Platco Digital's OpenView HD (OVHD) is dumping yet another one of the original TV channels that the free-to-air satellite TV service launched with in October 2013, with Deen TV that is abruptly being removed at the end of September 2017.
Deen TV will remain available on the Chinese StarTimes Media SA and On Digital Media's (ODM) StarSat on channel 365 has worked very hard the past three years in creating new content and shows but eMedia Investments is now done with the local South African Islamic TV channel.
Deen TV is a privately owned lifestyle TV channel with an Islamic ethos, owned by Deen Media Holdings (Pty). Ltd that was started in 2011.
eMedia Investments and OpenView HD didn't give specific reasons for the axing of Deen TV from the satellite service - the latest OpenView HD channel to be terminated - because it didn't want to, except to say its happened after "commercial discussions".
Since contract renewal talks didn't work out, Platco Digital is axing Deen TV.
These "commercial discussions" for a contract renewal didn't work out - either because Platco Digital didn't want to pay Deen TV what the channel wanted or needed, or because the channel wanted more money, or because OpenView HD wanted to pay Deen TV less money.
The South African public and South Africa's TV industry won't know the precise reasons because OpenView HD doesn't want to say besides the vague "commercial discussions" reference.
Neither did Deen TV, run by CEO Faizal Sayed, issue any statement, with Deen TV that is clearly miffed and upset about losing access to the OpenView HD platform..
OpenView HD says it's dumping Deen TV and that "the decision to discontinue our relationship with Deen TV was made on the back of scheduled commercial discussions between the two parties," according to Patrick Conroy, head of Platco Digital.
"It's the nature of businesses such as ours that channels are constantly reviewed, meaning that, from time to time, channels will be shuffled depending on market and commercial criteria".
After four years of helping Platco Digital to launch and grow OpenView HD and now getting shoved aside, Platco Digital says it "thanks Deen TV for being part of the OpenView HD journey since the platform's inception in 2013 and wishes the channel well".
OpenView HD (OVHD) will cross the threshold of 1 million activated set-top boxes (STBs) by mid-September as South Africa's free-to-air satellite TV service continues to rack up big decoder sales in the country with the sold boxes that's also being taken to neighbouring countries.
After reaching 388 000 activated OVHD decoders in May 2016, the satellite service from Platco Digital and run by the same group that owns e.tv has seen a massive growth spurt and will reach 1 million OVHD decoder activations by the middle of September 2017.
OpenView HD has grown its market share by 143% since March 2016, making it South Africa's fastest-growing TV platform.
Users buy the small OVHD decoder for a once-off price of R399 and the black box works with existing satellite dish installations.
Although only meant for South African viewers, OpenView HD has also found favour with viewers in neighbouring Southern African countries where the local free-to-air TV channel offering is very poor.
OVHD boxes are bought and activated in South Africa and then taken beyond South Africa's borders where viewers are able to receive the OVHD signal.
OpenView HD has been working on improving the TV channels on offer, especially focusing on strengthening the line-up and content of e.tv's set of planned digital terrestrial TV channels that is available on the platform like e.tv in HD, eExtra, the movie channels eMovies Extra, and eMovies+ and the cartoon channel eToonz+.
A few other channels like the South African public broadcaster's SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3 as well as some radio stations and are also offered on the free OVHD service.
It makes OpenView HD an alternative that is becoming more and more popular in a market where it competes with satellite pay-TV services like MultiChoice's DStv from Naspers and StarSat that is part of the Chinese StarTimes group.
"We are attracting over 1 500 new households every day and we expect to
surpass the one million mark by the middle of next month," says Patrick Conroy, OpenView HD managing director. Patrick Conroy says the tough economic environment in South Africa is making consumers and TV viewers rethink the costs of entertainment, which makes OpenView HD an attractive
prospect because of the once-off cost of the decoder and installation, and no
monthly fee. "OpenView HD has reached a tipping point. Keeping the price of the decoders to
R399 and below and improving our content offering significantly has grown our
activations from less than 400 000 just 18 months ago, to the
point where we're about to cross the one million barrier." "OpenView HD has
become a viable alternative for families seeking quality home entertainment
that is free," says Patrick Conroy.
Has e.tv's Monde Twala resigned? SEE THE UPDATE TO THIS STORY BELOW.
That's what I've been hearing and what e.tv staff are wondering.
So far e.tv is quiet and hasn't responded to a media enquiry I made about it yesterday, asking e.tv if what the grapevine is buzzing about is indeed true.
A few days ago sources told TVwithThinus that Monde Twala, an accomplished and well-liked TV executive who is the managing director for e.tv channels division, has tendered his resignation at the red letter free-to-air broadcaster.
"It basically leaves Marlon Davids in charge," quipped a source. [The talented Marlon Davids has been e.tv's general manager for content, strategy and planning for the past year and a half.]
No word from e.tv on who would be replacing Monde Twala if the talented televisionary is moving on, that would add to the top management changes at eMedia Investments with Patrick Conroy becoming the new managing director of the OpenView HD satellite TV platform and prof. Anton Harber heading up eNCA (DStv 403) as editor-in-chief from March.
If Monde Twala leaves e.tv - where the last few years he's been overseeing a growing slate of channels, popular local soaps and a collection of steadily expanding local programming that strongly resonates with viewers - his exit will follow closely after the jump of Gideon Khobane who is leaving his Randburg office as the director of M-Net's general entertainment channels to become the new SuperSport CEO from March.
M-Net hasn't yet said who is replacing Gideon Khobane as M-Net's new director for its entertainment channels, telling me an announcement will be made soon.
The experienced Monde Twala joined e.tv from the SABC and was first the executive producer for the channel's soaps Backstage and Rhythm City, its now defunct breakfast show Morning Edition and eSibobo, before becoming group head for e.tv's channels and then getting the managing director title.
UPDATE: e.tv tells that Monde Twala has not resigned. He has received a possible job offer and is considering it.
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 ProfAnton 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".
eMedia Investments is making executive changes with eNCA TV news channel boss Patrick Conroy taking over the reigns of Platco Digital's OpenView HD (OVHD) free-to-air satellite service, noted academic Anton Harber taking over as eNCA news boss, and OpenView HD boss Maxwell Nonge appointed as the group's overall chief technology officer.
All 3 appointments will become official from 1 March 2016. The group news editor position at eNCA is still empty.
eMedia (the former Seardel media group owned by Hosken Consolidated Investments Limited (HCI that changed its name in September 2015) is surprising the TV and news industry with the appointment of academic Anton Harber on a fixed term contract, the length of which isn't being specified, to now head up the electronic TV news service.
Anton Harber, in the role of editor-in-chief of eNCA, will take over from Patrick Conroy.
Anton Harber is the Caxton Professor of Journalism at the University of the Witwaterstand and was a founder of the Weekly Mail (now the Mail & Guardian).
e.tv's announcement of the three executive changes interestingly only notes a mentorship role that Anton Harber will be playing at eNCA and nothing business wise or business goals to be achieved like the other two.
eNCA's TV news offering, supplied as a TV news channel to MultiChoice's DStv where it remains the most watched TV news channel in South Africa, was severely cut back and reduced the last year with several programming strands and shows that were axed and journalists and on-air talent that left.
"Anton Harber's extensive experience in South African media will allow him to mentor and grow the future leaders of the television news industry," says eMedia in a statement, noting that "he is a seasoned journalist, experienced manager and highly respected professional".
Patrick Conroy is now moving to head up OpenView HD that now has 360 000 subscribers as becomes the new managing director.
He was asked to take over management of the Platco Digital satellite TV service to help it to make more money, to add ways to generate more income, and to exploit the existing TV content to market OpenView HD.
"Since 2005 Patrick Conroy has built a news company and management team which is world class. We believe he has the skills to capitalise on OpenView HD's success to date and also to build the platform's revenue generating opportunities. He will also look to explore a new content marketing opportunity which we believe is important to a rapidly evolving media environment".
Maxwell Nonge who headed up Platco Digital since the launch of OpenView HD in 2013 is now the group's new chief technology officer.
"His knowledge and technological experience will allow him to leverage technology across the group and take advantage of the rapidly changing media environment" and to "future-proof the business".
"Patrick Conroy and Maxwell Nonge also know each other very well and will be working closely together to develop strategies for the group".
eNCA (DStv 403) is losing its group news editor, veteran news man Ben Said, who is leaving Sabido's South African 24-hour TV news channel at the end of the year after 15 years with e.tv (read his internal farewell letter to eNCA colleagues below).
2015 continues to be a bad year for eNCA as the channel is going through a painful downsizing, having closed international bureaus, shuttering its entire African division outside of South Africa, cancelling several programming strands and actuality shows and shedding staff.
Following multiple high profile departures this year and the loss of several on-air personalities gone from eNCA so far this year, Ben Said's looming departure in December is the latest personnel loss impacting morale at the channel which is still the most watched TV news channel on MultiChoice's DStv platform in South Africa.
Ben Said is joining TRT World, a new English TV news channel start-up from broadcaster TRT in Turkey, where he will join, in a senior position, some former eNCA colleagues and other South Africans who've also joined the new channel.
Ben Said joined e.tv as a producer in 2000 long before eNCA, formerly the eNews Channel, existed, and e.tv just started its eNews brand doing news bulletins for e.tv. Ben Said became a senior reporter covering a large number of stories for eNews on e.tv and was eventually appointed group news editor at eNCA. Throughout his 15 year career at e.tv and later eNCA and although moving into a news management position he kept appearing from time to time to report on-air and to give analysis.
"He has been an inspirational leader committed to mentoring the next wave of management and dedicated to transformation within the company," says Patrick Conroy, eNCA managing director.
"Ben Said leaves a huge gap in our organisation," says Patrick Conroy.
"It has been an absolute privilege to grow alongside eNews and eNCA for the past 15 years," says Ben Said. "While I am incredibly sad to be leaving, this feels like the right time to be making a move like this."
"In December I will leave behind an experienced management team and the hardest-working, most dedicated journalists, camera-operators and technical staff in South Africa."
eNCA's news director, Mapi Mhlangu, says eNCA is concerned about the constant poaching of talent from eNCA.
TV with Thinus obtained Ben Said's internal message to eNCA staff announcing he's leaving:
Dear Colleagues It is with great regret that I announce that I will be leaving eNCA at the end of December. My last day will be December 25th. This is the hardest email I have ever had to write but I have thought long and hard about this decision and am confident that it is the right one. A good opportunity has presented itself in Istanbul, Turkey with TRT World and I have accepted. The time for a new adventure has begun. After more than 15 years, I will leave with much sadness but also pride that I have played a role in the growth of Africa's finest news channel. Indeed I believe that eNCA ranks as one of the world's greatest regional news channels and is a credit to South Africa. This is due to you - all of you - who over the years and against the odds have worked tirelessly, resourcefully and professionally to not only build this channel but to hold up a mirror to South African society. That mirror is never more needed than now. As South Africa's democracy and economy faces challenges, the role of the likes of eNCA to show South Africans what is going on in our society is critical - to unearth, to explain and sometimes even to guide. We must remember that as South Africa faces, at times, seemingly insurmountable obstacles, that good, positive change is happening too. Every day, in every corner of our land. We will continue to tell the story of the unscrupulous, the crooked, the bad, but we willalso continue to tell the story of the good people we are - for we are good people. While away, I will miss this vibrant, noisy, democracy. Both in terms of the country and in terms of the newsroom! I will leave behind a group of excellent, experienced managers in Johannesburg and Cape Town who I have no doubt will take eNCA from strength to strength. And when I do leave, I ask that you help them, sometimes help guide them, remember that we are actually all in this together. Forgive the mistakes they make make - lord knows I've made enough of my own. But please remember that mistakes are few and successes are many in this newsroom. 24 hour news management in SA must rank as one of the toughest jobs in journalism anywhere. While for me personally this feels like a good move, I remain extremely confident in the future of eNCA and e.tv. Yes, media is changing and we need to adapt to that but these two channels are embedded in the psyche of the nation and I believe will remain so for many years to come. eNCA, due to many years of hard work by all of you, has become South Africa's de facto national news channel. I believe this will continue in the years ahead. There will be much more time over the next eight weeks for thank you's, goodbye's and good wishes but for now that's all there is to say. Kind Regards, Ben Said
"We gotta get out! We gotta get out!" said Iman Rappetti, eNCA (DStv 403) anchor and reporter, with the panic very clearly audible in her voice as loud thuds became audible against the side of the vehicle.
Elsewhere on the burning lawns of the Union Buildings, the SABC News' (DStv 404) star reporter Chriselda Lewis fought her own battle trying to rescue an interrupted live interview on the air as a scuffle with angry protesters was shown on live South African television as well.
It was just two of the incidents that were shown live on South African television news on Friday as panicked and stressed TV news reporters and TV news crews tried to cover the #FeesMustFall student protest and march at the Union Buildings on Friday.
Besides TV news, several radio reporters and newspaper journalists also reported that they were threatened with physical violence and at least one SABC cameraman and one BBC cameraman got injured following students throwing rocks and other objects.
Earlier in the day, Patrick Conroy, eNCA managing director, reminded all eNCA staff that safety covering stories and events come first and that they should leave any place immediately when they no longer feel safe where they are.
A heavy-handed police presence - firing tear gas, stun grenades, chasing students and firing a water cannon - at the Union Building only served to escalate tensions and violence on Friday.
It was made worse by the South African president Jacob Zuma's failure to address students protesting over student fees, directly, after government officials over a loudspeaker earlier in the day told them that he would.
The South African National Editors' Forum (Sanef) says it is concerned by intimidation and harassment reports of the media by the police and protesters.
"We're shocked by the fact that journalists were targeted by the police and some of the protesters," says Sanef director Mathatha Tsedu.
"We've called on the police to ensure that they stick to the agreement that we have with them."
"We note with concern that some journalists, including a reporter from the BBC and an eNCA cameraman, were injured after rocks were thrown at police and journalists at the Union Buildings."
"Equipment was damaged and there were also reports of theft. Sanef commends those students who intervened and forced their peers to return the equipment."
Although the day's student fees protest started out peaceful, it descended into chaos and violence.
It looked as if South African TV news crews were not adequately prepared for covering the story on Friday in terms of taking adequate security measures and back-up plans to safeguard their own well-being as well as protecting their equipment and live broadcasts.
It was foreseeable that the lawns of the Union Buildings could erupt and turn into a so-called "hot zone" given the violent events that played out earlier the week at parliament and at universities across South Africa.
Yet South African TV news crews, instead of just covering the story, also became the story.
The question can be asked whether TV news crews took enough precautions or did enough security analysis and pre-planning for the unpredictable event and if they could have made better choices given what they knew could happen (and which then did).
Spots they reported from came under attack from pelting rocks and stones, outside broadcast vans were damaged and warned that it could be set alight, reporters and cameramen were hit with rocks and flying objects, and equipment from satellite vans to cameras were broken, vandalised and couldn't be used anymore.
It not clear how TV news crews planned to make a quick exit and retreat with satellite vans from where they chose to park surrounded by thousands of students.
Was it possible to take some, or more if they did, of their own security protection personnel to help shield reporters and whisk them to safety if they came under attack or if violence broke out (which it did)?
Some different metrics and a different guidebook is used reporting from conflict zones and war zones - something not a lot of South African TV news reporters and anchors have experience in, or experienced.
The lawns of the Union Buildings on Friday afternoon turned into a conflict zone where a different set of news rules work better although the news values of trying to get the news out and reporting it remain unchanged. TV news should have anticipated that.
South African TV news did great work on Friday in extremely unpredictable and difficult circumstances.
Yet I cannot help but wonder if they couldn't have thought longer, have been wiser and more prudent, and have prepared a bit better before beforehand.
Tech Report is returning to eNCA (DStv 403) for a limited number of episodes after the long running local weekly gadget and technology show which was abruptly cancelled in June managed to find a sponsor.
Tech Report which used to run continuously since November 2011 suddenly got the chop in June this year as part of eNCA's dramatic cut back on current affairs programming forming part of the bigger budget scaledown which saw the shuttering of eNCA's Africa division and the closure of its news bureaux across the continent and in Beijing, the exit of several anchors and correspondents and the end of several other shows like Africa 360.
When Tech Report ended in June, eNCA in response to a media enquiry denied that the episode order of its other local current affairs show Late Nite News with Loyiso Gola has been cut and said that it will return shortly with the same amount of episodes as previous seasons. Instead, that show got cancelled last month as well before a new season started.
Together with SABC3's Top Billing, Tech Report was the only other locally made TV show included on South African Airways' Airscape in-flight entertainment system, watched by millions of passengers the past few years.
Tech Report will now return for 13 half hour episodes from Wednesday 7 October at 21:30 as an advertiser-funded production (AFP) after First National Bank came aboard as sponsor, essentially saving the show and making the new short season possible.
Homebrew Films will continue to produce the highly regarded Tech Report and managed to retain most of the previous presenters. Tapfuma Makina will host Tech Report again but there will be a slight tweak to the on-screen graphics and the show will now be done from the new e.tv and eNCA Cape Town studios in Roeland Street and broadcast from there.
"We're proud to be working with the Tech Report team again and of the support we have received from FNB," says Patrick Conroy, eNCA managing director.
Praising FNB he says "they understand that technology has increasingly become part of our daily existence and that consumers are constantly seeking new ways to improve their lives through technology. We believe this enhanced offering of Tech Report will engage and entertain our viewers."
The other previous presenters who are back include Seth Rotherham with his quirky, off-the-wall type inserts, Juliet McGuire and Grant Hinds doing game reviews and who also appeared on SABC3's Expresso.
In the first new episode of Tech ReportSeth Rotherham will review the Apple Watch and Grant Hinds tries to make sense of the new Film and Publication Board regulations and how it will affect all South Africans.
The long-running and high-quality weekly technology and gadget magazine show Tech Report on eNCA (DStv 403) has been cancelled.
As part of the ongoing downsizing of the South African 24-hour TV news channel's on-air programming and talent, Tech Report, produced by the Cape Town based Homebrew Films, will suddenly broadcast its last episode on eNCA on Thursday night after close to 200 episodes.
According to insiders, the staff, production crew and on-air talent like Tapfuma Makina, Seth Rotherham, Jason Greer and Juliet McGuire who've been working on the well-produced South African go-to show for consumer technology and gadgets are "heartbroken".
"Why would you cut a show about which the topic is the most important aspect of our modern South African society: technological advancements?" said an insider closely connected to but not working on the show.
The shuttering of Tech Report as part of eNCA's current affairs television offering follows the cancellation of Africa 360 this year, the shutting down of eNCA's Africa division and the closure of its news bureaux across the continent and in Beijing, the exit of anchors and correspondents ranging from Bhavna Singh and Pat Pillai to Lindy Mtongana, Kwangu Liwewe and Robyn Kriel, and the shortening of flagship nightly news show NewsNight by half an hour and renaming a part of it NewsNight Express.
eNCA denied rumours that the episode order of the upcoming new season of its satirical late-night faux news show Late Nite News with Loyiso Gola has been cut and said it will return shortly with the same amount of episodes as previous seasons.
The well-produced weekly Tech Report,which became a leader in technology and gadget news, interviews and reviews and told South African success stories within the local IT industry and consumer technology sector, was one of only two locally produced South African programmes really seen globally.
Together with SABC3's Top Billing, Tech Report was the only other locally made TV show included on South African Airways' Airscape in-flight entertainment system, watched by millions of passengers the past few years.
Tech Report which started on eNCA in November 2011 and got very short notice that eNCA no longer wants more episodes, could possibly jump to Business Day TV (DStv 412), CNBC Africa (DStv 410), SABC3 or e.tv.
eNCA confirms that Tech Report "will air its last programme on Thursday".
Asked why Tech Report has been cancelled, Patrick Conroy, managing director of eNCA says that eNCA is "always looking at international and local viewer trends. This means that adjustments to the line-up will be made from time to time. Some shows will come to an end, some will take a seasonal break and new ones will be added to the line-up".
Another insider connected to the show calls the Tech Report cancellation "a big shock". "The show has been on for several years, has built up a loyal fan base and is an incredibly great product".
eNCA (DStv 403) is cutting back on the 24-hour South African TV news channel's flagship daily programme NewsNight truncated by half an hour to now end at 20:30; with the financial show Moneyline brought earlier.
eNCA quietly scaled back on NewsNight anchored by Jeremy Maggs and Iman Rapetti which starts at 18:00 and now ends at 20:30 instead of 21:00.
It means half an hour less general news for viewers as part of the channel's flagship nightly programme.
Moneyline which used to start at 21:00 has now been moved half an hour earlier to start at 20:30.
eNCA was asked why NewsNight was shortened. There was no answer or explanation from the channel about the programme and schedule change which was also not announced beforehand to the press.
UPDATE 11 June 2015 18:15 - Managing director for news, Patrick Conroy, called me out for using an old logo for NewsNight with this story and asked that I please update my records.
I apologise for using an old logo, I have updated this story with the latest NewsNight logo as its shown to viewers on eNCA nightly.
Patrick Conroy further called the story "disingenuous". Patrick Conroy says the change to NewsNight "was promo'd on air for two weeks before the change. Your article says 'quietly cut back'. Wrong. Snide snipe."
There wasn't an answer from eNCA (yet) to the specific question in a media enquiry I made to eNCA of why NewsNight went from 3 hours to 2 and a half hours.
"eNCA (DStv 403) will not comment on the departure of Bhavna Singh," Patrick Conroy, the managing director of e.sat, told TV with Thinus on Monday, with Michelle Craig who is now set to replace her on News Day.
It follows after the shocking and abrupt dumping of Bhavna Singhwho co-anchored her last News Day on eNCA on Friday without so much as a pre-announcement goodbye from eNCA, a pre-leaving scheduling note, or a post departure update as to who is replacing her in the timeslot from the channel.
On Friday Sabido Investments, owner of e.tv and enCA, warned in a statement of retrenchments as it is looking at the possible closure of several divisions, including eCNA Africa.
At the beginning of this month e.tv moved its English prime time TV news bulletin from 19:00 to 20:30 with eNCA news anchor Pat Pillay who joined in 2004, who is also out.
An insider last week told TV with Thinus that "they [eNCA] have no money, so when contracts are up they are not renewing".
Patrick Conroy says "eNCA will not comment on the departure of Bhavna Singh.
Her contract with our company ran its course and we wish her well in the
future".
Asked about who, if anyone is replacing her, eNCA says Michelle Craig will partner with Andrew Barnes on News Day. "Michelle Craig has worked as a reporter and stand-in anchor for
eNCA in the past".
Michelle Craig will start on News Day on eNCA on Tuesday 7 April.
The longtime eNews Prime Time anchor Pat Pillai has dumped eNews as e.tv is moving its popular English language out of prime time to make way for a new Zulu TV news bulletin and moving its English news broadcast to a late night audience.
e.tv confirmed that Pat Pillai has resigned after a decade at e.tv. Pat Pillai in a statement says "I will miss the people I've worked with and the viewers who tuned in regularly."
Pat Pillai will read his final eNews bulletin on e.tv on Thursday 26 February at 19:00.
From Monday 2 March the eNews Prime Time news bulletin - what used to be South Africa's most watched English language TV news bulletin - is moved an hour and a half later to 20:30 to make way for eNews Izindaba at 18:30 and the soap Rhythm City moving to 19:00.
e.tv says the later English news will now "cater for a later evening news audience".
With its prime time schedule shift e.tv is aggressively going after SABC viewers and Zulu TV news viewers not getting what they want to see from the public broadcaster.
Pat Pillai now wants to "focus more on his youth development work at Life College, an organisation he founded in 1997".
"Pat Pillai has played an enormous role at eNews over the past 10 years," says Patrick Conroy, who is now the managing director of e.sat.
"He has helped us turn our nightly newscast into the most watched English news bulletin in the country," says Patrick Controy, saying Pat Pillai "remains a close friend of all of us at eNews".
The new Charlie Hebdo cover - arguably the most newsworthy image of 2015 - comes after the killing of 12 journalists in Paris, France last week working at the satirical publication, a story which dominated global news headlines.
Despite the huge news value of the cover image and the need to place the news and story in proper context for viewers, some news organisations fear some form of religious reprisal or causing offense if they show the image which is considered a sin to Muslims to depict.
That makes it difficult for viewers who might only rely on one specific type of news media, or watch one TV news channel, to get a true sense of what the offending cartoon looks like or to understand what all the fuzz is about, says Margaret Sullivan, The New York Times' public editor.
eNCA is responding to a media enquiry earlier this week asking what eNCA's decision is regarding the showing or censoring of the new Charlie Hebdo, and the reasoning behind the decision.
"Defending freedom
of expression is a core value of ours. But freedom to express is also the
freedom to determine what you don't depict," says Patrick Conroy, managing director of eNCA. "We have different editorial criteria at eNCA to Charlie Hebdo. We
have supported satire vigorously through LNN. We are undoubtedly the leaders in
TV satire in South Africa". "But we cannot be forced to concur with Charlie Hebdo's
provocative style because of the terrible tragedies in France". "Depicting the Prophet Mohammed is deemed offensive to many and
unless a greater public interest is served for our audience we respect those
sensitivities". "You cannot have editorial policies that waver because others,
like Fox News, have chosen to show the cover page. We're not scared - we are
respectful. (On a point of consistency we did not show the Danish cartoons in
2005 either)". "Those who want to actively seek out these cartoons
will do so online. On TV the viewer is dependent on us when it comes to what
they will see, hence our approach," says Patrick Conroy. "We will risk offense when we deem our
Constitution and freedoms to be under threat. An important consideration here
is that the Charlie Hebdo attacks failedin their objective to silence
free speech". "What will disrespecting the sensitivities of peace loving people
after this tragedy achieve? For this reason my colleagues and I concur with CNN, SABC and
ANN7," says Patrick Conroy.
Sabido the parent company of broadcaster e.tv and the independent 24-hour TV news channel eNCA (DStv 403) on MultiChoice's DStv is now admitting that there were problems with the processes of, and that "lines blurred", with the South Africa infrastructure documentary series shown on eNCA earlier this year.
Although the documentary series is not an "infomercial" and the government paid for separate TV commercials on eNCA, the department of economic development has been using the documentaries as commercials, clearly being very happy and of the opinion that it reflects very well on the government's infrastructure development initiatives.
Sabido, e.tv and eNCA are mired in scandal the past two weeks, with huge brand and reputational damage which has been inflicted following a bitter management meltdown behind the scenes.
It saw both its CEO Marcel Golding and then its COO Bronwyn Keene-Young abruptly quit last week amidst shocking allegations of government and corporate interference in the eNews and eNCA news divisions.
Emails and court documents laid bare how badly e.tv's eNews and eNCA had been allegedly compromised in terms of news integrity, credibility and brand reputation.
That happened due to alleged pressure on the broadcaster to do legitimate news coverage on the one hand, and on the other hand to do positive government news coverage as a result of corporate lobbying efforts to get the South African government to side with e.tv on the issue of set-top box (STB) control and e.tv favouring an encryption system for digital terrestrial television (DTT).
In a statement today - following an earlier statement when Sabido's chief operating officer (COO) Mark Rosin didn't answer specific questions put to Sabido over the documentary series specifically - Mark Rosin now admits that "there were problems which should have been foreseen" with the documentary series and that Sabido, e.tv and eNCA are "reviewing the process internally and what transpired".
It's now clear that the South African government did pay money to eNCA for TV adverts which ran on eNCA - commercials that ran separately from the documentary series.
What is not clear is whether the documentaries series would have been commissioned, would have been broadcast, and would have existed at all if the government didn't pay for adverts or didn't take a commercial ad campaign on eNCA.
Questions about this, specifically made to Sabido last week in a media enquiry, remain unanswered.
It creates a murky situation where, whether real or perceived, viewers and media experts no longer know for sure, in terms of the eNCA editorial content, what came first: the chicken or the egg as far as this documentary series is concerned.
Mark Rosin, in today's statement, says "lines appear to have been blurred between an undertaking to report on infrastructure development in South Africa and a commitment by [the department of] economic development to spend advertising on the channel".
"The perception that the news was paid for is deeply regrettable and we wish to assure our audiences that eNews remains an impartial and independent news outlet," says Mark Rosin.
Patrick Conroy, managing director of news at e.tv and eNCA says "the news division should have been more directly involved in the discussions at the time".
Although the government paid for commercials on eNCA - and it being unclear whether the documentary series would have made it to broadcast if the government didn't advertise on the channel as well - Patrick Conroy now says that "boundaries of editorial control were not clear" but that "at no point did our editors surrender control".
Today's statement now also signals that eNCA executives knew there were problems with the documentary series before problems with it were revealed, as collateral damage, by Marcel Golding in his court documents two weeks ago to try and prevent his suspension.
Patrick Conroy, using past tense in the today's statement says that "news management agreed afterwards that in future clearer rules and policies were needed to avoid confusion between commercial messages and editorial ones".
Patrick Conroy says that "as a result of the issues we have not entered into any similar agreements subsequently. It was open to misinterpretation and could be confused with advertorial content. Work on clearer policies and guidelines began once these issues were raised".
Patrick Conroy says: "Viewers should at all times be comforted in the knowledge of the fact that what they're watching is independently produced by our news division. Where necessary, disclosures should be included to reinforce this."
Correction 17:43 : This story was changed, amended and updated from a first posted version at 14:33 to more accurately reflect the issue. The first version of this article stated that the government paid for the documentary series on eNCA. The government paid for separate TV commercials, on the eNCA channel. - Ed.
eNCA (DStv 403) is abruptly taken off of SKY's pay-TV platform in the United Kingdom tomorrow at 06:00 - just two years after it branched out in August 2012 and eNCA announced with great fanfare that it was being added to SKY.
Viewers in the United Kingdom's TV viewers will lose eNCA from tomorrow, Friday 31 October at 06:00 when the South African 24-hour TV news channel goes dark, the end of its inter-continental expansion on satellite television.
e.tv and eNCA are mired in a scandalous management meltdown with CEO Marcel Golding and COO Bronwyn Keene-Young suddenly both out the door and questions swirling about the credibility of its news offering and allegations of political interference in its news coverage.
Behind the scenes eNCA is going through changes. eNCA quietly cancelled its Africa news bulletin, Africa Edition two months ago when Chris Maroleng left.
Meanwhile eNCA's contract for possible renewal is up with MultiChoice on which eNCA is available exclusively on DStv, and where it is the most watched of all the 24-hour TV news channels available in South Africa.
Maxwell Nonge, the managing director of Platco Digital which runs the OpenView HD (OVHD) free-to-air satellite platform, earlier this month said that he wants eNCA to become available on OVHD as well.
When TV with Thinus asked about it earlier this month, eNCA's managing director Patrick Conroy responded to a media enquiry saying that "contract negotiations are confidential and regrettably we will be unable to discuss these matters with the media until such a time as it is appropriate to do so."
Asked today why eNCA is suddenly being cut from SKY, eNCA responded by saying that "the reasons behind the move is part of the company's efforts to respond to changes in the way news media is consumed in a digital world".
"We know we have a loyal audience on SKY who will be upset by the decision," says Patrick Conroy, and that eNCA "regrets that very much. However the reality is that satellite broadcasting is expensive and we have to look at cost effective alternatives such as live streaming".
"Our news content will still be globally accessible just through alternative platforms," says Patrick Conroy, like www.Livestation.com where people outside of South Africa can watch it.
eNCA says it is exploring "alternative platforms" so that viewers are able to easily watch the service on their TV's, including an app on Samsung's Smart TV which will be launched, according to the news channel, before the end of the year.
South African TV news insiders have been gossiping that eNCA allegedly has spent so much money on covering the Oscar Pistorius trial this year that most of the travel budget for the financial year has been blown.
"It means that news teams can't actually really travel in the regions where they're based and can only do 'local' stories in the cities they're based," said one.
Coverage of the conclusion of the highly sensational Oscar Pistorius murder trial will be ramping up on Thursday and Friday 11 and 12 September on South African television as live court TV coverage resumes on the trial that gripped a fascinated world.
As judgment and a verdict from Judge Thokozile Masipa is delivered in the trial of the paralympic athlete who shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp last year on Valentines Day, 14 February 2013, the Oscar Pistorius Trial TV channel on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform will go live again on DStv channel 199, and eNCA also has live coverage as well as special programming.
Neither SABC News (DStv 404) nor ANN7 (DStv 405) issued any coverage and broadcasting or programming advisories.
For the first day of judgment, Thursday 11 September, eNCA will start its live broadcast at 06:00, with live coverage from outside the court and near Oscar Pistorius' uncle's home.
Judge Thokozile Masipa's judgment will start at 09:00 on Thursday. eNCA anchors will speak to specialist reporters Karyn Maughan and Annika Larsen for analysis outside court before and in-between the court proceedings.
On Friday, 12 September, eNCA will go live again at 06:00 and court proceedings will be shown at 09:00 until judgment time, expected in the afternoon. Coverage will continue post the judgment throughout Friday evening.
"The channel has set-up a panel of respected legal experts, social commentators with some studio-based and some on location at the High Court," says Patrick Conroy, the managing director for eNCA.
DStv's Oscar Pistorius Trial TV channel will start at 08:00 on Thursday. Although not communicated by MultiChoice and Combined Artistic Productions, its highly likely that the channel will remain broadcasting on Friday 12 September as well.
In response to shocked South African viewers who yesterday saw - with no prior warning and no blurring - shocking images shown on South African television of the dead Reeva Steenkamp and her gruesome head injuries after being shot and killed by Oscar Pistorius - eNCA (DStv 403) says it didn't repeat broadcast the images and that it is M-Net's Carte Blanche controlling the TV feed, not eNCA.
The Oscar Pistorius trial TV channel on MultiChoice's DStv platform on DStv channel 199 showed the gruesome, extremely graphic and highly disturbing images again later to viewers on Wednesday, unblurred, and with an on-screen restriction of just 13.
Sky News (DStv 402) in a filed and edited story late on Wednesday included the images, but blurred it, warned viewers, and told them the images on the monitor behind the prosecutor and the big image shown full-screen, are going to be blurred.
The shocking on-air broadcast on Wednesday of a dead Reeva Steenkamp's head made cringe-worthy South African television history.
It was the first time in South African television history that an an image/photo of a victim, photographed dead on the scene by the police, was shown on South African television in live TV coverage of a court case and a murder trial.
'"eNCA has no control over the live pool feed, this is managed by Carte Blanche," Patrick Conroy, the group head of news at Sabido's 24-hour TV news channel tells TV with Thinus.
"eNCA did not rebroadcast the image in later bulletins, although DStv channel 199 did. We cannot explain the rationale for doing so."
"Please note the clear direction we have from the prosecution is that broadcasters can show anything on the screens, for instance photos and Whatsapp messages. Where photos to be used are graphic, the prosecutors were alerting Carte Blanche beforehand".
"They informed us that the prosecution did not do so with the image used yesterday".
"Despite the Prosecution's silence on the matter, eNCA feels it would be gratuitous to show the image deliberately".
"We have as a result of this incident, implemented an on-screen graphic warning at all times, should another picture be inadvertently shown," says Patrick Conroy.
"It was a very, very graphic image," said Alex Crawford, the Sky News special correspondent, covering the Oscar Pistorius murder trial on Sky News, "showing both bullet entry and exit wounds, brain matter all in her hair. And it was utter shocking".
"It got uncomfortable for people seeing Reeva's head up there, and it being juxtaposed with the watermelon exploding because of some fired shots. It painted a graphic and disturbing picture," said prof. Tawana Kupe, Wits academic and journalist, interviewed Wednesday night on the Oscar Pistorius trial TV channel.
Besides eNCA, Sky News and the Oscar Pistorius trial TV channel on DStv, viewers are also watching the live court room coverage of the highly sensational trial on SABC News (DStv 404) and ANN7 (DStv 405) which also use and show the live TV feed, as well as the Oscar Trial TV (OVHD 119) TV channel on OpenViewHD.
eNCA (DStv 403) just apologised for something which I as a journalist, a TV critic, a former news editor, and a media observer truly don't think eNCA needs to apologise for.
The South African 24-hour TV news channel in a statement, says it is apologising for showing a still photo of witness Michelle Burger (not even a photo taken of her in court) in the Oscar Pistorius murderl trial taking place in the North Gauteng High Court.
Witnesses in this sensational murder trial can decide whether they want to be seen on television or not.
However, this surely does not mean that a newspaper or a TV channel or any other publication or media outlet can't show a picture of Michelle Burger that they're able to find somewhere else?
What newspaper is just going to run a headline and a chunk of text if they cannot also add some kind of visual or photo to a story?
Any serious journalist knows you need something to break the text and need something visual to grab more reader or viewer interest. Any anyone's headshot is surely fair use in the reporting of a hard news story.
"This morning during court testimony by state witness Michelle Burger, eNCA showed a still photo of Michelle Burger which was sourced from the University of Pretoria's website. eNCA unreservedly apologises to the court, the parties and Michelle Burger for this unfortunate incident," says eNCA in a statement.
"No disrespect was intended.We did not understand the court order issued by Judge Mlambo to prevent this - we understood it only to apply to pictures taken of witnesses during the court proceedings," says Patrick Conroy, the group head of news at eNCA. "But, on reflection, this was a bad judgment call on our part and we accept that it did not accord with the spirit of the court order".
Judge Thokozile Masipa has now issued a further order that no photos be published of any witnesses who do not want to appear on camera, regardless of the source of those photos.
This is highly unusual, strange, and in my opinion wrong, as it seriously curtails freedom of speech in South Africa.
This is a public court case, with a global interest ... and you're not allowed to show an image - any image - of a witness when you do a story or report on public court testimony? Madness.
Please then possibly switch off the lights inside the court room so that the people who are able to get a seat to see the court proceedings for themselves in person, can please be as blind as lady justice, because currently they are able to see the actual and very public witnesses and how they look.
eNCA says it will "cooperate fully with any inquiry in this regard and deeply regrets the upset caused".
"eNCA has been at the forefront of working with the Judiciary for improved access to the courts," says the news channel.
"We would never consciously undermine our own efforts over the past 10 years. We should have been more cautious and sought clarity first. This has been an important lesson for everyone in terms of communication with the courts and the parties concerned".
eNCA (DStv 403) plans to broadcast "gavel-to-gavel" live coverage of the Oscar Pistorius murder trial for viewers whenever its allowed in the courtroom, and will have comprehensive reporting with nightly TV specials of the day's events between 19:00 and 20:00, repeated at 22:00.
ANN7 (DStv 405) did not announce Oscar Pistorius court trial coverage plans on television, but besides eNCA, MultiChoice will run a dedicated, 24-hour Oscar Pistorius trial TV channel on DStv on channel 199, and the Sabido-owned Platco Digital will also run its own dedicated, 24-hour Oscar Pistorius trial TV channel on OpenView HD (OVHD) on channel 119.
eNCA says the South African TV news channel will have an hour long Oscar Pretorius murder trial preview show on Sunday night at 18:00 as it gears up for covering "one of the biggest news stories of the year".
From Monday 3 March eNCA will broadcast live courtroom coverage and ongoing expert analysis and interpretation from a special vantage point outside the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.
eNCA will use its specialist court reporter Karyn Maughan who has covered the story right from that shocking day last year on Valentine's Day when Oscar Pretorius shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
eNCA's team of reporters who will also cover the unfolding court room and news proceedings include Annika Larson, Phakamile Hlubi, Uveka Rangappa, Cathy Mohlahlana, Jeremy Maggs, Iman Rappetti and Gareth Edwards who will field anchor from outside the Pretoria court room.
"Everyone will be covering the Oscar Pistorius trial," says Patrick Conroy, eNCA's group head of news.
"The difference will be the quality of reporting, accuracy and insights into what is going on. We have specialist reporters to do this. We will also provide consistent updates on Twitter and our website enca.com".
"While the Oscar Pistorius trial is undoubtedly one of the biggest stories of the year, we will make sure our viewers also get regular updates on all other important news stories," says Mapi Mhlangu, eNCA news director.
The eNCA business news anchor Arabile Gumede who says "it's fine to be homophobic" has now become the second TV anchor at eNCA (DStv 403) having to apologise for actions on Twitter, once again embarrassing the 24-hour TV news channel.
Lance Witten who has since left as sports anchor, embarrassed eNCA in November 2012 with a Tweet following a concert tragedy in Cape Town which left one woman dead.
Now Arabile Gumede who joined eNCA recently has also been forced to apologise after writing a Twitter message in response to Uganda's new anti-homosexuality law. The business anchor Tweeted: "I think it's fine to be homophobic, but to imprison someone for life because of their sexual preference is quite hefty".
Arabile Gumede had to apologise. "My sincerest apologies for my tweet sent on 25 February 2014 regarding homosexuality and the anti-gay laws passed in Uganda. My tweet was not sent to incite anger, bring disrepute to eNCA, malicious intent or condone discrimination in any form," says Arabile Gumede.
"My hope was to relay a message that no one should impose their views on others either through death or any harm no matter what their views are on any social, judicial, economic or environmental issues. I am truly sorry, and take full responsibility for my actions," says Arabile Gumede.
eNCA has a social media policy which bans eNCA staff from making personal views public which are racist, sexist or which contain religious bigotry or prejudice on grounds of sexual orientation.
