "SACTWU has persistently attempted to influence the editorial direction of eNews in order to further its agenda".

"On 24 March 2014 Yunis Shaik addressed an email to Bronwyn Keene-Young stating that the minister of economic development Ebrahim Patel had called him and asked that a supplied news feed of president Jacob Zuma opening a dam be aired on the e.tv evening news. It should be noted that this request was made four days after the Public Protector's report into Nkandla was made public."

"Bronwyn Keene-Young and I were at a conference and unavailable to respond. Shaik therefore, after receiving another call from minister Patel assumed the responsibility to liaise with Patrick Conroy, the managing director of eNCA."

"On 24 March Bronwyn Keene-Young replied to Shaik's email and explained the inappropriateness of Shaik's conduct to him in the context of news integrity and appealed to him to never make this kind of request directly to our managers," says Marcel Golding.

On 29 April 2014 Marcel Golding says in his affidavit that Shaik contacted Bronwyn Keene-Young again, again over a debate due to be held between Ebrahim Patel and the opposition party at the University of the Witwatersrand.

"Patel asked that a clip of an earlier Reserve Bank meeting be aired during the debate. The clip would be supplied and Patel evidently believed it showed the opposition party was incorrect in certain statements it had made regarding the Reserve Bank."

"On 19 May 2014 I received another text message from Shaik. This time it was about the possible mention of another HCI affiliate, Tsogo Sun: 'Maggs on Media. He will feature a story on gabmling addiction. See the story before he airs it. Watch the visuals. It would be terrible if he features Tsogo. Check to see if it is balanced and includes activities we take for responsible gambling."

Marcel Golding states in his affidavit that on 14 August 2014 he was sent the following SMS by Andre Kriel of SACTWU: "Will call you tomorrow. Violet Seboni Memorial lecture will be on 25 August in Johannesburg. Minister Patel will deliver the lecture. We require e.tv to cover it live. Please arrange."

"I was also threatened that should I not resign I would be suspended and disciplined on account of my purchase of Ellies shares - the subject matter of the impending disciplinary hearing."

"I believed Ellies was strategically sound to invest in. I saw such an investment as a strategic investment for one of our key Sabido subsidiaries which is struggling to meet its targets [Platco Digital's OpenView HD]."

"The subsidiary is a free-to-air satellite platform which is dependent on the distribution - by Ellies - of set-top boxes [STBs]."

Marcel Golding in his affidavit says that his understanding is that "SACTWU [wants] to exert greater control over news content at e.tv and eNCA by ensuring a CEO less independent than me assumes control over Sabido," and that he believes that it "is directly related to the pursuance of an agenda to exert greater control over news content aired by e.tv and its related broadcasters."

"In opposing the attempts to manipulate news content I have been acting to protect the rights of editorial staff to run an independent news service," says Marcel Golding's affidavit.

BREAKING. e.tv boss Marcel Golding suspended over alleged serious 'gross misconduct'; disciplinary hearing scheduled for Monday 27 October.

e.tv boss Marcel Golding has been immediately suspended over allegations of "gross misconduct" according to Hosken Consolidated Investments (HCI).

Marcel Golding will face a disciplinary hearing into the gross misconduct allegations on Monday 27 October, while he is apparently trying to block his suspension.

The charges against Marcel Golding were "found to be of a very serious nature warranting disciplinary action," says HCI in a statement.

Marcel Golding's shocking suspension is the second high-level, high-profile suspension within South Africa's TV industry, following that of Leo Manne, the SABC's general manager for TV channels.

Marcel Golding, a former trade unionist, has been the executive chairperson of HCI since 1997 and has been a prominent figure in South Africa's television industry, outspoken about the country's looming, and long-delayed and far behind schedule switch from analogue to digital terrestrial television (DTT).

HCI is the holding company of the media group subsidiary, Sabido Investments, which owns the commercial free-to-air TV channel e.tv, 24-hour TV news channel eNCA (DStv 403), Sasani Studios and Platco Digital's OpenView HD (OVHD).

HCI refuses to say why Marcel Golding was suspended and is unwilling to give reasons, saying that "HCI will take such steps as are necessary to protect its interests".

CCTV News and CCTV Africa hard at work at building positive perceptions through television news of China and Africa.

China is flexing its media muscle in Africa and continues to grow its influence on Africa's television viewers and strengthening Sino-African perceptions through its CCTV News (DStv 409) channel which is giving constant, and overtly positive coverage to, and of, African stories.

It's also visible through bigger profile coverage on other TV sources such as South Africa's eNCA (DStv 403) channel.

Other 24-hour international news channels and international media platforms have remained slow and reluctant to cover Africa - or mostly keep with outdated stereotypical images of starving African children beset with flies, poverty, war and hopelessness.

CCTV News's African division, CCTV Africa is now pro-actively busy with changing the television news agenda of how Africa's stories and coverage is framed.

CCTV Africa, with its headquarters based in Nairobi, Kenia, is working hard on a transformative television news experience when it comes to covering the continent and by showing mostly positive profiles and TV news stories which are more balanced and less negative.

A year ago CCTV in partnership with MultiChoice, the Africa continent's biggest pay-TV platform, started the Great Wall bouquet - a separate Chinese channels bouquet with channels provided by China's state-run China Central Television (CCTV).

It was also a year ago that CCTV News started the daily dedicated hour long show Africa Live, providing viewers across Africa on CCTV News with news coverage, profile stories as well as breaking and leading news stories of the day of about what is happening in Africa as the CCTV Africa production office came into operation.

Besides the daily Africa Live, CCTVN has Talk Africa, the weekly talk and current affairs show with presenter Beatrice Marshall.

There also the documentary strand, Faces of Africa, on CCTV News which is a profile documentary series chronicling African leaders and positive role models like a female pilot in Ghana for instance.

Although CCTV Africa is headquarted in East Africa with a production staff of now almost 70 people, CCTV Africa and CCTV News has aggressive expansion plans. CCTV Africa is on an ambitious roll-out plan for new news bureaux across the continent.

Guy Henderson who worked for the BBC and was at Al Jazeera is for instance already based in South Africa as a correspondent for CCTV Africa.

South Africa's 24-hour news channel eNCA (DStv 403) also got into the act with extremely positive Sino-Africa media relations, marked by breathless reporting this past week with eNCA's John Bailey who conducted an "exclusive" interview with China's new president Xi Jinping.

The eNCA was quick to stress that it was "granted the first international TV interview" with Xi Jinping "ahead of other 24-hour news networks".

Th e.tv and Hosken Consolidated Investments (HCI) publicity machine also went into overdrive to show Marcel Golding, the CEO of Sabido Investments (owner of e.tv and the eNCA) getting facetime with (and a photo-op!) with Xi Jinping in Beijing two weeks ago.

China which is heavily investing in Africa in order to secure energy and oil contracts as well as other resources for its own booming economy, is now ramping up its media relations, media coverage of Africa, and its media intercontinental ties with the continent, as part of that economic growth strategy.

As China's hunger for African resources grow to help supply its own energy demands, CCTV News is helping by building and fostering a positive image of China through not only portraying China positively through the state-run television news organisation, but also putting more of Africa's untold stories in a positive light.

That has the double-barrel effect of not only making Africa look good and China look good, but strengthening the overall relationship and business ties between African countries and China.

It's also giving viewers stories - and framing the continent - in a way never really seen before on television news about Africa before, interestingly being told by China and not by Africa itself.

Porn provider New Frontier Media settles its fight with Longkloof Limited by agreeing to add a representative.

New Frontier Media, the massive pay TV porn provider which was/is the target of a hostile take-over bid by Longkloof Limited, a sister company to broadcaster e.tv in South Africa, has settled its fight (for now) by agreeing to add a representative from Longkloof Limited to its board.

Longkloof Limited owns 15,9% of New Frontiers Media's shares. Longkloof Limited is an offshore Channel Islands investment company. Longkloof Limited's parent however is the South African investment company Hosken Consolidated Investments (HCI) and HCI is the parent firm of South Africa's e.tv.

HCI through Longkloof Ltd, originally acquired the stake in New Frontier Media a few years ago due to plans to start a pornographic channel that Sabido Investments would run for MultiChoice's DStv pay TV platform. MultiChoice, the company which approached Sabido Investments, eventually didn't follow through with the plan.


New Frontier Media produces and distributes pornographic movies and owns the porn channel Penthouse TV and The Erotic Networks, or TEN, which packages VaVoom, Juicy and XTSY.

In return for adding a representative from Longkloof Limited to the board, Longkloof Limited will be dropping its lawsuit charging that New Frontier Media violated its fidicuary duty to shareholders by refusing to consider Longkloof's aggressive purchase offer.

South Africa's free-to-air commercial broadcaster e.tv more profitable thanks to ongoing growth in advertising revenue.

e.tv, through the media subsidiary Sabido Investment Limited which is owned by Hosken Consolidated Investments (HCI), has increased it profitability, with gross profits climbing 17% to R766 million for the year ending March 2012.

Sabido revenue is up 18% to R1,9 billion for the year to end March, mostly attributed to advertising revenue growth.

ALSO READ: Porn takeover battle heats up as Longkloof Limited - an e.tv sister company - increases its bid for New Frontiers Limited.

e.tv as the media and television part of HCI continues to be a star performer since the broadcaster started turning a profit in late 2003 for the first time after e.tv started in 1998. e.tv receives no TV licence fees and income is derived from sponsorships and advertising.

According to HCI's consolidated results on 21 July 2011 Sabido acquired Powercorp International Limited, a London based global content distributor of films and television series.

An interest of 80% and 90% respectively were acquired in September 2011 in Media Film Equipment Services and Media Film Services Incorporated - both of them sell and rent specialised equipment.

What could impact e.tv and Sabido's profitability in the not-too-distant future would be South Africa's switch-over to digital terrestrial television (DTT), a process known as digital migration. Both the hard switch-over in terms of infrastructure and signal distribution costs, as well as the massive amount of more programming and programming costs, make this a very capital intensive compulsory exercise for all South African broadcasters.