Comedy Central moves Gareth Cliff's radio show timeslot after a month to try and lift audience numbers.

A month after it launched, Comedy Central (DStv 122) is moving the timeslot of the TV simulcast of the Gareth Cliff Show to a new timeslot to try and lift audience numbers, with the show which will move to a new starting time of 06:00 from 4 June from the current 07:35.

The Gareth Cliff Show started as a new internet radio show at the beginning of May, broadcast from 07:35 to 08:50 on Comedy Central which has cameras to capture video of the voices in the sound studio.

Comedy Central says the timeslot change of The Gareth Cliff Show after a month is due to viewers' requests for an earlier timeslot.

The channel declined to mention viewership figures which were requested in a media enquiry, but listenership is lower than the large listenership Gareth Cliff commanded at the SABC's 5FM radio station where he abruptly severed ties in May to start his new internet radio venture.

The earlier timeslot move is to try and capture working professionals before they leave the house for work on weekdays.

"We are confident that it will do even better in the new earlier timeslot, allowing viewers to watch it at leisure as they get ready for work in the mornings," says Evert van der Veer, the head of Comedy Central Africa on DStv, a channel run by Viacom Media Networks International Africa (VIMN Africa), in response to a media enquiry.

"With the earlier timeslot, the audience can now join us right from the start of the show when they are getting ready for work," says Gareth Cliff.

Gareth Cliff bites the hand that fed him; tries to burn his orange SABC access card on the first day of The Gareth Cliff Show.

Gareth Cliff bit the hand that fed him for 10 years, trying to burn his SABC access card with a lighter on his first new internet radio show The Gareth Cliff Show, the studio video of which is also on a simulcast broadcast on Comedy Central (DStv 122).

On Thursday morning Gareth Cliff took open flame to his orange SABC access card (which interestingly is and remains the property of the SABC), declaring: "I just want to say, with peace and love, my time at the SABC is over".

The plastic card didn't want to burn. "I don't think we're going to get this thing lit," said Gareth Cliff. "I'm giving up on that. It's not going to work".

Gareth Cliff abruptly left the SABC's 5FM radio station after a decade on 31 March for the new internet radio station venture CliffCentral with its studio in Rivonia, which listeners can hear online and on wechat and which is also broadcast on television on Comedy Central on DStv.

Listening to the internet radio show for its 3 hours per day for a month, will use 900MB of internet data per month.

"Because we're on Comedy Central, this is going to be easier for us to get material from all their shows, like South Park and Jon Stewart and Tosh, Stephen Colbert - I think he's only on for a little while because he's taking over for Letterman soon," said Gareth Cliff.

"But we'll be able to use to use that material too, so we're going to have a whole lot of stuff".

BREAKING. First look at The Gareth Cliff Show on M-Net and other show scoop!

You're reading it here first. This is the very first look at The Gareth Cliff Show that kicks off on Thursday at 20:00 on M-Net and I can give you photos first!

Some more scoop: The topic of the very first episode of Gareth's new TV talk show is: ''Heritage day'' and the studio guests are the ones that you see in the photo above (yes, it's funnyman Trevor Noah far right).

Here's some super insider scoop:
*The set was designed by Michael Gill, also responsible for the All Access set, as well as e.tv's new lobby.

*I've counted the audience seating while I attended the recording of the first episode on Monday night, and it will have 73 people, neatly arranged in a concentric seating design over 5 towering rows of chairs.

*Gareth will make his first appearance dressed in a white shirt, black jacket, blue jean and brown belt.

*The show will incorporate an interactive element - audience members get the chance to vote on interactive ''eggs'', and viewers at home will be able to vote as well.

*The show is filmed with 3 floor cameras, 1 crane camera and 1 steadycam.

*''The show is about what's happening in the world,'' says Gareth Cliff. ''This is a funny, light, cool, South African show.''

BREAKING. Your first look and info on M-Net's The Gareth Cliff Show

You're seeing it here first. Is this the logo of The Gareth Cliff Show that starts on Wednesday at 20:00 on M-Net?

This is Gareth Cliff's personal logo which is what his self-titled, weekly half hour TV talk show could go with - although M-Net might still tweak it slightly, the broadcaster tells me.

Gareth's talk show will be recorded to days in advance, and the first episode for this Wednesday will be recorded on Monday night at Studio 6 at M-Net's production studios in Randburg.

The first topic of discussion is STILL A BIT SECRET, but I will hopefully be able to tell you first early next week.

Cliffhanger

I didn't want to spoil the exclusive interview M-Net gave to Lara de Matos in Tonight today, which is actually an announcement that 5FM jock Gareth Cliff is getting his own talk show on the pay channel - hence my blind item (below) of yesterday:

''Cliffnote: Which channel is set to announce tomorrow (Thursday), in which local newspaper in the morning (although it's tonight), a new show fronted by a local radio personality who will now be doing double duty soon? Going hopefully more successfully where Paul Viv and Kgomotso Matsunyane and Phat Joe have gone before.''

Of course now I can spill the beans of what I've known for MONTHS already, that The Gareth Cliff Show will start on M-Net on Wednesday, 23 September at 20:00 - a difficult TV genre I don't South Africa has really cracked yet. Why does Gareth think he'll be successful? As he says to Tonight, referencing the same late night talk folk i included in my item:

''"Yes, there have been a lot of these local talk-type programmes, but they just haven't worked - A, because we don't see them through and B, because people don't really know who Paul Viv or Kgomotso Matsunyane are, before they suddenly appear on television.''

M-Net should be sending out an official press release sometime during the afternoon.