BABY WATCH. SABC News goes entertainment tabloid as SABC3 newsreaders Vabakshnee! Simon! Nompu! share their baby photos.

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SABC3's news bulletin on Friday, the SABC's main flagship television news broadcast of the public broadcaster, turned shamelessly entertainment tabloid at the tail end of Friday night's broadcast when the SABC news readers Vabakshnee Chetty, Simon Burke and Nompu Siziba all shared their own baby photos when they were small and speculated about princess Kate Middleton's baby.

After an end run story about the pending birth of the British royal baby of William and Kate, the SABC News suddenly didn't just turn tabloid but turned inward on itself when itself became the news.

Vabakshnee Chetty showed and shared photos with viewers in quick succession of business news reader Nomphu Siziba as a baby (complete with leopard print surface), business news reader Simon Burke (as a precocious baby with a bottle and as a little boy), and then of herself sitting next to an old TV set (Vabakshee Chetty was clearly always destined to end up in television!).

"I don't know who that kid is," remarked Simon Burke dryly when his baby photos popped up on the massive video wall behind them.

"Aw. Look at you! So sweet!" he exclaimed when Vabakshnee Chetty's photo was shown.

"This is sooo embarrassing. Mortifying indeed. I wish baby watch would come to an end because that is too much," he said.

"But there is so many questions about the royal baby," said Vabakshnee Chetty excitedly, now launching into full-on E! Entertainment E! News mode - signaling the start of the rampant speculative statements, half-truths and fluff filler which are all so often disguised as questions, and which are so endemic to unverified and gossipy entertainment news reportage.

"Will the royal baby be ginger like Uncle Harry? Will the royal baby have green eyes? Will it have blue eyes like William?" asked Vabakshnee Chetty.

"And Kate is the first commoner to marry into the royal family in something like, 17th centuries," Vabakshnee Chetty told the nation.

"The ginger hair just bring up soo many questions," Simon Burke chimed in. "So many unanswered questions..."

"Oh, stop Simon!" chastized Nompu Siziba pegged seemingly unconfortably in-between Simon Burke and Vabakshnee Chetty,behind the SABC news anchor desk and unable to escape the baby banter.

"Isn't there some guy ... Admiral..." continued Simon Burke.

"Why is my picture still on the screen?" he asked.

"Because you're the cutest one," said Vabakshnee Chetty.

Neither Giuliana Rancic nor Lalla Hirayama couldn't have done it better.

BREAKING. Try this: SABC News and the SABC surprise with South African television's first ever tri-anchor news team format.

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Try this out for size: In a try worthy of game upmanship over the eNCA (DStv 403) and its flagship news bulletin News Night with Jeremy Maggs and Iman Rappetti as dual co-anchors (now down to just Jeremy Maggs as Iman Rappetti is on study leave abroad), the SABC and SABC Television News surprised by unveiling South African television, South African television news, and the SABC's, first ever tri-anchor news format this evening.

The SABC News, the new name for the News @ 7 on SABC3 which now will start at 18:30 on weekdays and be an hour long broadcast - news TV with Thinus broke last month, revealed three news anchors seated simultaneously behind the anchor desk - covering main news, business news and sport on a daily basis.

Besides the new tri-anchor news team, the news bulletin also has a brand-new opening sequence, and also has a brand new, gleaming, space-age set with a massive mosaic video wall.

"The show will be an hour long, with updates from news, business and sport and that's where my co-anchors come into the fray. Tumi Buys will be on the business desk with Simon Burke on sport. Hello guys, exciting times lie ahead," said anchor Vabakshnee Chetty.

"I must say, 'Great to be here.' I will bring you the latest in business and economic news and I look forward to tonight's bulletin," said Tumi Buys.

"We've got a world-class playing surface, this amazing studio, there's plenty of space. We're going to use it to its full potential. We've got a dedicated team of reporters, speaking to the people, getting the questions answered. It's very exciting times," said Simon Burke, referring to the new SABC News set.

"We do have a world-class studio that we're broadcasting from, and we will be bringing you the latest in terms of business, sport, econ and weather and we will bring the people into the studio - the newsmakers - and ask them the questions you want answered," said Vabakshnee Chetty.

Zinhle Tshabalala was introduced as the new primetime news "weather girl", the new meteorologist who viewers will be seeing on the SABC News on SABC3 from now on.


ALSO READ: Brand-new opening sequence for SABC News and the SABC's flagship TV news bulletin on SABC3.
ALSO READ: SABC News reveals a gleaming, brand-new space-age set; giant mosaic video wall; and a new opening sequence.