Awful radio interview with MultiChoice COO Mark Rayner on 702 about shutting down DStv Mobile turns very awkward and testy.

A cringe-worthy interview on Radio 702 with MultiChoice turned badly awkward when Naspers' pay-TV service on Thursday couldn't really give clear and satisfying answers about scrapping its DStv Mobile service.

The news about shutting down DStv Mobile has led to a lot of angry complaints from customers who are now forced to pay more if they want to continue watching the same TV they've been viewing, as well as having to pay for expensive broadband data.

MultiChoice is shutting down its DStv Mobile service at the end of October and already started turning off transmitters, leaving people with hardware they won't be able to use, and having to pay for data in addition a subscription fee if they want to continue to watch DStv as they have been doing with the DStv Mobile service.

MultiChoice didn't issue any press release about shutting down DStv Mobile but the broader South African public have been talking about it nonetheless.

After South African citizens and DStv Mobile customers gave their opinions on Radio 702, MultiChoice said it wants a right of reply and 702 agreed to interview Mark Rayner, MultiChoice chief operating officer (COO).

On Thursday Joanne Joseph interviewed Mark Rayner, saying 702 received a lot of calls and messages about MultiChoice scrapping DStv Mobile.

From the outset Mark Rayner who said the product has become obsolete didn't come across very well and didn't specifically answer any of the questions or the concerns of DStv Mobile subscribers, instead sounding extremely evasive.

It's not clear why MultiChoice decided to do an interview about DStv Mobile if it doesn't have specific answers for the South African public and DStv Mobile users losing the service.

Joanne Joseph asked Mark Rayner what about South Africans and customers who don't have access to the internet and WiFI and who feel that they're being backed into a corner by MultiChoice and will have to access the internet to pay for data just to watch DStv.

Mark Rayner didn't answer the question and said mobile penetration in South Africa is "well over 100%". He said nothing about data costs. 

Joanne Joseph said what upsets people is that they understand technology moving on, but are still able to use mobile phones and cars when those things have been overtaken by newer technology. She said people have paid up to R1 000 for MultiChoice devices that MultiChoice is making worthless.

Mark Rayner said MultiChoice is giving DStv Mobile subscribers a R500 Takealot voucher to spend on a DStv product or "spend on a smartphone or spend on a computer".

A listener, Grant, also asking about the cost of data, wanted to know from Mark Rayner what his father-in-law - who used DStv Mobile and watched using a signal that didn't cost anything besides the DStv subscription fee - can use instead of the DStv Walka that will give all of the DStv channels they got that they pay for, without the data charges that becomes the customers' problem.

Mark Rayner said MultiChoice is giving people the Takealot voucher to buy a "new TV, or smartphone or a tablet".

Mark Rayner couldn't give a specific answer and said the cost of data is coming down. He said cellular operators have attractive data packages.

"But Mark, come on lets not kid ourselves, compared to other African countries,compared to European countries, America, we know very well that our data costs are a good deal higher," said Joanne Joseph.

"Yes, we certainly have work to do in that regard," said Mark Rayner.

Then Joanne Joseph asked, "in terms of your decision to scrap the DStv Mobile service, how linked is it to your precarious financial situation as a company right now?"

"I'm not sure what precarious situation we're in," said Mark Rayner.

"Really? Mark?" said Joanne Joseph. "I'm shocked that you don't know what's going on in your own company. How many subscribers have you lost in the last year, Mark?"

Mark Rayner said "we grew our subscriber base by - I can't disclose" and said DStv subscribers grew.

"Oh, so you haven't lost any?" asked Joanne Joseph.

"Every year we win some and we lose some Joanne," said Mark Rayner.

"Wow. Thank you very much for that Mark, because the rest of us would have thought that DStv had lost a good number of customers," said Joanne Joseph.

Joanne Joseph was clearly thinking of when Calvo Mawela, MultiChoice SA CEO earlier this year told South Africa's broadcasting regulator, Icasa, that MultiChoice had lost 100 000 DStv Premium subscribers to Netflix South Africa in its last financial year.

Mark Rayner said "certainly we do lose subscribers and we gain new ones. It's part of the cycle of our business".

Joanne Joseph said "that probably explains why some of your customers feel that you don't actually need their custom and patronage because you are simply able to attract new custom fairly easily".

"No that's certainly not how I think of the company, Joanne," said Mark Rayner who said every DStv customer matters.

Another called, Bruce, said MultiChoice offered DStv Mobile for R50, what is MultiChoice going to offer now.

"You can pick up one of our other satellite TV packages and get access to the DStv Now product for free,or perhaps you might be interested in picking up something like Showmax that for R99 gives you a great selection of video-on-demand," said Mark Rayner.

Another listener, Kevin said "DStv cut me off in the middle of the Springbok game the past Saturday on my Walka TV. They don't want people watching premier sport and only paying R50 per month, that is the reason".

You can listen to the whole 702 interview here:

eNCA anchors Joanne Joseph and Ayanda Allie-Paine both resign in latest wave of high profile exits from the TV news channel.

e.tv insiders told TVwithThinus that both the veteran anchor Joanne Joseph and Ayanda Allie-Paine are leaving eNCA (DStv 403) in the latest wave of high profile exits rocking the South African TV news channel, with eMedia Investments confirming that both have resigned.

Joanne Joseph and Ayanda Allie-Paine's resignations come hot on the heels of eNCA's former star crime and court reporter Kary Maughan who left last month, and the shock exit of Debbie Meyers, the head of current affairs at eNCA and e.tv.

Meanwhile e.tv is also gutting its long running morning show Sunrise with plans to outsource its morning breakfast show that's been on the air since April 2008 to an outside production company, with shocked e.tv staffers who have been served retrenchment notices and are likely getting fired.

One insider described a situation where "morale is at an all time low and people are desperately searching for new jobs".

The highly respected Joanne Joseph has been anchoring the 16:00 to 18:00 timeslot on eNCA, and joined the Power FM radio station in February 2017. Her exit date from eNCA has not yet been finalized.

For Ayanda Allie-Paine its the second time she's leaving eNCA - this time after less than a year after she rejoined eNCA in May 2017 to anchor eNCA's new weekend morning programming strand, Weekend Wake Up on Saturdays and Sundays.

It's not clear who will replace her, or if Weekend Wake Up on eNCA is getting canned. Ayanda Allie-Paine's abrupt last appearance on eNCA will be over the coming Easter Weekend.

eNCA in response to a media enquiry says "eNCA can confirm that Joanne Joseph and Ayanda Allie-Paine have resigned to pursue new opportunities".

"Joanne has been with eNCA for almost nine years, anchoring various programmes during her tenure. As a consummate professional with over 20 years of experience, she has tirelessly helped lead the coverage of some of the most prominent news stories of the last decade," says eNCA.

"Joanne has made a valuable contribution to the channel," says Mapi Mhlangu, eNCA editor-in-chief. "She is a formidable journalist, who has used her skills to help our viewers navigate through the key stories during a particularly turbulent period in our democracy."

eNCA says Ayanda-Allie Paine who re-joined eNCA last year "energising the channel’s Saturday and Sunday morning line-up with the Weekend Wake Up. Her dynamic interviewing style and keen journalistic skills have led to a number of memorable moments on the channel". 

"Ayanda-Allie has an infectious passion for news and development, which will be missed by her colleagues and our viewers," says Mapi Mhlangu. "We wish Ayanda and Joanne all the best in their future endeavours." 

eNCA anchor Joanne Joseph moves back to 4pm timeslot from today to replace Dudu Ramela; still looking for mid-morning co-anchor replacement.

eNCA (DStv 403) anchor Joanne Joseph is moving back to the 16:00 to 18:00 timeslot from today, 1 February with the Sabido-run TV news channel on DStv that is still looking for a new co-anchor for Cathy Mohlahlana in the mid-morning slot.

Joanne Joseph replaces Duduzile Ramela who left the 16:00 timeslot on eNCA to anchor e.tv's quixotic eNews Direct.

Joanne Joseph previously anchored at 16:00 on weekdays and she's familiar with the timeslot that's more interview-driven with a faster pace.

"The 16:00 to 18:00 show makes unique demands on the afternoon team," compressing a wealth of news - from politics, to business, to sport and weather - into a mere two hours," says Joanne Joseph.

"For the afternoon tea, it's a barrage of breathless journalism. For the viewer, we hope to make it an informal whirlwind that draws you into the eye of the day's top stories around us."

"eNCA is confident Joanne Joseph will take Afternoon News from strength to strength with her incisive interviewing skills and intelligent approach to news," says Mapi Mhlangu, eNCA news director.

"As a senior anchor Joanne Joseph plays a crucial role in mentoring young talent. She models a very high standard of professionalism in broadcast journalism. We are confident that her probing interview style, ability to distill live events and dedication to the core values of journalism will continue to make eNCA the country's news channel of choice"," says Mapi Mhlangu.

eNCA is still deciding on a replacement for Joanne Joseph's spot next to Cathy Mohlahlana.

SABC and SABC News largely ignores Homo naledi discovery; no live coverage while eNCA and ANN7 go with wall-to-wall live broadcast.

While both eNCA (DStv 403) and ANN7 (DStv 405) are covering the announcement, news and speech by Cyril Ramaphosa live on Thursday morning about the discovery of Homo naledi, the SABC largely ignored it with basically little or no coverage or live coverage on SABC News (DStv 404).

Ironically SABC News kept playing promos saying "SABC News - Africa's news leader" - but the channel and its coverage was nowhere while global attention was focused on South Africa as one of the richest collections of early-human fossils ever found were hauled out of an African cave and showcased to the media.

Both eNCA and ANN7 as 24-hour TV news channels instantly and constantly had experts on hand, interviewed analysts and had anchors and reporters on the scene and at the press conference at Maropeng known as the Cradle of Mankind.

The SABC had ... none - no experts and no live coverage as both channels around it on DStv had wall-to-wall coverage of the dramatic and very newsworthy discovery.

"It is historic for South Africa," said ANN7.

"It's a major discovery," said eNCA.

At the exact same time, SABC News with anchor Elvin Presslin had nothing. While SABC News ironically kept playing promos in-between taped news inserts of other news, saying "When news breaks, we've got you covered".

The absence of Homo naledi coverage or any live coverage of deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa's speech on SABC News and the massive announcement was a shocking and visceral lapse to South African viewers of how dramatically the SABC failed on Thursday morning to cover a major event of national importance and international importance happening in South Africa.

Even by 12:00 on Thursday SABC News only had 18 seconds of Homo naledi news as a headline story read from the studio, followed by a very brief 2 minute story with Elvin Presslin just reading the prompter, before moving on to other news.

Meanwhile eNCA and ANN7 at 12:00 on Thursday continued with wall-to-wall live coverage and multiple live interviews, on location, with Joanne Joseph for eNCA and Peter van Onselen at ANN7 both reporting live from Maropeng.

The SABC left viewers flabbergasted and media rivals wondering about why the SABC's head of news Jimi Matthews decided not to devote more SABC News resources and coverage to the story.

SABC reporter Njanji Chauke was actually there but barely seen. He did report live eventually at 13:04 for a precious few minutes on SABC News from inside the by then empty auditorium - and with no interviews with any experts or analysts- while eNCA and ANN7 kept doing much longer live coverage and interviewing experts on location.

On CNN International (DStv 401) correspondent David McKenzie filed a brilliant story with great visuals and interviews - longer, better and more comprehensive than anything the SABC did.

South Africa's Debora Patta likewise did an incredible story for America's CBS Evening News, seen in South Africa on Sky News (DStv 402) with on location interviews and wonderful footage.

NBC's story, using visuals from National Geographic, and reported by Hallie Jackson for NBC Nightly News, seen on CNBC Africa (DStv 410), focused on the 6 cave diving women scientists who made did the painstaking excavation.

The SABC and SABC News showed a shocking lack of any rolling, in-depth Homo naledi coverage, while eNCA and ANN7 both brimmed for hours with experts, scientists, officials, archeologists and even the cave adventurers who discovered the bones originally and alerted the authorities, all being interviewed.

The Homo naledi lack of coverage was a real-time, on-air embarrassment of the highest degree for the SABC, the SABC News division and its SABC News channel seen across Africa.

The SABC's controversial and famously matricless Hlaudi Motsoeneng keeps saying that the SABC will and must be telling "good news stories".

Yet the South African public broadcaster's news division completely dropped the ball with no live coverage and very little TV news coverage on Thursday of possibly the biggest "good news" story coming out of Africa and South Africa in 2015 and which instantly made world wide news from CNN to The New York Times.

Here was a legitimate and important good news story with great significance to tell and cover live, with incisive reporting, yet the SABC did nothing - while scientists, archeologists, the deputy president and several other experts were on hand and ready to talk about the hugely important and interesting discovery in South Africa.

Carte Blanche on M-Net will cover the huge news on Sunday evening at 19:00 on M-Net (DStv 101), with Joy Summers producing and with Derek Watts as presenter. Carte Blanche will report on the extraordinary scientific discovery of the new species of human and tell the remarkable tale of the two extreme cavers' discovery of Homo naledi.

eNCA anchor Joanne Joseph brazenly and brilliantly eviscerates the North West province spokesperson who refuses to give her real answers.

eNCA (DStv 403) anchor Joanne Joseph today showed what a true TV news anchor is, by resolutely demanding answers to her straight-forward questions and brazenly and brilliantly taking down pathetic PR trash, when an evasive government spokesperson repeatedly refused to answer Joanne Joseph what she asked.

The true TV anchor is not just a talking head reading a teleprompter.

In a textbook perfect how-to case for future TV news wannabe's, Joanne Joseph on Monday afternoon on eNCA brilliantly showed how the very best of TV anchors don't just repeat the words in front of them.

She showed how they can uphold and represent the public interest - especially as far as government spending is concerned - in asking the right questions, and then doggedly continue to persist that someone actually answer them with real answers.

On Monday afternoon Joanne Joseph interviewed the clearly out of his depth Lesiba Moses Kgwele, the spokesperson for the premier of the North West province.

The evasive Lesiba Moses Kgwele simply couldn't or wouldn't do what the job entails - which is to answer what the media asks.

Lesiba Moses Kgwele kept trying to cover and deflect over the issue of the North West premier who bought a new car for R1.3 million.

Joanne Joseph however was having none of it.

Expertly and deftly she started to eviscerate Lesiba Moses Kgwele live on the air - building an image for the viewer, and showing to the viewer through her questions and her persistence after not getting straight answers - how the government of the North West province, and by implication the North West premier and spokesperson have no defense, real answers or rebuttals for the crass car splurge.

Joanne Joseph deserves credit for resolutely asking Lesiba Moses Kgwele and again asking (and asking again!) the same question.

Because of time and other constraints, the majority of TV anchors in similar situations just give up, move on or usually just accept whatever a guest or spokesperson says on face value. They're satisfied with just getting the sound byte. But this isn't always real journalism.

In this case on the South African 24-hour TV news channel today, and in this brilliant example, Joanne Joseph stuck to her guns and it made the ordinary instantly extraordinary, great television, and real news.

In doing what TV news anchors don't do often enough, Joanne Joseph became a true representative of the voiceless - the millions of viewers who can't ask the questions, but who depend on someone like a journalist, reporter or TV anchor to try and ask the right questions on their behalf.

Even more than that, the TV viewer depend on them to actually also try and insist on a real and proper answer from the elected officials, people in power positions, and those PR people speaking on their behalf. Sadly, too often they get away with saying nothing, or saying irrelevant things.

Joanne Joseph properly kept pressing Lesiba Moses Kgele for answers.

Joanne Joseph was quickly (and remember this is a live television situation which is always extremely unpredictable) able to not only rephrase her questions, but to add even more perspective - to give the viewer simultaneously more insight and context as to why she is asking what she is asking, and why she is so insistent on wanting specific answers.

Joanne Joseph was also not scared to interrupt when Lesiba Moses Kgwele was clearly being evasive and give non-answer mumblings. Joanne Joseph knew time was running out for the segment and she wanted to get something real out of the person who speaks for the premier but who wasn't.

Lesiba, you are being evasive, so I'm going to put this question to you for the last time: I need to know what was the premier's reaction once she discovered that a car, costing R1.3 million, was acquired for her, within the context of the South Africa that we are speaking about where many people are living below the breadline," asked Joanne Joseph.

When the dumbstruck Lesiba Moses Kgwele again refused to answer her directly on her specific question and again went off with his own trash talking points, Joanne Joseph clearly had enough.


As the eNCA anchor - representing the viewer - she decided to cut the trash.

"We have explored that at length with you. Lesiba Moses Kgwele, spokesperson for North West premier," Joanne Joseph said as the ongoing, grovelling voice of the PR flack droned on non-sensically in the background.

The on-air takedown was complete. And perfect.

Watch it unfold:

eNCA ANCHOR CHANGES. Joanne Joseph moves to mornings opposite Gareth Edwards, Nikiwe Bikitsha gets the afternoons on eNCA.

There's been no announcement about its window dressing or official statement but eNCA (DStv 403) confirms what viewers have been seeing on their TV screens since the beginning of the month which is that Joanne Joseph has now moved to the mornings.

Joanne Joseph's former old late afternoon timeslot on the 24-hour news channel is now being filled by Nikiwe Bikitsha who is back on air on eNCA full-time after overseas studies.

eNCA tells me that Joanne Joseph is the new permanent co-anchor opposite Gareth Edwards in the morning slot between 09:00 and 13:00.

Nikiwe Nikitsha (below) now anchors the late afternoon eNCA slot between 16:00 and 18:00 where Joanne Joseph used to anchor.

Joanne Joseph suddenly anchoring NewsNight on eNCA solo; of course not a word about it in advance to the press in a programming note.

Joanne Joseph is suddenly anchoring NewsNight, the flagship daily news broadcast of the eNCA (DStv 403) solo, with no trace or any word about where the regular co-anchors Jeremy Maggs and Iman Rappetti are.

Anchor substitution isn't a problem and a regular occurence on 24 hour news channels, but if, as a media platform you make something out to be important - for instance the gravitas and prestige awarded to those people anchoring your main flagship bulletin a day - and then make no attempt to communicate when there are changes with that programme, nobody else will ever believe in the importance a flagship show is internally imbued with.

Unlike other 24 hour news channels which can be seen in South Africa, e.tv and the eNCA hardly does any programming publicity for the eNCA.

e.tv's publicity department where people presumably get money monthly to give the press information about a TV channel such as the eNCA, never issued any publicity materials for the eNCA such as schedules, monthly and weekly highlights. 

There never any synopses for any of its weekly shows like Tech Report, Late Nite News with Loyiso Gola, Judge for Yourself, Africa360 or any of the others, although information exists to help alert viewers and possibly make better then tune into shows.

e.tv does mostly regularly issue 3rd Degree synopsis, although that is a coshare programme between e.tv and the eNCA.

eNCA news channel on DStv unveils its excellent new anchor line-up; adding Eleni Giokos as permanent new anchor.

eNCA (DStv 403) unveiled its new anchor line-up to co-incide with the name change of the eNews Channel to simply eNCA and its expansion to the United Kingdom from tomorrow.

The new eNCA anchor line-up is excellent. It not only shows what's possible when you invest in people as a news media outfit, but the experienced telegenic news anchors are all qualified and the eNCA has a cache of talented TV news stars making several options possible.

The eNCA's new line-up will fully and officially come into effect from Monday 20 August although Iman Rappetti and Jeremy Maggs already co-anchored News Night together on Thursday night last week as their very first - and very successful - try-out. 

Here is the new eNCA line-up:

06:00 - 09:00 Morning News Today

Gareth Edwards, Ayanda Allie-Payne

Gareth Edwards and Ayanda Allie Paine will co-anchor the morning broadcast from now on. 

Ayanda Allie Paine will have to go to bed early so as to not fall asleep on the job. 

Ayanda Allie Paine is the least experienced of all the permanent new anchors; but is very able supported by the excellent Gareth Edwards who've transitioned extremely successfully from sport to anchoring the general news. 

Bonus points for the times when Gareth Edwards has already shown to be able to suddenly integrate the latest sport scores into news bulletins and immediately provide context and insight without the help of a teleprompter.

09:00 - 13:00

Macfarlane Moleli, Eleni Giokos

Macfarlane Moleli has more than paid his dues and continues to do so (and how wonderful that someone who studied on a rugby bursary can become a news anchor!). Eleni Giokos who joined the eNews Channel in July - news I scooped RIGHT HERE and who have done anchor duty during the day during August now gets this fixed anchor position. 

Macfarlane Moleli is well experienced as a TV anchor and holding down mid-morning coverage - as is Eleni Giokos.

Eleni Giokos must be so glad to be away from the doldrum pre-recorded CNBC Africa sponsored seminars which is so embarrassing to that business news channel while real news is happening. Eleni Giokos took the floor running and is a formidable asset for the eNCA in the anchor stable. 

With business news coverage starting mid-morning she's also perfectly placed to bring immediate insight and analysis on business matters if that's required. Her sterling acquisition by eNCA has immediately been put to good news.

13:00 - 16:00 News Day

Andrew Barnes, Bhavna Singh

There is simply no better agenda-setting, real-time TV news show in South Africa during midday than News Day anchored from Cape Town by the already-good-wine-getting-better Andrew Barnes, recently paired with Bhavna Singh.

News Day on the eNCA does for South African TV viewers what American local city broadcasts have been doing for years and which Americans take for granted - it's real news, told visually, as it happens. 

News Day not only report the news, but responds to it before the story is done - very difficult to do when you don't yet have all the answers or the complete picture and can't get guests to studio because they're still making the news.

Bhavna Singh is the next new co-anchor for Andrew Barnes. Will she last in this new timeslot? Since they all seem to leave, leaving Andrew Barnes almost constantly having to settle in with a new changing co-anchor dynamic. 

He does pull the musical chairs of changing co-anchors off very well however - as well as being the de facto voiceover go-to guy for the eNCA news promos.

Bhavna Singh is a tad more serious in her on-screen presence than Andrew Barnes' previous co-anchors - it's not necessarily a bad thing. Being less breezy means overall more grativas for News Day as her demeanour more closely echoes that of the formidable Andrew Barnes.

16:00 - 18:00

Joanne Joseph

Currently on leave with Debora Patta sitting in temporarily on late afternoons on the eNCA, Joanne Joseph keeps her berth during the later afternoon when the tier in which the day's biggest news stories of the day are going to rank start to crystalise with more in-studio guests already talking about the day's news events and newsmakers doing phone interviews.

18:00 - 21:00 News Night

Jeremy Maggs, Iman Rappeti

Oh my. the eNCA immediately captured lightning in a bottle with the new pairing of Jeremy Maggs and Iman Rappetti for the news channel's flagship 2 hour nightly news show. 

I'm so immensely impressed by the instant chemistry, utter flowing professionalism and spontaneous exuberance which has been unlocked by moving and pairing Iman Rappetti with Jeremy Maggs.

Is this powerful news duo now together on News Night the start of the greatest era for this nightly news broadcast yet? 

Together Jeremy Maggs and Iman Rappetti makes News Night simply ooze sexy news appeal. They're television news stars in primetime in their prime; they're pulling the wagon together like workhorses who don't need to be told what to do - and they're very clearly and visibly having a lot of fun doing it. 

You simply want to watch News Night now - with sly grins Jeremy Maggs and Iman Rappetti know they're doing the very best appointment television news bulletin in South Africa. 

Having the luxury of two hours, the scope to do in-studio interviews and the resources to cover breaking news instantly incorporated into the show as well as perspective and analysis, News Night is a veritable tour-de-force of TV news coverage - strikingly well-done. If News Night isn't on you're PVR you're not getting the day's best TV news in South Africa.