M-Net boss Waldimar Pelser anchors kykNET's In Gesprek as Lourensa Eckard takes family leave

by Thinus Ferreira

On Monday night Waldimar Pelser was back behind the tri-colour, circular anchor desk of the current affairs programme In Gesprek in Stark Studios, substituting for Lourensa Eckard who has taken family leave.

Waldimar Pelser relinquished the role when he was appointed as M-Net director for premium channels, with Lourensa Eckard who took over anchoring duties from January 2022 three years ago.

Before that Lourensa Eckard stood in as substitute anchor for Waldimar Pelser on In Gesprek produced for kykNET by Idea Candy.

kykNET told TVwithThinus on Monday afternoon that Lourensa Eckard has taken leave for personal family matters, without going into any details, and that Waldimar Pelser will be stepping in as anchor for the next few Monday nights.

In Gesprek with Lourensa Eckard just returned a few weeks ago for the 2025 year with new episodes after the year-end break.

"Good evening and welcome, I'm Waldimar Pelser and for the following two weeks I'm standing in for Lourensa Eckard," Waldimar Pelser said at the start of Monday night's episode.

kykNET cancels KN Verslag as it looks to change the channel's actuality programming offering in 2022.

by Thinus Ferreira

kykNET has cancelled its KN Verslag weeknight actuality strand with M-Net's Afrikaans channels division that plans to make changes to its news actuality offering from June.

The recently renamed actuality talk show In Gesprek met Lourensa Eckard that was part of the KN Verslag offering from the same IdeaCandy production company will remain on the kykNET (DStv 144) schedule, as will Prontuit, but both shows will be moving to different timeslots.

The KN Verslag anchors Heindrich Wyngaard en Suzaan Steyn who are also the anchors of KLOP! on kykNET & Kie (DStv 145) and Spreekkamer on kykNET, will continue to anchor those two shows.

"kykNET is planning changes to our schedule that includes the renewing of our actuality offering," says Waldimar Pelser, M-Net director for kykNET channels in response to a media query.

"The programme KN Verslag presented by Heindrich Wyngaard and Suzaan Steyn will be on-air until June 2022 on kykNET on channel 144, a business decision of which the production team was recently notified.

"Both Heindrich and Suzaan will still be seen in respectively KLOP! on kykNET & kie and Spreekkamer on kykNET. Prontuit and In Gesprek met Lourensa Eckard will remain on air but will move to better timeslots later this year, which will be announced later," Waldimar Pelser said.

Lourensa Eckhard takes over kykNET's current affairs talk show chair from Waldimar Pelser from 19 January 2022.

by Thinus Ferreira

The Afrikaans TV reporter and anchor Lourensa Eckard is taking over from Waldimar Pelser as the permanent new presenter of the weekly current affairs talk show In Gesprek on kykNET (DStv 144).

Lourensa Eckard, one of the anchors on kykNET's kykNET Verslag news and current affairs strand on weeknights produced by Idea Candy, has in the past been a sit-in for Waldimar Pelser for the week's talk show episode.

She has now been upped to the position full-time following Waldimar Pelser's appointment as the new boss of kykNET from February 2022.

In Gesprek with Lourensa will debut with her first episode on Wednesday 19 January at 21:00 on kykNET.

The kykNET Verslag strand, anchored by Lourensa Eckard and Heindrich Wyngaard and done from Stark Studios in Johannesburg, returns for the year from Monday 17 January with episodes on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 21:30 on the channel.

Lourensa Eckard who studied journalism at the University of Pretoria and completed her B.Phil at the University of Stellenbosch in 2011 started her journalism career at the Afrikaans Beeld newspaper in 2012 and also worked for Rapport, City Press and Netwerk24. In 2014 she started as a TV field reporter for kykNET Verslag.