BREAKING. No Reservations on SABC3 finally getting its product endorsement right: ''Glomail is one of our sponsors,'' says Katie Mohamed.

After hiding its product placement deal for five weeks, SABC3's prime time talk show No Reservations finally got it right and came out by admitting the hiherto ''secret'' yet blatant product endorsement deal.

No Reservations co-produced for SABC3 by Tswelopele Productions and Carol Bouwer Productions didn't disclose or gave any indication previously that it actually got ''pay-for-say'' money from advertiser Glomail in return for hawking the advertiser's products during the show. The show has now finally done it correctly in tonight's episode at 20:00 on SABC3. No Reservations not only properly disclosed the fact that a product being discussed in the show is actually that of - and talked about because of - a sponsor, but also handled it correctly by doing it before the product is discussed.

No Reservations presenter Katie Mahomed told viewers, ''As you know, Glomail is one of our sponsors,'' before she introduced and discussed the Zumba Fitness product. Product placement and product endorsement is generally frowned upon exactly because viewers are often easily misled by either producers or broadcasters who fail to properly disclose that what viewers are seeing and deem to be personal on-air endorsements, are actually sponsored and paid for TV content. In terms of showing integrity towards its viewers, No Reservations has now done the right thing.

ALSO READ: Snail slime shocker! Viewers in outrage over SABC3's No Reservations crass product endorsement.
ALSO READ: Snail slime pay-for-say fiasco 2: ''The advertiser has paid for the exposure they're getting in the show,'' admits SABC3.
ALSO READ: No Reservations on SABC3 keeps peddling products without telling viewers the real deal.

SHAMEFUL! Basetsana Kumalo and Carol Bouwer continue to tarnish their names peddling products on SABC3's No Reservations.

It's utterly disgusting and completely shameful how Basetsana Kumalo and Carol Bouwer are breaking down their reputations and tarnishing their images with the low-brow peddling of product placement in their talk show No Reservations on SABC3 without telling viewers.

Tswelopele Productions that involves Basetsana Kumalo and Carol Bouwer Productions that involves Carol Bouwer co-produce this TV travesty. Once again they had ''no reservations'' in the fourth episode on Wednesday night  at 20:00 on SABC3 to have the gaggle of women cluck all excitedly about a Glomail product called the ''Kangaroo Keeper'' after viewers already saw an ad for it - and then again right after their ''discussion'' in the show.

The problem? The ''Kangaroo Keeper'' would never have seen the light of day in No Reservations were it not for the fact that Glomail also buys TV commercials in the show. Of course viewers are never told that Glomail products feature in the show because of commercial consideration in the form of adverts. It's disgusting that neither SABC3, nor Tswelopele Productions or Carol Bouwer Productions care to be honest with viewers. Tswelopele Productions and Carol Bouwer Productions blatantly continue to shamefully exploit the TV audience by peddling wares from advertisers under the guise of a tacky talk show in prime time. A full section in the fourth episode was also devoted to an Absa sponsored event, and then viewers were also made to sit through an interview with an Absa corporate exec as studio guest, although viewers were at least made aware at the beginning that No Reservations is sponsored by Absa.

It's hugely ironic that Basetsana Kumalo and Carol Bouwer - touting women's rights and female empowerment in a so-called Woman's Day themed show - seemingly think so little of women in No Reservations that they can't be upfront and honest about pushing products onto them.

ALSO READ: Snail slime pay-for-say fiasco! ''The advertiser has paid for the exposure they are getting inside the show,'' admits SABC3.
ALSO READ: Snail slime shocker! Viewers in outrage over crass Glomail product endorsement in SABC3's ''sell'out'' No Reservations.

BREAKING. Snail slime pay-for-say fiasco! ''The advertiser has paid for the exposure they are getting inside the show,'' admits SABC3.

You're reading it here first.

The blatantly misleading, morally questionable and totally terrible No Reservations on SABC3 is not so much a new talk show or even ''fresh'' as SABC3 tried to claim when the show started, as much as it's just a shameless, ploy for SABC3 to make money through ''hidden'' product endorsement.

''The strategic intention for SABC3 is to make money and this property serves as such,'' says SABC3 channel head Mathe Mosito-Okaba, SABC3 channel head after viewers reacted immediately and in utter outrage over last night's episode of No Reservations that shamelessly plugged snail slime cream in the show - just for two adverts to go out in the single ad break right after it. Nowhere were viewers told that the product appears in No Reservations because the seller of the product also pays for it. I told you RIGHT HERE immediately after the show aired about the torrent of disgust that readers responded with.

''Please note that SABC3 is a commercial channel and some of the content that is on our schedule is paid for by advertisers, such is the case with No Reservations.,'' says Mathe Mosito-Okaba after I asked SABC3 what the channel's policy is towards product placement, product endorsement, and why SABC3 has no disclaimers to indicate that products are featured blatantly because of commercial consideration.

''As per yesterday's episode and last weeks', the advertiser has paid for the exposure they are getting inside the programme,'' says Mathe Mosito-Okaba. ''The definition of this kind of programme is an advertiser funded programme, or AFP.'' However, nowhere does SABC3 tell viewers that, who are led to believe that the programme content of shows such as No Reservations are seemingly above reproach and not influenced by advertisers. Sadly SABC3 and No Reservations have shamelessly dented their credibility by what seems to be completely inappropriate, non-disclosed commercial deals. Viewers - who are not stupid - are rightly fuming, with several readers who told me they won't watch No Reservations again. That won't be for long though. SABC3 insider sources tell me the original episode order of 26 was dramatically reduced after (irony!) No Reservations failed to find enough sponsors.

ALSO READ: British broadcasters must now indicate product placement with a P on-screen icon.

BREAKING. Snail slime shocker! Viewers in outrage over crass Glomail product endorsement in SABC3's ''sell out'' No Reservations talk show.

You're reading it here first.

Viewers are livid and completely up in arms about the ''arrogant'', ''shameless'', ''sell out'', ''deplorable'' and ''simply unseemingly secret product placement/product endorsement'' of snail slime cream made by the hosts of a Glomail cream in tonight's episode of SABC3's sappy No Reservations lifestyle talk show.

Viewers reacted immediately and in utter disgust about the way in which No Reservations with Carol Bouwer, Basetsana Kumalo, Michelle Garforth-Venter and Katie Mohamed blatantly plugged a product only because it seems as if the seller of the product decided to buy advertising air-time during the slimey yakker as well. ''Let the ladies know that the agenda of the advertising division of SABC3 showed more than anything else on the show tonight,'' wrote an irate viewer immediately after tonight's snail slime episode.

What happened? The presenters spoke about a cream made from snail slime (from Glomail) and as one reader remarks, ''it was presented as something personal''. Directly after that TWO adverts ran in one ad break by Glomail advertising the exact product that No Reservations, produced by Carol Bouwer Productions, incorporated into the show. Another reader called it ''utterly distasteful, downright tacky and oblivious to the fact that we as viewers are not that stupid anymore.''

''I find this insulting to my intelligence,'' says a reader who called No Reservations a ''sell out'' that ''follows the trend . . . of ending up being a giant commercial. This was not co-incidental but well-planned. I'm all for good advertising but not the way this was done.''

ALSO READ: British broadcasters must now indicate product placement with a P on-screen icon.

BREAKING. Carol Bouwer, Basetsana Kumalo, Michelle Garforth and Katie Mohamed set to host new ''No Reservations'' talk show on SABC3.

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I can tell you that Carol Bouwer, Basetsana Kumalo, Michelle Garforth and Katie Mohamed are set to become the new foursome hosts of a brand-new local weekly South African TV talk show entitled No Reservations that will debut on SABC3 from Wednesday, July 21 at 20:00.

No Reservations will be SABC3's latest addition into turning the SABC's only commercial TV station into a now overly-saturated glam-infused lifestyle channel, already drenched in Top Billing, the new The A List (read about it RIGHT HERE), Life's a Journey and Top Dogs.

Although billed as a talk show, the producers of No Reservations also promise that ''it will not change the world, but it will certainly make the world talking'' and that No Reservations will be ''in the front row of every red carpet in the country and abroad. It will bring the other side of the glamorous world of entertainment and it will need no reservations to be there''. Hopefully the No Reservations producers  will be able to say how they're going to achieve that when the show debuts towards the end of next month. No Reservations plans to have high society guests, politicians and local entertainment stars as well as guest presenter Jen Sue over the course of 26 planned episodes.

No Reservations on SABC3 will be produced by Carol Bouwer Productions and Tswelopele Productions.