eNCA drops simulcast of e.tv's The Morning Show and switches back to own-produced The South African Morning after 4 days of viewer outrage.

by Thinus Ferreira

Following a serious miscalculation of what pay-TV viewers want to watch in the mornings, as well as days of unrelenting viewer outrage, eNCA (DStv 403) on Friday morning brought back The South African Morning without any explanation after four days of simulcastin e.tv's low-rated The Morning Show.

On Monday eMedia's eNCA TV news channel - as part of yet another on-air and logo rebrand, dropped its The South African Morning time-block, replacing it with e.tv's The Morning Show between 06:00 and 09:00, produced by Cheeky Media with Yusuf Stevens as executive producer.

The Morning Show also added Faith Mangope to the softer lifestyle-slanted show which does sponsored inserts with a lesser emphasis on news and that bears more liking to SABC3's Expresso.

The drastic change prompted unrelenting viewer scorn the past four days with the drastic eNCA schedule change which was met with a barrage of DStv subscribers slamming the channel for replacing the much more newsy strand, co-anchored by the well-liked Gareth Edwards and Tumelo Mothotoane, with the lower production values of The Morning Show.

Viewers were fuming over The Morning Show - which bears no relation to the Apple TV+ drama series of the same name - with presenters who were berated for doing book segments at 6:15am and frivolous lifestyle segment discussions as they stumbled over words, sound and video problems, eating KFC on air, and the softer show's lack of news.

An avalanche of viewers were very vocal over the fact that they have access to e.tv and The Morning Show as a channel on DStv and would watch that if they wanted to.

Viewers said that they were now tuning out eNCA and switching to rival Newzroom Afrika (DStv 405) and SABC2's Morning Live which remains the perennial frontrunner in the South African morning breakfast show TV ratings race.

On Friday morning, The South African Morning was suddenly back without explanation, with Gareth Edwards once again anchoring the early morning time-block but this time solo. Tumelo Mothotoane anchored the NewsLink block solo from 9:00 to 12:00.

eMedia, in response to a media query about eNCA's morning fracas and the switchback, told TVwithThinus on Friday afternoon that "Due to popular demand, The South African Morning returns to eNCA with Gareth Edwards from 6:00 to 9:00. Tumelo will be on-air from 9:00 to 12:00. We have reunited viewers with the news and entertainment they are used to".

eNCA initially decided to cancel The South African Morning and simulcast e.tv's The Morning Show to rather stretch its production of live news hours from 22:00 until midnight, in response to competition from Newzroom Afrika. 

Although placing The South African Morning back on its schedule as an own in-house production, eNCA will continue to now stay in live news programming until midnight. 

Also returning to eNCA is anchor Shahan Ramkissoon who left a year ago, who is now anchoring The Last Word on Thursday snd Friday nights at 20:00.

ALSO READ: 'Useless rubbish' and 'a huge disaster': Shocked and angry DStv subscribers slam eNCA saying they're switching to Newzroom Afrika and SABC's Morning Live over decision to simulcast e.tv's 'totally poor and amateurish' The Morning Show.

ALSO READ: Latest rebrand 'a new era for eNCA,' says managing director as TV news channel want viewers to question more and 'create hope with our new positioning'.

ALSO READ: Faith Mangope joins e.tv's revamped The Morning Show added to eNCA as simulcast programming.

ALSO READ: eNCA in May revamp with yet another new logo and schedule changes, Shahan Ramkissoon makes anchor return as channel dumps own show to simulcast e.tv's The Morning Show, will stay live until midnight.

eNCA in May revamp with yet another new logo and schedule changes, Shahan Ramkissoon makes anchor return as channel dumps own show to simulcast e.tv's The Morning Show, will stay live until midnight.

by Thinus Ferreira 

On Monday eMedia's South African TV news channel eNCA (DStv 403) is poised for yet another rebrand less than 5 years after the last one - with more schedule changes and anchor shifts which will see the channel dump its own morning show output to simulcast's e.tv's The Morning Show, the return of anchor Shahan Ramkissoon and the channel now staying in live programming until midnight.

The Hyde Park-based eNCA had a channel rebrand in July 2018 that was accompanied by a dramatic overhaul to its schedule, programming and anchor line-up. It was followed by another eNCA schedule shake-up in July 2019.

Now eNCA, under John Bailey as managing editor - and feeling the increased heat and competition from rival local TV news channels like Thabile Ngwato and Thokozani Nkosi's Newzroom Afrika (DStv 405) and the public broadcaster's SABC News (DStv 404) - is once again revamping its look, programming structure and content output.

The eNCA logo is changing again from 1 May 2023, sticking with blue and red, but delineating the blue "e" from the red and flipping the blue and white between letter and background colour.

eNCA will no longer produce its own morning show, The South African Morning, with its anchors Tumelo Mothotoane and Gareth Edwards shifted to anchor NewsLink from 09:00 to 12:00. NewsLink which used to end at 11:00 and is now being extended to a 3-hour block.

In the space of The South African Morning, eNCA will now show DStv subscribers a simulcast of e.tv's The Morning Show, meaning that pay-TV viewers and free-to-air viewers will now see the same show on two TV channels.

What eNCA saves in production costs by dropping the in-house production of The South African Morning it used to do from its own studios, it will now use to stay in live broadcast programming until later.

From May eNCA will now broadcast live until midnight, nightly, whereas it used to switch to repeats and rebroadcasts at 22:00.

According to the new eNCA schedule, the All Angels daytime block which ran from 11:00 until 14:00 will now run from 12:00 until 15:00. Today which ran from 14:00 until 17:00 will now start at 15:00 until 18:00. South Africa Tonight which started at 17:00 on eNCA will now start at 18:00.

NewsNight on eNCA which used to start at 20:00 and ended at 22:00, how shifts to start at 21:00 for three hours until midnight.

Shahan Ramkissoon who left eNCA a year ago in May 2022 to work in South Africa's corporate public relations industry is returning to anchor the new eNCA show The Last Word on Thursday and Friday nights at 20:00.

"From 1 May, viewers will see an updated logo and fresh look for the channel," eNCA confirms in a press release. "As part of the refresh, viewers can expect some updates in the daily broadcast schedule," the news channel says.

"Viewers will still see the familiar faces they've grown to rely on, and also some new ones who will join the channel," says eNCA, adding that "The weekend schedule is also being refreshed. Going forward, We the Nation will be shown on Sundays at 20:00. eNCA will also extend its broadcast hours until midnight, every night."

ALSO READ: Faith Mangope joins e.tv's revamped The Morning Show added to eNCA as simulcast programming.

ALSO READ: Latest rebrand 'a new era for eNCA,' says managing director as TV news channel want viewers to question more and 'create hope with our new positioning'.

TV news anchor Shahan Ramkissoon exits eNCA.

by Thinus Ferreira

Shahan Ramkissoon is exiting eNCA (DStv 403) today after over 7 years with sources who told TVwithThinus that the experienced TV news anchor is leaving his post as prime time anchor at the eMedia TV news channel and with tonight which will be his final broadcast.

In response to a media query, an eNCA spokesperson confirmed that Shahan Ramkissoon is exiting, saying "he has resigned and his last day will be 25 May". Asked what it wants to say about Shahan Ramkissoon the channel had no other comment.

Shahan Ramkissoon has been co-anchoring eNCA's 3-hour South Africa Tonight timeslot with Sally Burdett on weekdays from 17:00 to 20:00 the past 7 months. The first half of the 19:00-hour of South Africa Tonight, simulcast on e.tv, has seen strong ratings growth the past few months, luring 1.67 million viewers during April.

Shahan Ramkissoon moved to anchor eNCA prime time in mid-October 2021 from an afternoon timeslot, after he had also anchored other day and late night parts across the eNCA schedule.

Today marks Shahan Ramkissoon's second exit from eNCA where he's been for over seven years. 

He previously was at eNews and eNCA (then known as the eNews Channel on DStv) for 6 years between 2007 and 2013 after which he went to the Arise News TV channel for a 3-year stint, and then returned to eNCA.

e.tv releases Daryn’s Gym as a new eVOD South African mockumentary film.

by Thinus Ferreira

The Tali's Diary series on Showmax is getting stiff competition with e.tv that has jumped into the local mockumentary genre with Daryn's Gym that will release on its eVOD service on 1 December, following a naive and hapless manager trying to save his gym from a ruthless competitor.

The hilarious Daryn's Gym filled with visual gags is another new eOriginal that will premiere on e.tv's eVOD video streaming service, following Daryn Miller Jnr (played by newcomer Clifford Joshua Young) who rallies the staff to try and save their Miller & Sons gym in Randburg before Christmas from Funeka (Hlubi Mboya) and her evil staff at her multi-national fitness centre.

The Daryn's Gym main cast also includes Ayanda Seoka as Zintle, Siv Ngesi as Jackson, Natasha Sutherland as Starla, Deon Coetzee as Paul, Carla Classen as Bianca, William Harding as Jacques and Mphumzi Nontshinga as Richard. 

The eNCA (DStv 403) news anchor Shahan Ramkissoon also makes an appearance as himself.

Filmed by Nostalgia Productions, Daryn's Gym was written and directed by Brett Michael Innes who is also one of the producers, Dino Benedetti as the director of photography, and with Thabang Phetla, Helga Palmer and Marlon Davids at e.tv as executive producers. 

Daryn's Gym was filmed in Johannesburg during the Covid-19 lockdown and uses a gym setting to deliver a naughty yet hilarious mockumentary feature, similar to series like Parks & Recreation, Modern Family, Arrested Development and  kykNET's Hotel.

Daryn's Gym is released on eVOD on 1 December.

REVIEW. During and after South Africa's Thursday hostage drama Newzroom Afrika won the night, followed by SABC News 2nd and eNCA arriving 3rd in the coverage play-by-play.

by Thinus Ferreira

On Thursday night at around 23:30 while Newzroom Afrika's (DStv 405) political editor Sbu Ngalwa had literally found and pulled a reluctant South African police national spokesperson Vish Naidoo into the camera glare for a live interview in the aftermath of a ministerial hostage drama, the SABC News (DStv 404) cameraman showed viewers how its reporter arrived after several minutes and ran to also push a mic into Vish's face.

It took even longer for the eNCA (DStv 403) cameraman to arrive to show that channel's viewers how the eNCA reporter scrambled down a corridor to, quite belatedly, also thrust a mic into Sbu Ngalwa's basically done interview.

Sbu Ngalwa's brilliant work, and cornering Vish Naidoo with a doorstop interview, was indicative of how the totality of Thursday night went on South African TV news in the play-by-play of covering the developing news story for television viewers.

Newzroom Afrika fully won the night after it quickly switched to rolling and constant coverage, including cellphone footage (that neither SABC News nor eNCA had) of the night's ministerial hostage drama.

Newzroom Afrika constantly kept churning out updates and interviews, including a right-panel update screen. 

It put SABC News and eNCA to shame that both stuck with pre-recorded stories and election coverage for quite a while before trying to catch up and match Newzroom Afrika's "CNN-style" breaking, rolling coverage.

On Thursday night it looked like SABC News and eNCA were caught flat-footed, initially with more mooted coverage than Newzroom Afrika's borderline lurid, grainy cellphone video of the hostage drama that unfolded inside the St George's Hotel complex where South Africa's minister of defence Thandi Modise and other government officials were held hostage and had to be rescued by the South African Police Service Special Task Force.

Social media provides further proof of the pecking order of Thursday night's TV news channels' news coverage race.

eNCA on Twitter had absolutely nothing on its feed with no news updates after 22:00 where it apparently closed up shop and ended the night with a type of sponsored post about advertiser-funded content available on the channel.

SABC News put in a valiant effort with a few news updates but it's Newzroom Afrika that absolute excelled. 

Newzroom Afrika churned out both text and video reports about the unfolding developments late into the night and already started notifying potential viewers throughout the night about who it was prepping and lining up for interviews on Friday morning.

Newzroom Afrika felt present and out front as a media outlet covering the event on various platforms while SABC News and eNCA looked as if it they were short on resources and scrambling to catch up.

While Newzroom Afrika was covering the breaking news with real rolling coverage, SABC News initially did more short reaction interviews and commentary from its Auckland Park studio before a reporter eventually arriving on the scene.

eNCA would break in with the story but would weirdly return to packaged election news and other stories before it also switched full-time to rolling coverage from outside the St George's Hotel.

Noteworthy is that Thursday night's coverage of the ministerial hostage drama was led by men: Three male anchors with Thabo Mdluli (Newzroom Africa), Peter Ndoro (SABC News) and Shahan Ramkissoon (eNCA) behind the studio desks, and three male field reporters, Sbu Ngalwa (Newzroom Afrika), Samkele Maseko (SABC News) and Pule Letshwiti-Jones (eNCA) at the scene of the hostage drama.

Thabo Mdluli, Peter Ndoro and Shahan Ramkissoon were all great at "anchoring" with skilled gravitas and holding all of the various strands of news information together once all three TV news channels were fully covering the unfolding story.

Shahan Ramkissoon showed wonderful presence of mind by holding up a cellphone to his lapel mic to get the audio to viewers.

 

Sbu Ngalwa was first inside the St George's Hotel complex doing walk-and-talk, on-the-ground reporting. SABC News and eNCA, together with Newzroom Afrika, eventually all showed roving reporters and cameramen roaming the hotel corridors.

Also noteworthy was how all three TV news channels were able to immediately extend their live coverage for the night on Thursday night for breaking South African news instead of switching to repeats at their pre-determined hours.

It's clear that some learning has taken place and contingency plans put in place at all three TV news channel newsrooms having been showed up and found wanting in the past with non-coverage and no live coverage of South African news of national importance happening late night.

Katy Katopodis, Newzroom Afrika news director, kept viewers informed and actually told the audience on social media that the channel would remain live on the story, saying "We're extending our live broadcast to bring you rolling coverage of the breaking news from the St George's Hotel. Our politics editor, Sbu Ngalwa is coming to you live from the scene".

Watching and tracking all three TV news channels simultaneously on Thursday night for hours, Newzroom Afrika clearly won the night by a wide margin and looked the most like breaking news and rolling news coverage of the ministerial hostage drama. 

SABC News and eNCA were never able to fully match what Newzroom Afrika showed or did first - and better - on Thursday night.

While Newzroom Afrika showed cellphone footage of inside the room and with Sbu Ngalwa shown already walking around inside the hotel grounds and complex, at the same time SABC News would do a phone interview with static images while eNCA showed its reporter standing outside the front entrance.

In the TV news stakes, on Thursday night Newzroom Afrika was the one that constantly just looked the best.

TV REVIEW. In their Zuma Arrest Watch coverage SABC News won the night as eNCA devolved into opinion-tainment and Newzroom Afrika faded; eNCA reporter Siphamandla Goge the most valuable player.

by Thinus Ferreira

In Wednesday night's three-horse race of South African TV news channels and their respective rolling coverage of the impending arrest of Jacob Zuma, SABC News (DStv 404) ended as the overall winner, followed by an opinion-slanted eNCA (DStv 403) that also did bad "reporting" based on unconfirmed sources, while Newzroom Afrika (DStv 405) seemed to run out of stream after a few hours.

eNCA reporter Siphamandla Goge was Wednesday night's most valuable player during Zuma Arrest Watch as the country tuned in to watch the impending arrest and jailing of former president Jacob Zuma.

At 21:00 on Wednesday night as the various South African TV news channels had reporters stationed outside Nkandla in KwaZulu-Natal and at Westville prison, Newzroom Afrika was actually in the lead with the best coverage and live crossings, followed by SABC News and with eNCA in third place that was running a TV talk show. 

Over the course of the following three hours, both SABC News (DStv 404) and eNCA each improved their coverage.

SABC News improved from second position to first, eNCA (DStv 403) improved from third position to second, and Newzroom Africa (DStv 405) that seemed to get a bit lost in terms of editorial direction, fell from first to third place in its coverage.

The first big question on Wednesday night was which of the three TV news channels might stay with original and live rolling coverage and whether eNCA, SABC News and Newzroom Afrika might switch to repeats and rebroadcasts from around 22:00 and 23:00 on Wednesday night.

Luckily, all have seemingly learnt the lesson from previous late-night no-shows when it came to Jacob Zuma news, fires and other big South African news events that they had previously ignored and they all stayed with live anchoring and on-location reporting on Wednesday until past midnight.

SABC News reporters really stood out in their night-time, on-location, bright yellow and very professional looking reporter jackets.

SABC News also did the most live crossings, to the most reporters, with the widest range of commentators.

SABC News anchor Peter Ndoro was calm and collected and borderline "boring" and semi-detached throughout - an excellent anchor for the unfolding hurry-up-and-wait situation as he brought a sober, very matter-of-fact, fact-based approach to the SABC's conveying of the news.

The SABC News coverage style was objective, and Peter Ndoro and SABC News reporters were actually very careful in their language use - carefully denoting when they didn't know, noting precisely what little at times they did know, and with very little personal speculation and opinion.

eNCA was initially behind in Wednesday's "main match pre-show build-up", running a JJ Tabane studio-based talk show from Hyde Park while SABC News and Newzroom Afrika were giving on-the-ground reports at the same time.

From 21:30 onwards, eNCA improved with Shahan Ramkissoon in the NewsNight anchor chair, but the channel also damaged credibility and coverage with opinion-based injections and some bad "journalism" that detracted from eNCA delivering a fact-based, history-making night TV special that could proudly live in the video vault.

Shahan Ramkissoon seemed giddy at times and over-emoted a tad too much, conveying to viewers how incredible the night's constantly unfolding events were. It's fine to be excited but do you really want to be on a plane where you know that the pilot is actually hand-claspingly excited as well?

eNCA did damagingly bad "reporting", telling viewers in unsubstantiated claims that South Africa's Constitutional Court was considering a letter from Jacob Zuma, with eNCA citing "sources" and saying "we're hearing" and it's "unconfirmed". Why on Earth was eNCA then even verbalising this unconfirmed rumour-mongering on-air?

eNCA reporter Siphamandla Goge shined as the night's best reporter. He asked the most questions, led the pack of TV reporters camping out at Nkandla and excelled in drawing out new information from interviews and translating to viewers what protestors were doing and saying, as well as alertingeNCA when a Jacob Zuma convoy suddenly swerved out the gate and left for jail.

While it was a schadenfreude-filled, fun and frivolous watch, Shahan Ramkissoon who stayed live on eNCA after midnight - pitting JJ Tabane and the ever-caustic Mzwanele Manyi against each other in a to-and-fro shouting match - eNCA's Real House husbands of Mzansi trash-talking edition was ultimately empty news calorie newstainment.

Similar to Silindelo Masikane's tabloid-trash interview with Norma Mngoma on eNCA in December 2020, the on-air boxing match between JJ Tabane and Mzwanele Manyi didn't yield any actual news beyond more bloviating opinion and he-said, he-said rhetoric and did a disservice to eNCA.

While the copying of the low-brow opinion-based, infotainment style of commercial American TV news channels like FOX News and MSNBC do bring viewers short-term, it also damages the credibility of a channel like eNCA when it comes to fact-based news reporting over the longer run.

It was fun to watch Shahan Ramkissoon telling Mzwanele Manyi with a tinge of sarcasm to "also learn" from international spokespeople and to keep his answers short, but behaviour like this signals to guests and viewers that eNCA is unable to keep things professional and not personal.

The TV news channel very well knows who Mzwanele Manyi is and how he behaves - yet deliberately chose to invite him on and give him a massive amount of air-time on Wednesday night and into Thursday morning. 

At the end, Mzwanele Manyi remains a guest - an invited guest - and should be treated with respect even if he decides to be rude and arrogant.

On Newzroom Afrika, Thabo Mdluli anchored Wednesday night's coverage. Nothing was really wrong or bad but there wasn't anything unique about its news offering.

Although Newzroom Afrika didn't veer into the editorialising and opinion-infused infotainment of eNCA, it also didn't have the breadth of SABC News' reporting.

Newzroom Afrika seemed to run out of stream and got pipped to the post by SABC News and eNCA. A few times reporters looked a little bit frazzled and dazed. Perhaps SABC News and eNCA were as well but maybe hid it a bit better.

Luckily, Nkandla seemingly only had one entrance/exit and reporters and camera crew were waiting at the right place. Channels also dispatched reporters to prisons like Westville and eNCA arrived just in time at Estcourt Correction Centre.

A lot could have gone wrong in Wednesday night's coverage but luckily didn't. 

The three TV news channels could have captured more and could possibly have planned better with more and better quality commentators and analysts pre-booked and on-hand for the late hours but it's commendable that pay-TV viewers at least got what SABC News, eNCA and Newzroom Afrika provided.

Kudos that SABC News, eNCA and Newzroom Afrika remained live on Wednesday night. 

Bar eNCA's atrocious ConCourt rumours that isn't journalism, the three channels and their collective Zuma Arrest Watch coverage could have been better but for late-night coverage - that local channels are not really used to doing - was good enough.

Coronavirus: eNCA reporter Heidi Giokos tests Covid-19 positive, says she's speaking out to break down stigma around the virus.

by Thinus Ferreira

The eNCA (DStv 403) financial reporter Heidi Giokos has tested positive for Covid-19, days after her on-air colleague Shahan Ramkissoon at the TV news channel also got a positive test result and says she is speaking out because she wants to help break the stigma around Covid-19 people.

Heidi Giokos, the younger sister of TV reporter Eleni Giokos working for CNN International (DStv 401) from CNN's Johannesburg bureau, said that she wanted to make her Covid-19 positive result known and talk about it to help break down the stigmatisation that clings to Covid-19 people in some quarters.

Heidi Giokos is the latest eNCA journalist cloistered at home because of Covid-19 after Shahan Ramkissoon and other eMedia staffers tested positive for the virus at the Hyde Park headquarters of eMedia Investments.

On Thursday eNCA was asked if it had any comment but the TV news channel didn't respond to the media enquiry.

This past Saturday evening the Afrikaans TV news bulletin eNuus was also forced to broadcast a pre-recorded episode instead of live news on kykNET (DStv 144) after it was also forced to shut down for a deep-clean because of a Covid-19 case.

"I've tested positive for Covid-19. I've only had mild symptoms but I'm OK and I know I will overcome this. My priority remains to keep my family safe," Heidi Giokos revealed on Thursday.

"I wanted to speak out because for some reason there's a stigma and despite my constant efforts to wash hands, santise everything, wear a mask, I realise that many of us are exposed to people, will take on that risk," she says.

TV reporters and staffers at the SABC and its SABC News (DStv 404) division, eNCA and its e.tv News and eNuus divisions, as well as Newzroom Africa (DStv 405) have all been affected and are grappling with Covid-19 cases.


ALSO READ: Coronavirus: eNCA anchor Shahan Ramkissoon tests Covid-19 positive shortly after other 2 other Johannesburg-building staffers; will self-isolate along with rest of affected shift workers for 14 days.
ALSO READ: Coronavirus: eMedia's Afrikaans TV news eNuus on kykNET disrupted on Saturday because of positive Covid-19 case in its Hyde Park newsroom.
ALSO READ: Coronavirus: Newzroom Afrika staffers test positive for Covid-19, prompts more changes at the TV news channel's Linden newsroom including cordoning off sections, one-way corridors and an end to desk swapping.
ALSO READ: Coronavirus: A fourth SABC staffer tests positive for Covid-19, the second at its Auckland Park headquarters.
ALSO READ: Coronavirus: etv News boss Nisa Allie pays tribute to cameraman Lungile Tom who died from Covid-19: The loyal 'fist-pumping guy who documented everything and who liked a muffin and coffee for breakfast'.

Coronavirus: eNCA anchor Shahan Ramkissoon tests Covid-19 positive shortly after other 2 other Johannesburg-building staffers; will self-isolate along with rest of affected shift workers for 14 days.

by Thinus Ferreira

The eNCA (DStv 403) anchor Shahan Ramkissoon who started to feel ill last week has now tested positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus, coming days after two staffers working mostly on the ground floor of eMedia Investments' Hyde Park building in Johannesburg had also tested positive.

Shahan Ramkissoon who will be off-air and self-isolating for 14 days is the latest high-profile South African TV news case diagnosed with Covid-19, following after the TV news operations of the SABC News (DStv 404), Newzroom Africa (DStv 405) and eNCA have been impacted by positive tests over the past few months.

At the SABC staffers in various provincial bureaus across South Africa tested positive after the SABC in late-March 2020 shuttered its office in the Northern Cape in April after reporter Ulrich Hendriks tested positive for Covid-19 who has since recovered.

In mid-May staffers at Newzroom Afrika's Cape Town bureau tested positive including reporter Athi Mtongana after the death of the eNCA and e.tv cameraman Lungile Thom in Cape Town who became South Africa's first journalist to die from Covid-19.

Earlier this month e.tv in an internal email told staffers that "two staff members, working mostly on the ground floor in the Johannesburg office have tested positive for Covid-19" and that the company "had as routine measure arranged from a deep-clean of the Johannesburg office". eMedia Investments didn't close down its Hyde Park building or headquarters.

Now anchor Shahan Ramkissoon has tested positive for Covid-19 and the studio on the ground floor has been shuttered.

In a statement eNCA says that the anchor started feeling ill last week and was advised to go for testing on Friday. "His results came back on Monday 22 June 2020. He will remain off-air and in self-isolation until the end of the stipulated 14-day period."

eNCA says that the anchor "is part of a team based in the channel's Johannesburg office isolation studio that was set up eight weeks ago as part of the broadcaster's disaster management plan. The studio was set up to help minimize risk and manage the number of staff members working in a single area, in accordance with Covid-19 protocols".

eNCA says that "the isolation studio is completely removed from the channel's main broadcast area, and its operations have not been impacted".

"All staff members on the affected shift, based in the isolation studio, have been sent home to self-isolate. The company is undertaking the necessary track and tracing process to identify potentially exposed staff members."

"In view of current developments, eNCA has initiated further measures to protect its employees, including the addition of separator screens inside the studios operating rooms."

On Monday evening in a live interview done through Skype on eNCA, Shahan Ramkissoon said that he has had flu-like symptoms for 11 days.

"I feel really bad because I feel like I might have infected people in the office and I feel a bit guilty for having done that. But then I think back - I went to the doctor when I showed signs of flu and the doctor ruled it out and I did the right thing in terms of approaching my sickness."

Shahan Ramkissoon said it's important not to stigmatise people with Covid-19 and that he is feeling anxious. "I don't know if things could take a turn for the worse in the next couple of days - that could happen. I do feel anxious - I'm not going to lie about that."

eNCA has started a series of Town Hall Debates with South Africa's political leaders that will debate in various provinces leading up to the country's general election on 8 May.

eNCA (DStv 403) has started a series of Town Hall Debates that the TV news channel will be broadcasting.

The first eNCA Town Hall Debate leading up to South Africa's general elections on 8 May took place in Cape Town on Thursday last week at 11:00 in the morning and was rebroadcast in full at 19:00 that same evening.

eNCA didn't communicate or announce the addition of its programming event-series to the press beforehand.

TVwithThinus asked eNCA about its Town Hall Debate series on Thursday after 11:00 after the recording of the first Town Hall Debate started in Mitchell's Plain in Cape Town with eNCA anchor Michelle Craig.

In response to the media enquiry, eNCA, in a general press statement it then issued to all media, says that "the aim of these Town Hall Debates is to give South Africans an opportunity to raise their questions and concerns with the political parties, and give the politicians a real understanding of what the people want ahead of the general elections".

Jody Jacobs, eNCA's head of output, says "Political leaders will have the opportunity to address these concerns, clarify their positions on key issues and propose their solutions to the challenges facing our democracy".

After Cape Town that, eNCA plans three further Town Hall Debates with representatives from political parties in various provinces.

Durban (27 March): eNCA anchor Shahan Ramkissoon will host a debate at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) on Wednesday 27 March at 19:00.

Port Elizabeth (11 April): eNCA's political editor Vuyo Mvoko will host a debate at the Nangoza Jebe Hall (Centenary Hall) on Thursday 11 April at 11:00.

Johannesburg (25 April): eNCA's acting editor Jeremy Maggs will host a final Big Leaders Debate at the Johannesburg city hall, on Thursday 25 April at 19:00.

eNCA says that besides the TV broadcast the debates will also be live-streamed on the eNCA.com website.

eNCA updates its on-air look with a rebuild studio and video wall, adjusted timeslots and a Jane Dutton talk show.

On Monday 16 July eNCA (DStv 403), that turned 10 years old last month, is redoing its on-air look with a rebuilt Hyde Park studio that includes touch screens and a big video wall, as well as reducing the number of its on-air blocks including folding the afternoon slot News Day into a bigger midday slot rebranded as eNCA Now, and a prime time talk show for Jane Dutton.

From Monday Morning News between 06:00 and 09:00 becomes Morning News Today anchored by Dan Moyane and Uveka Rangappa.

Morning News Today on weekdays will look at overnight news stories and provides an overview of the day that lies ahead. The timeslot will also take a look at the lighter side of life in the country with human interest and lifestyle features.

The Lead between 09:00 and 13:00, News Day between 13:00 and 14:00 and Afternoon News between 16:00 and 18:00 all fall away and are folded into the more generic eNCA Now block from 09:00 to 17:00 with rolling news coverage.

eNCA Now will be anchored by by Xoli Mngambi, Jeremy Maggs, Michelle Craig and Thulasizwe Simelane throughout the day. Devan Murugan will be doing business news coverage.

News Night that used to start at 18:00 will now start an hour earlier at 17:00 from Monday anchored by Vuyo Mvoko and Cathy Mohahlana and go until 20:00 instead of 21:00.

News Night will continue to cover the day's big news stories.

At 20:00 on eNCA there's the introduction of Tonight with Jane Dutton, a new weekday talk show that eNCA calls its "flagship daily talk show" that will feature interviews various guests and newsmakers.

Jane Dutton returns to South Africa and e.tv from Al Jazeera.

The half hour Moneyline on eNCA falls away to make space for the hour long News Hour at 22:00 on weekdays, anchored by Shahan Ramkissoon and Siki Mgabadeli.

News Hour will take a look at the day's top news and business stories and will feature business reports as well as in-depth coverage of the day's news events.

Late Edition follows at 23:00, that eNCA calls " comprehensive, relaxed and conversational review of the day's news and a first look at the next day's action".

Mapi Mhlangu, eNCA's managing director and editor-in-chief, says the redone studio where news anchors will be able to move around more and the big video wall will make eNCA's "news delivery more contemporary, more interactive and faster moving".

She says that eNCA will continue to do "quality news".

"Audiences today have far more choice in a fragmenting television environment. My promise to the eNCA community is that despite the changing nature of news consumption, we will continue to rely on what has made us successful:  quality news that reflects the complexity of South African society, always mindful that we are a voice for ordinary people and their daily struggles," says Mapi Mhlangu.

eNCA exodus of on-air staff continues with Macfarlane Moleli and Lance Witten also gone; eNCA says overall staff numbers are growing.

The eNCA (DStv 403) is bleeding on-air staff but the 24 hour South African TV news channel says that overall the staff is actually growing.

Following news woman Debora Patta out the door and Shahan Ramkissoon who left the eNCA, is Macfarlane Moleli who resigned at the end of May without the eNCA saying a word about it. Lance Witten is now also gone; he upped and left the eNCA to go back to radio.

Then there's also Charlotte Kilbane the online editor of the eNews online division who left and who insiders consider a big loss for the news channel.

The eNCA's Patrick Controy, the group head of news at the eNCA, tells TV with Thinus that there "are more people coming through the front doot than leaving out the back".

'"eNCA staff numbers have been increasing since April 2012 from 500 to 546 staff, which is an increas of 9%. For context - in May 2010 the staff total came to 338, which means our growth over this period is 62%," he says.

"This figure of 546 will increase as we fill vacancies and recruit staff for new positions which have opened up in our business."

"It is true tht a number of staff have resigned to join PowerFM. In April we had 12 resignations on file, of which nearly half have gone to the radio station. While we hate to lose staff we are in the position however of having highly trained and skilled personnel who are easily poached."

"Primedia has also lost a significant number of staff to PowerFM which makes total sense. We're probably the only two broadcasting companies training and producing talent at this level . The SABC has largely failed to do so in recent years in my view," says Patrick Conroy.

"I view it as a compliment that eNCA staff are considered to be well trained, professional and skilled. If they were not in demand by local and international broadcasters, I'd actually be a bit miffed."

"Of course when a high-profile person like Debora Patta leaves, it is understandable that to outsiders it comes as a shock. We've been in discussions with Debora Patta for months about the future and format of 3rd Degree, and ultimately she felt it was time to move on and do something different. It is perfectly normal in this business. Things change and people move on."

Over the past five years Charlotte Kilbane mentored her successor in Cape Town and then stepped back to hand over the Cape Town editor post to Nisa Allie doing an incredible job taking our product forward. Charlotte then agreed to hold off on leaving us and assist with the launch of www.eNCA.com."

"Her television experience and online insights really helped make the launch of this site a huge success. Currently it is ahead of all targets set in our business plan," says Patrick Conroy.

BREAKING. Shahan Ramkissoon leaves the eNCA after 6 years; reporter can now be seen on the Arise News TV news channel.

You're reading it here first.

Shahan Ramkissoon, one of the solidly dependable reporters who also moved in behind the anchor desk has left the eNCA (DStv 403) after 6 years.

There's been no word yet from the eNCA about Shahan Ramkissoon's departure from the news channel.

Shahan Ramkissoon has shown tremendous growth the past few years as the eNCA grew and has honed his image, style, news presentation skills, contacts and sources as he became one of the recognisable and solidly dependable news telenalities on South African TV screens.

Shahan Ramkissoon steadily progressed to behind the anchor desk where he also anchor timeslots on the eNCA.

Shahan Ramkissoon's last day at the South African 24-hour news channel was on Sunday, according to sources and he now works for the new African-centric Arise News news channel which launched in February. Arise News can be seen in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Arise News, which is on an aggressive recruitment drive - similar to the nascent Africa News Network 7 (ANN7) set to start later this year as a 24-hour news channel in South Africa - is not yet available on MultiChoice's DStv or On Digital Media's TopTV platforms.

Arise News can however be watched online as the channel is live-streamed at www.arise.tv where Shahan Ramkissoon can now be seen.

The reporter has already done live crossings on Arise News to London and New York from South Africa. According to sources the reporter might also be working for France24 (TopTV 402) on breaking news stories.

Shahan Ramkissoon's departure from the eNCA follows the departure of eNCA name-brand telenalities such as Debora Patta recently, as well as Lukwesa Burak who came to the eNCA from Sky News to anchor Africa Edition but is suddenly back on Sky News.

THEN & NOW. Shahan Ramkissoon of the eNCA cleans up nicely - looks much prettier in pink 5 years later.

Shahan Ramkissoon, reporter and news anchor on the eNCA (DStv 403) has cleaned up quite nicely - from the hair to the dress sense he has moved forward with his fashion sense the past 5 years.

On the left - Shahan Ramkissoon 5 years ago in 2008 filing a story for eNews Prime Time dressed in a pink shirt.

On the right - Shahan Ramkissoon last week behind the eNCA anchor desk at Hyde Park headquarters looking a lot leaner in the face, with less pronounced facial hair, much better hair and a pink tie.

eNCA viewers have seen Shahan Ramkissoon progress from reporter to sit-in temporary anchor during late night slots and even morning stints like last week when he was in for Eleni Giokos in the mornings.

Nowadays viewers see a much more dapper looking Shahan Ramkissoon sporting a much improved and more stylish and refined look than when he started at e.tv's TV news division.

There's still a few quirky fashion lapses from Shahan Ramkissoon from time to time - like last year when this suddenly scruffy looking reporter filed a story from inside a car in New Jersey in New York looking a bit as if he's living in a car.

FOR THE RECORD. 'Welcome as we change from the eNews Channel to eNCA'.

When the eNews Channel changed to simply eNCA (DStv 403) with a new on-air look and name on Sunday night 19 August at 19:00 this is what was said:

"It is 7pm and welcome as we change from the eNews Channel to eNCA - eNews Channel Africa; all ahead of our global launch on the Sky satellite platform in the United Kingdom. I'm Iman Rappetti."

"Good evening, I'm Jeremy Maggs. We'll also tell you more about eNCA, the big brand change and also our plans for the United Kingdom."

In a news insert later, Shahan Ramkissoon incorporated a video flashback to when eNews started with nightly news bulletins on e.tv with San Reddy; years later the start of the eNews Channel, and looking at the progression of the news division as well as its presentation style.

"With it came live news coverage. Then came eNews Africa in 2009. And 2010 saw the launch of eNuus. Now eNews is launching in the United Kingdom on the Sky digital satellite platform where 10 million subscribers will have access to news from South Africa."

BREAKING. Shahan Ramkissoon from the eNews Channel is in New Jersey, America for Whitney Houston stories.

The eNews Channel (DStv 403) has dispatched its reporter Shahan Ramkissoon to America who is currently in New Jersey, America, to file stories about Whitney Houston who's public funeral is expected to take place this coming weekend.

The usually snappy dresser filed some of his story today from inside a rental vehicle, in East Orange, with stubble and a shemagh scarf.

In today's story on the eNews Channel Shahan Ramkissoon visited and interviewed neighbours (who seemed reluctant to talk) living opposite Whitney Houston's childhood home, and went to a bakery, the Supreme Bakery where she often went to.

I asked the eNews Channel as to why Shahan Ramkissoon was sent and how long he will be staying in America, with the channel telling me that he was actually already there on holiday and quickly roped in to assist with additional Whitney Houston news coverage.

''Shahan Ramkissoon will stay in New York and New Jersey until the weekend. He's looking at Whitney Houston's life and rise to fame – the colour pieces behind the story. The news desk is covering the hard news angles via international news agencies.''

''It was a collective editors' decision to keep Shahan in New York - he was already there on holiday - when the eNews Channel heard of her death,'' the news channel tells me.