The eNews Channel to advertise for a new co-anchor for its afternoon show News Day as Andrew Barnes goes solo behind the anchor desk for now.

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The eNews Channel (DStv 403) will soon be advertising for a brand-new news co-anchor for Andrew Barnes and News Day.

Meanwhile the South African 24 hour news channel's afternoon news show will be solo-anchored by Andrew Barnes on weekdays for the time being.

Andrew Barnes is solo-anchoring until a suitable replacement is found since co-anchor Scheherazade Safla left for Doha at the end of 2011 - news TV with Thinus broke RIGHT HERE at the beginning of December.

The veteran Andrew Barnes is however well-versed in anchoring News Day alone, the first hour of which is shown on e.tv on weekdays. News Day is produced and anchored from e.tv's Longkloof Studios in Cape Town.

Andrew Barnes' new co-anchor will be his third in just over a year after Robyn Smith left a year ago in January 2011 and Scheherazade Safla recent departure at the end of 2011.

The eNews Channel has no replacement yet but is definitely looking to reteam Andrew Barnes with a new face soon. ''No replacement has yet been found but we will be advertising for the position in the next few weeks,'' Ben Said, the eNews group news editor tells TV with Thinus. ''In the interim Andrew Barnes will anchor News Day alone.''

BREAKING. Scheherazade Safla leaving the eNews Channel and News Day at the end of the year.

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Scheherazade Safla is set to leave the eNews Channel (DStv 403) in 2012 TV with Thinus has exclusively learned.

Scheherazade Safla, co-anchor of the weekday news show News Day with Andrew Barnes on the eNews Channel (of which the first hour is simulcast on e.tv) will be leaving News Day soon, although the news has not been announced by the 24 hour news channel.

Those knowledgeable about the imminent move, over the weekend told TV with Thinus that Scheherazade Safla will be exiting the 24 hour news channel.

It will mean yet another new afternoon on-air pairing and yet another new co-anchor for News Day anchor Andrew Barnes. Scheherazade Safla replaced Robyn Smith in January this year on News Day as co-anchor which means that she will be capping her on-air tenure at News Day at exactly a year.

Asked about Scheherazade Safla yesterday, the eNews Channel tells TV with Thinus that ''it is with regret that Scheherazade Safla is leaving us. She is relocating to Doha to be with her husband who works for Al Jazeera.''

''Scheherazade Safla and eNews part company on very good terms. She and her husband have two small children and we understand their need to be united as a family,'' Patrick Conroy, the group head of news at e.tv tells TV with Thinus.

''Scheherazade Safla, or 'Schez' as she is affectionately known to her colleagues, joined the company as in intern and rapidly rose through the ranks as a reporter, producer and anchor. She remains a close friend of eNews and we wish her well for the future,'' says Patrick Conroy.

ON SET EXCLUSIVE. A news day behind the scenes at News Day with the eNews Channel's Andrew Barnes and Scheherazade Safla.

News Day on the eNews Channel (DStv 403) brings a credible touch of class to television news during weekday afternoons – and not just because senior anchor Andrew Barnes holds a silver tip fountain pen between his thumb and index finger while he deftly co-anchors the quality afternoon broadcast with Scheherazade Safla.

The superb News Day (weekdays between 13:00 and 16:00 on the eNews Channel, DStv 403; weekdays 13:00 to 13:30 on e.tv) with executive producer Sabiya Parkar is an informative, incisive and dynamic show – by all accounts the best afternoon news programme in South Africa. News Day with Andrew Barnes, joined by Scheherazade Safla since January when she replaced Robyn Smith, is a terrific oasis of the latest breaking news and analysis, sports news, weather and business news. The show speaks intelligently, and in style, to viewers in a usually discarded day part where the biggest rival broadcasters feed South African viewers a diet of American talk shows and soaps.

News Day, originating from Studio 201 at e.tv's Longkloof Studios in Cape Town is a wonderful example of what's actually possible for television news during the day when a production team – well-versed in news production behind the scenes – coupled with a dynamic and telegenic anchor-duo who works great together, decides to speaks up, instead of down, to viewers.

Behind the blue and white set with a glimmer of red inside Studio 201 Andrew Barnes and Scheherazade Safla don't just read the news – they actually read it. During breaks when the next stack of scripts and notes are quickly sent to the desk, they make lightning fast changes. Adjust. Read up. And yes, check Twitter and Facebook. There's also fast bathroom breaks. ''We refer to this as the pee sweep,'' laughs Scheherazade Safla, her laugh trailing behind her down the corridor at 14:25 as she quickly whisks out when nature calls.

A constant conversation is going on not just between the two of them, but also with the control room. With a flowing rhythm as every-changing as the new day's headlines, it's palpable that the News Day team is resolute in their consistent approach to not just report the news but also advance the news agenda. The News Day studio is filled with talk of breaking news stories, backlinks, sound checks and a dizzy array of production hand signals – a secret ''love'' code between the Type A co-anchors and the control room trying to create the best news show possible.

Knowing smiles betray a hint of the trust that can only come over time and is built out of the shared endeavour of anchoring a live TV news show together. At News Day the smiles are really real. Part of the interplay between Andrew Barnes and Scheherazade Safla behind the scenes are hilarious, with precious banter during ad breaks. ''I'll tweet while you touch up,'' Andrew Barnes remarks mock-dryly to ''Shez'' as the production staff refers to her. And he often calls her ''wife''. Doing a daily live show such as News Day out of the mad cacophony of things to know, is somewhat of a marriage of madness anyway.
''Script? … No script,'' deadpans Scheherazade Safla seconds before the red light on one of the three studio cameras come on. Then, live and immaculate, she steals some lines meant for her co-host as she brings another story to afternoon viewers.

''Minus 5 house points,'' remarks Andrew Barnes in the studio while the video feed of the news story plays out. What after all is a news day at News Day without some good-natured line-envy rivalry. ''I'll just go home and you can do the whole thing,'' he jokes with a mock getting-up-out-of-his-chair movement. The Schez gently appeases, as she pulls him back down. ''Okay, okay. You can do the next one.'' Then she tilts her head to the side, opens her eyes wider and whispers as she smiles. ''Make sure that you write that I love him.''

It's what happens during one of the breaks when Andrew Barnes gets linked-up with a reporter on the Swaziland border that's a tell-tale sign behind the scenes of exactly why News Day is the best place for daytime TV news in South Africa – it truly tries to take the day's breaking news and provide a sense of real understanding. ''Okay Cathy,'' says Andrew Barnes as that silver fountain pen scribbles some more before camera two's red light comes on. ''Stay on the line. We'll come to you shortly right after the break and try to make sense of this all.''

News Day, weekdays, eNews Channel (DStv 403), 13:00 – 16:00