BREAKING. SABC2 changing its Wednesday schedule to show the state funeral of minister Roy Padayachie on Wednesday from 11:00.

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"The funeral channel" is what a former SABC2 channel head jokingly once referred to the broadcaster when SABC2 still did quarterly screenings, and SABC2 is now quickly changing the channel's line-up to broadcast the funeral of Roy Padayachie tomorrow on Wednesday 9 June.

Roy Padayachie, the minister of public service and administration died Friday night in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.

SABC2 is dumping It's For Life, 48 Hours and Days of Our Lives tomorrow and moving on Judge Mathis and Nanny 911 to make space for a 3 hour broadcast of the official state funeral for Roy Padayachie starting at 11:00 and continuing until 14:10 on Wednesday.


UPDATE: Wednesday 10:00 - I asked yesterday and the eNews Channel (DStv 403) now tells me the channel will not be taking the funeral live but will have coverage in bulletins.

SABC2 also send out another programming update. The funeralcoverage will now only start at 11:50, with It's For Life and 48 Hours now both back on the schedule.

BREAKING. Roy is out; Dina is in. Dina Pule takes over as South Africa's new minister of communications as Roy Padayachie shuffles out.

South Africa's television industry is reacting with shock about the just-made announcement that Roy Padayachie is out and that Dina Pule is in as South Africa's new minister of communications.

President Jacob Zuma announced a ministerial shake-up and one of the government department's affected is the department of communications. Roy Padayachie is becoming the new minister of public service and administration. Dina Pule takes over from him. She used to be the deputy minister for performance monitoring and evaluation.

Roy Padayachie was South Africa's minister of communications for exactly a year, after he replaced the controversial Siphiwe Nyanda in a shocking cabinet change in October 2010.

Early reservations from South Africa's TV industry about Dina Pule's appointment mostly centres around two issues: the SABC, and South Africa's digital migration process to digital terrestrial television (DTT).

People I've spoken to the past hour are concerned that it will take Dina Pule (too much) time to get up to speed with the unmitigated melodrama of the beleaguered South African public broadcaster that is still for all intent and purposes on life-support.

Will Dina Pule have to ''remeet'' all the multitude of stakeholders again, just like Roy Padayachie had to do when he took over from a retired general? And secondly: does Dina Pule have the insight and communications background to steer South Africa's crucial transition to digital television?

With South Africa's television industry that needs immediate leadership, insight, right decisions, and speedy solutions to crucial matters regarding the SABC and DTT insofar it concerns public broadcasting, several people are immediately wondering not if, but how big, the setback will be with an industry that has to reset and grapple yet again with a new minister of communications.

''I think the big issue is that we must keep the broadcasting policy review process on track - it is critical to the long term health of broadcasting,'' Kate Skinner, coordinator of the Support Public Broadcasting Coalition (SOS) public pressure group tells TV with Thinus.

''We need new strong broadcasting laws in the public interest. The deep structural governance, oversight and funding problems in the sector stem mainly - although certainly not only - from gaps in the legislation. We need a commitment from the new minister and deputy minister that this will be prioritised,'' says Kate Skinner, commenting on the latest communication minister shuffle.

''Also, we certainly can not afford any further delays on the digital migration process. The new minister and deputy minister must very urgently communicate their plans on these issues. We very urgently need a new vision for public broadcasting - the hope is that the new minister and deputy minister will be able to craft this,'' she says.

BREAKING. Minister of communications looking at establishing a broadcasting panel to assist with new broadcasting policy for South Africa.

The minister of communications, Roy Padayachie, is looking at establishing a broadcasting panel of experts to help with creating a new broadcasting policy for South Africa.

In November last year, the minister of communications withdrew the highly controversial Draft Public Service Broadcasting Bill that looked to overhaul the entire South African broadcasting landscape.

With the bealeaguered South African public broadcaster in upheaval, the community television and radio industry struggling, the massive complexity and challenges of the advent of digital terrestrial television (DTT) in South Africa, new and growing commercial TV and radio competition, and a myriad of public broadcasting issues that simply didn't keep up with the times, the department of communications is now planning to start a brand-new and comprehensive public broadcasting review to change broadcasting legislation in South Africa.

The department is promising a new, comprehensive White Paper looking at South Africa's broadcasting sector as a whole, including the public, community and commercial sectors which the department wants to complete by 2013. To this effect, the minister wants to establish a broadcasting panel with international and local experts to help.

''The SOS Support Public Broadcasting Coalition believes that this process is both urgent and important given the deep-seated problems across the broadcasting and communications sectors both at the level of the public broadcaster and the community media sector,'' says Kate Skinner, co-ordinator of the SOS Support Public Broadcasting Coalition, the public pressure group representing a broad array of interest groups including academics, trade unions, institutes and organisations and federations within the South African broadcasting industry.

The SOS says its important that new legislation focus on ''ensuring a sustainable and stable public broadcaster and community media broadcasters in our rapidly changing broadcasting landscape''.

DVB-T2 chosen as South Africa's digital television standard: Communications minister Roy Padayachie explains why.

The South African government confirmed DVB-T2 this morning as the digital television standard that South Africa will be using moving forward in the process of migital migration to digital terrestrial television (DTT).

After suddenly backtracking on its 2006 decision for DVB-T (DVB-T2 is the second generation standard already), the South African government suddenly caused big uncertainty in the entire South African television industry by saying that it's also considering the Brazilian ISDB-T standard after being approached by Brazilian lobby groups. But why did the South African department of communications choose to eventually reaffirm its decision for its original digital TV standard choice and in fact the 2nd generation, upgraded standard of that?

''Of the 14 SADC countries, 12 countries agreed to the adoption of DVB-T2 as a common standard for the region,'' says Roy Padayachie, South Africa's minister of communications. ''DVB-T2 is approximately 50% more spectrum efficient than DVB-T and ISDB-T. Approximately 8 to 10 channels can be accommodated in a DVB-T multiplex. Thus 12 to 15 channels could be accommodated in a single DVB-T2 multiplex. DVB-T2 is capable of carrying a HDTV, SDTV and a mobile television multiplex over a single transmission network. ISDB-T is capable of carrying HDTV, SDTV and mobile television channels over a single transmission network,'' says Roy Padayachie.

He also talks about the need to readjust the timeframes for South Africa's digital migration process. According to Roy Padayachie as ''cabinet adopted the preferred standard of DVB-T2, an upgrade of DVB-T and agreed to December 2013 as the new switch-off date'' the South African government is actually looking at the process ''with a view to allow the period between 2013 and 2015 to address any challenge that may arise towards the ITU deadline of 2015.''

Regarding unhappiness in certain quarters of the South African electronics manufacturing industry Roy Padayachie says that the government will ''strive to ensure that we work with everyone involved in this process to ensure a successful and smooth transition to the exciting world of digital television and to use the digital migration process as a catalyst to revitalize the South African electronics manufacturing industry.''

ALSO READ: First reaction from the South African broadcasters on the South African government's decision to endorse DVB-T2 as the official digital television standard.
ALSO READ: South African government endorses DVB-T2 as South Africa's digital television standard.
ALSO READ: All the latest and very interesting details about M-Net and e.tv's joint DVB-T2 trial project.

BREAKING. South African government to give a final answer on South Africa's digital terrestrial standard within a month.

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The newly appointed minister of communications Roy Padayachie promised the South African television industry clarity and a final answer within a month - December 11 - on what South Africa digital terrestrial television (DTT) standard will be.

The South African television industry has been shocked when the department of communications earlier this year - led by the now removed former minister of communications Siphiwe Nyanda - suddenly backtracked on the South African government's officially agreed DTT standard confirmed in 2006 of the European-based digital video broadcasting standard DVB-T.

The department suddenly said it might opt for and is entertaining the Brazilian supported International System for Digital Broadcast (ISDB-Tb) of Japan. South African broadcasters have already invested more than R250 million in DVB-T trials and is unanimously lobbying and supporting DVB-T. South Africa is also already far behind its schedule for the switchover to DTT broadcasts, a process known as digital migration largely due to government ineptitude and a lack of leadership.

''Within a month from now we will pronounce on the country's position in relation to the digital terrestrial television standard,'' Roy Padayachie says in a press statement issued by the department of communications a few hours ago. ''The finalization of this matter will assist in accelerating the implementation of broadcasting digital migration in South Africa.''

''Digital migration remains a key project of the department of communications. With regard to the implementation of the digital migration policy in South Africa, our programme will focus on finalizing the set-top box manufacturing strategy, the scheme for ownership support for poor TV owning households and the local and digital content development strategy. We envisage that this will be submitted to cabinet for approval during the first quarter of 2011,'' says Roy Padayachie.

ALSO READ: ISBD-Tb instead of agreed DVB-T for South Africa's digital terrestrial standard will be difficult, impossible and expensive, says Sadiba.
ALSO READ: South African government warned to ''very carefully consider'' all the implications of changing South Africa's already agreed upon digital terrestrial television (DTT) standard from DVB-T to ISBD-Tb.
ALSO READ: M-Net and e.tv unite over DVB-T digital terrestrial television standard for South Africa; blasts South African government for contemplating change.
ALSO READ: e.tv and M-Net doing really brilliant work with DBV-T testing of digital terrestrial television in South Africa.
ALSO READ: South Africa's switch-over to digital terrestrial television (DTT) delayed.

BREAKING. ''We need a public broadcaster than functions competently,'' says new minister Roy Padayachie.

''What we need is a public broadcaster that functions competently,'' says Roy Padayachie, the newly appointed minister of communications who spoke earlier today at his first press conference and also met with the SABC board today before their follow-up appearance in parliament on November 23 to present the SABC's new turnaround-strategy that Roy Padayachie first wanted to see for himself today in private.

The beleaguered South African public broadcaster is mired in debt, mismanagement, corporate governance breaches, fraud, top management infighting, has a suspended group CEO currently in a disciplinary hearing, and has a SABC board which had four members resign due to ongoing, acrimonious power tussles between the board and the board chairperson dr Ben Ngubane.

Roy Padayachie says ''our first priority would be to stabilize the leadership within the SABC and address its financial liquidity problems and guarantee that the SABC will deliver programme content in tune with the needs of the people.'' Roy Padayachie wants to defuse the SABC leadership crisis within the next month before the end of December.

ALSO READ: New parliamentary hearing of SABC board now moved to November 23.

BREAKING. SABC board to get the ''Roy-al'' treatment tomorrow when meeting with new minister of communications Roy Padayachie.

They're not appearing before parliament today, but they will get the ''Roy-al'' treatment tomorrow when the SABC board meets with the new minister of communications, Roy Padayachie.

I've confirmed with senior SABC insiders that the largely incapacitated SABC board will be meeting with the new minister of communications tomorrow. Business Day was first to report about the meeting with the minister tomorrow.

ALSO READ: SABC board appearance before parliament this year still ''highly unlikely''; turnaround documents not done.

South Africa's TV industry to deal with new Icasa CEO and a new minister of communications from today.

The South African TV industry has some new brooms to deal with from today.

First there's Themba Dhlamini who's the new CEO of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) as from today. He used to be amongst other things the former manager of regulatory affairs at Telkom.

Genl. Simphiwe Nyanda took all of these wonderful overseas trips the whole time the past few months as the minister of communications at the beleaguered government department marked by infighting, regulation uncertainty regarding DTT migration, DTT standards and a seemingly unwillingness to pro-actively try and solve the SABC's ongoing management mess. Now I'm sure he's going to travel less and do fewer speeches.

The ineffective Siphiwe Nyanda just got dumped (as well as the deputy minister of communications Dina Pule who got axed from her position as well) and replaced by Roy Padayachie as South Africa's new minister of communications. Obed Bapela is the new deputy minister of communications.