How CNBC Africa's ongoing lack of punting its programming is creating a growing problem and doing increasing damage to the CNBC Africa brand.

CNBC Africa's (DStv 410) ongoing problem - its lack of punting and communicating about its programming to the press - is doing increasing damage to the CNBC Africa brand - so much so that advertisers, reps and the media are spreading rumours that CNBC Africa is struggling and has dumped efforts to do live local programming after 18:00 in the evening.

CNBC Africa has the same problem as the SABC, and similar to the South African public broadcaster has let it fester and grow. 

CNBC Africa is giving the media covering television nothing to go on.

By creating a total vacuum through a lack of actually promoting and talking about its existing and upcoming content and on-air talent, CNBC Africa is doing nothing to keep the press informed about what it's actually doing.

It makes the media turn from covering a broadcaster's programming, to covering its behind-the-scenes operational and management issues.

By doing very little to communicate about its actual programming (which would take up time, and time away from journalists doing other stories) what happened with the SABC is what's happening with CNBC Africa from a PR and publicity perspective. 

Once the media and journalists latch onto other issue-driven narratives like the SABC's behind-the-scenes crisis and Hlaudi Motsoeneng, it's very hard to get the media to now write and make stories out of SABC1's Khumbul'ekhaya synopsis (oh wait, those don't exist).

It's now happening to CNBC Africa as well, available on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform and on StarTimes elsewhere in Africa, with the pan-African business channel that does content that comes and goes just like a tree that falls in the forest with nobody hearing.

Case in point is for instance that last night, on Thursday, CNBC Africa apparently broadcast its annual All Africa Business Leaders Awards 2016 (AABLA) on DStv. 

The actual ceremony took place earlier this week in Johannesburg.

CNBC Africa communicated nothing about this to the relevant media actually covering or theoretically covering the channel - most have given up years ago.

CNBC Africa couldn't get itself to inform not just that the awards show, CNBC Africa's biggest localised event and argubly the biggest "thing" for the channel every year is taking place - but afterwards not even who won, or when and that it would be broadcast.

CNBC Africa couldn't be bothered to issue even one press release in the lead-up to the AABLA2016 finale, nor about the winners afterwards, nor even a programming note to the media of when it would be shown.

Meanwhile CNBC Africa's lack of any apparent consistent communication strategy to notify the media about its programming in the way other DStv news channels do, has lead to the start of rumours that CNBC Africa has done away with live programming during the evenings on the channel.

Speculation is rife that CNBC Africa is struggling, and that it's been too difficult to find advertisers and too expensive to continue to do local live programming.

If only CNBC Africa actually took the effort to let the media know not just that it is doing programming but what programming it's doing on a continuous basis, it's of course highly unlikely that the swirling rumours around CNBC Africa would have started in the first place.

Of course wrong information and rumours are highly damaging to a brand, and in this case it is CNBC Africa that's being damaged - self-inflicted damage by not doing the bare minimum of what's required when running something like a TV channel: To keep telling the media what you're actually showing.

Earlier this week, asked about rumours about cutting back its local programming during the evenings, Bronwyn Nielsen, executive director of the CNBC Africa told The Media magazine that there's "no truth to these rumours".

On Wednesday morning it was terribly awkward when a bus full of South African journalists and TV critics as well as from Africa who flew in, pulled up at the Westcliff in Johannesburg and bundled out on the steps at the (wrong) door: The one outside where Rakesh Wahi, co-founder of the ABN Group that includes CNBC Africa and Forbes Africa was to punt his book.

While Discovery Networks International was having its 2017 upfront programming on-air talent interviews at the same hotel, the driver accidentally dropped the press at the wrong venue.

Of course journalists who quickly piled back into the bus and rushed to the right Westcliff door, noted the irony of CNBC Africa and Rakesh Wadi doing a book speech event and the All Africa Business Leaders Awards 2016 taking place, but CNBC Africa and ABN not being able to actually communicate with relevant media to tell them anything about it.

Embarrassing. And ongoing lost media opportunities for CNBC Africa that doesn't seem to care.

In 2016 CNBC Africa's viewership in South Africa on DStv remained dismally low compared to other available TV news channels on DStv.

Would perhaps talking about programming and letting the press (and through the media, also viewers) know about what is going to be on, help to lift ratings and draw more viewers? Very possibly.

CNBC Africa did excellent live coverage a few weeks back regarding the Pravin Gordhan saga.

Anchor Chris Bishop was brilliant as CNBC Africa, during the afternoon, suddenly covered the big news of Pravin Gordhan being charged. It was a momentary upflickering of what the great live business news coverage and analysis that CNBC Africa can do and is capable of being.

Sadly, it was again like a forest falling in the CNBC Africa woods.

Not only did CNBC Africa fail on the day and subsequent days to tell the media anything of its coverage plans around the developing news with an utter lack of even a most basic programming note, but viewers also didn't tune to the channel but to general news channels to follow the news developments.

So far has CNBC Africa apparently slid back, that it's not thought of as a top-of-mind tune-to channel in the case of big business news breaking.

More viewers followed the Pravin Gordhan news and rolling analysis on channels like eNCA and ANN7, although CNBC Africa arguably had a strong(er?) content offering on the story.

While CNBC Africa tries to cover things like the World Economic Forum in Kigali and roll out all kinds of sponsor-branded programming, it constantly fails to close the loop by actually promoting and publicising that content through letting the media know about it, so it can be watched.

CNBC Africa that turned 9 this year, in its past, at times, did communicate schedules and programming notes and show highlights and anchor changes and new presenter additions and programming specials to the press.

It did know how and made some effort and also thought it was worth the effort.

Sadly not the CNBC Africa of today.

In 2017 it will be a decade since I attended the launch event of CNBC Africa in Cape Town 10 years ago as a journalist and as a TV critic eager to cover and report on and tell the ongoing CNBC Africa story and its programming.

With little help from CNBC Africa, especially over the past few years, the task and journey - especially from a TV critic's perspective - has been very disappointing.

The ABN group and CNBC Africa officially launches its new CNBC Africa studio on the first floor of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

CNBC Africa (DStv 410) launched its new first floor CNBC Africa studio at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) this morning when it finally switched to an on-site studio facility housed inside One Exchange Square in Sandton.

CNBC Africa's new studio from where it will now be doing its daily broadcasts, is a plan and project that has been seven years in the making for CNBC Africa.

Since before CNBC Africa launched in 2007 as a business TV channel in South Africa and Africa on MultiChoice's DStv platform, it wanted to have a physical TV studio at the JSE.

Today's official launch makes CNBC Africa the first broadcaster to have such a physical TV studio at the JSE.

CNBC Africa moving its physical studio operations to the JSE is modeled on the United States' CNBC which has had a studio space at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) for decades.

TV with Thinus couldn't attend today's CNBC Africa studio morning launch or evening cocktail event - CNBC Africa unfortunately doesn't accomodate the press and TV critics the way other TV channels on DStv do when it comes to media launches and big channel events - but here is what is reportable:

The CNBC Africa first floor studio at the JSE is grey with a silvery grey desk, and a see-through glass back panel looking out over the "floor" of the JSE (the foyer to be precise - there is no more "Diagonal Street" trading floor with traders like what is seen at the NYSE).

The new studio has robotic, unmanned cameras, similar to what eNCA (DStv 403) and ANN7 (DStv 405) are using, operated by the final control room.

Daily timeslot shows like Open Exchange Africa, Power Lunch and Closing Bell Africa on CNBC Africa will now be done from here; CNBC Africa's Studio 1 and Studio 2 in Stella Street in Sandton will now be used for panel discussions and the recording of other programmes.

David Williams and Nozipho Mbanjwa were the first two CNBC anchors to broadcast live on the TV channel from behind the new desk and studio space.

CNBC Africa secured the first floor space after tenants left the JSE building, providing the ABN group with the opportunity of finally moving in and establishing a fixed physical presence for CNBC Africa to report from at the JSE.

"We were looking for a home here from the get-go, unfortunately there wasn't adequate space," Rakesh Wahi, the founder and vice chairperson of the ABN group told CNBC Africa today.

"I remember going to the HSBC building across the road and we looked for space there; we couldn't find space there either. Then finally we found a home on Stella Street where we are now".

"The desire to be at the JSE was always there. As you know CNBC's content is largely related to the markets, and therefore we put a camera here from the time we launched and we did our crossings and all our major market shows," said Rakesh Wahi.

"We launched in 2007 from Johannesburg. We set up a bureau in Cape Town and our East African headquarters in Kenya. We set up our West African headquarters in Nigeria - we put two bureaus, one in Nigeria and one in Lagos".

"Then we were hit by recession in 2008 and had to consolidate our plans and hold back on expanding into the rest of the continent. In 2011 we started expanding again and we set up bureaus in other parts of Sadec. We went into East Africa; Gabon, and now Ghana as well. We're have 15 bureaus on the continent," said Rakesh Wahi.

FIRST LOOK. CNBC Africa's new studio at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) that will be officially unveiled on Thursday.

Here's a first look at the new CNBC Africa Studios that CNBC Africa (DStv 410) will officially unveil tomorrow inside the JSE at One Exchange Square in Sandton on Thursday morning.

The the first live broadcast from the CNBC Africa Studio will take place from here tomorrow morning, a plan and effort to create the CNBC Africa Studios at the JSE which has been seven years in the making.

The CNBC Africa Studios at the JSE are equipped with technology like robotic, unmanned cameras,similar to what eNCA (DStv 403) and ANN7 (DStv 405) are using, and from tomorrow shows like Open Exchange, Power Lunch and Closing Bell Africa will be done from here.

CNBC Africa's Studio 1 and Studio 2 in Sandton will now be used for panel discussions and recording of other programmes.

For the official unveiling of the CNBC Africa Studios at the JSE on Thursday CNBC Africa plans a breakfast cocktail and ribbon-cutting by Rakesh Wahi, the founder and vice chairperson of the ABN group, on Thursday morning, followed by a cocktail evening.

CNBC Africa's new CNBC Africa Studio launching Thursday at the JSE; the start of integrating reporting from all bureaus from the JSE.

CNBC Africa (DStv 410) plans to launch the business TV channel's new CNBC Africa Studio at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) this coming Thursday morning, 15 May - with CNBC Africa attempting to eventually unify and integrate reporting from all of its bureaus from the JSE.

The CNBC Africa Studio at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange took seven years to come to fruition, the business channel molding itself after what CNBC in the United States did the past 25 years reporting from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange and having a studio there.

CNBC Africa's South African shows like Open Exchange, Power Lunch and Closing Bell will now be done from the CNBC Africa studios at the JSE. Further new programming is also being planned.

"The new studio will be equipped with state of the art technology," says Jean Landsberg, CNBC Africa's head of operations and project head for CNBC Africa's studio launch at the JSE.

"While we have been reporting from the JSE and other major exchanges including the Nigerian Stock Exchange since our launch, today marks another milestone as we will be the first television network with the ability to uplink live directly from the JSE and integrate all our bureaus directly from the JSE," says Rakesh Wahi, the founder and vice chairperson of the ABN group.

"Our objective is to eventually unify reporting simultaneously from all exchanges in Africa," says Rakesh Wahi who plans to do the official ribbon-cutting of the CNBC Africa Studio inside the JSE at One Exchange Square in Sandton this Thursday.

CNBC Africa wants to do more live coverage from the JSE - Africa's largest stock exchange - with the new on-site studio. CNBC Africa will have the potential of doing up to 14 hours of business news coverage per day from the studio eventually.

"This project was part of our plan since 2007 and we were finally able to see it to fruition," says Roberta Naidoo, CNBC Africa's group managing director.

CNBC Africa launching its CNBC Africa Studio at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) on Thursday 15 May.

CNBC Africa (DStv 410) will be launching the business TV channel's new CNBC Africa Studio at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) next Thursday morning, 15 May when the first live broadcast from the CNBC Africa Studio will take place.

Rakesh Wahi, co-founder and vice-chairperson of CNBC Africa, plans to do the official ribbon-cutting of the CNBC Africa Studio inside the JSE at One Exchange Square in Sandton next Thursday.

CNBC reported live from the New York Stock Exchange since 1995; CNBC Africa wants to do more live coverage from the JSE - Africa's largest stock exchange - with the new on-site studio.