Uveka Rangappa exits eNCA after 8 years as anchor.

by Thinus Ferreira

Uveka Rangappa is the next high-profile on-air talent exit at eNCA (DStv 403) with the anchor who is gone from the eMedia TV news channel after 8 years.

There's been no announcement or statement from eNCA to the media about Uveka Rangappa's exit.

Uveka Rangappa has joined SRN Media that sells radio adverts, as programming and content manager.

Although Uveka Rangappa mostly anchored during mornings, over the course of 8 years she was moved to various different timeslots, including nightly primetime for a period, and then back to the mornings.

In August eNCA viewers have been wondering about the on-screen absence of on-air talent like Uveka Rangappa, Jane Dutton and Omar Essack.

In transition, TV news channel eNCA promises a personalised news presentation experience with its latest schedule revamp, including Uveka Rangappa anchoring premium prime time.

Facing added competition in the local TV news channel field, eNCA (DStv 403) will today announce a revamped schedule that will come into effect from Monday 29 July - together with a new look - that promises a more personalised news presentation for viewers.

The latest eNCA schedule change will include some big anchor moves being implemented just a year after the channel's last schedule change, including moving morning maven Uveka Rangappa to the evening as eNCA's new prime time star.

With added competition coming from Newzroom Afrika (DStv 405) that has joined SABC News (DStv 404) as the triptych of TV news channels on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service, the eMedia Investments' news channel is changing its schedule a year after the 10-year old channel revamped its offering in July 2018.

eNCA will be moving Uveka Rangappa from the mornings to its most valuable prime time berth as part of the channel's most dramatic schedule shake-up as it does away with NewsNight after a decade and the timeslot getting rebranded as South Africa Tonight.

eNCA will also become the first South African TV news channel to rebrand various daypart programming blocks to new names and now linked to anchor name brands - similar to talk radio and what the trend has been in American TV news the past few years.

A physical relocation to a new Johannesburg news headquarters from the current office and studio complex in Hyde Park is being planned as well but the transition to the new news broadcasting hub won't happen in conjunction with the roll-out of the new eNCA schedule coming this Monday.

The new eNCA schedule will however be accompanied by a new look.

From 29 July Morning News Today on eNCA between 06:00 and 09:00 with Dan Moyane and Uveka Uveka Rangappa will be broken up into three different dayparts that will have a subtle tempo difference as the day moves along.

The eNCA live broadcast day will now start with First Take with Xoli Mngambi between 06:00 and 07:00, adding Jane Dutton whose prime time show was axed last month joining Xoli Mngambi from 7:00 to 8:00, and Jane Dutton anchoring solo between 8:00 to 09:00.

First Take with Xoli Mngambi will be a fast-paced hourlong show bringing viewers up to speed with overnight news and looking ahead to the day's expected news events.

South African Morning with Xoli Mngambi and Jane Dutton will look at the day's top stories and include some interviews and live crossings, while The Jane Dutton Hour at 8:00 will blend hard news and lifestyle interviews with Jane on occasion anchoring from the field.

eNCA is taking its cue from American morning shows, notably NBC's multi-hour Today Show, that starts off giving viewers the news during the early hours and transitioning to a softer news style blend including more interviews and talk as the day transitions into mid-morning.

eNCA Now between 09:00 and 13:00 is getting rebranded as Today with Dan Moyane between 09:00 and 11:00 with the morning anchor who will now present on his own and from a bit later than his usual extremely early rise. This timeslot will include live crossings to news events, analysis and interviews.


The rundown on eNCA afternoons
The Rundown will be on eNCA between 11:00 and 13:00, anchored by Michelle Craig, with eNCA Lunchtime between 13:00 and 14:00 becoming Live at Lunchtime anchored by eNCA editor-in-chief, Jeremy Maggs.

This daypart will be an "express mid-point daily update, including a dedicated business segment".

eNCA Now that ran between 14:00 and 17:00 is revamped as Upfront with Marcelle Gordon between 14:00 to 16:00, followed by Newshour anchored by Faith Mangope between 16:00 and 17:00.

Shahan Ramkissoon stays put at 17:00 but eNCA Live at Five is rebranded as The Lead with Shahan Ramkissoon where the anchor will do a consolidated and rapid-fire news bulletin.


eNCA's new news at night
It's the end of NewsNight at 18:00 with the biggest change on the eNCA schedule being Uveka Rangappa's day-night change to become the channel's new premium prime time anchor of South Africa Tonight between 18:00 and 20:00.

Uveka Rangappa will now duke it out against her former eNCA colleagues, now ratings rivals, during the exact same timeslot with Cathy Mohlahlana anchoring Newz@Prime on Newzroom Afrika, and Francis Herd anchoring Full View on SABC News.

The move also places a trio of women across all three local South African TV news channels at the forefront of delivering prime time television news in the country.

South Africa Tonight will include high-profile interviews and perspective on the day's big news events.

eNCA Now at 20:00 is rebranded as eNCA Nightline anchored by Vuyo Mvoko. This daypart will recap the day's news and include some panel discussions and longer interviews after most of the day's news is now known.

"The changes come after extensive audience research," says Jeremy Maggs, eNCA editor-in-chief. 

"We are matching our talented line-up to key hours in the day. This, accompanied by a new station look will give our audience the fast-paced product they have become accustomed to, entrenching our position as the country's most-watched news channel."

TV news channel eNCA goes on the road with the eNCA Election Bus doing pre-election coverage from small-town South Africa with anchors Xoli Mgambi and Uveka Rangappa.

On Tuesday eNCA (DStv 403) took the bus with the South African TV news channel starting a cross-country broadcast roadtrip with a hired eNCA Election Bus to do pre-election coverage from small-town South Africa.

The eNCA Election Buss departed from Johannesburg on Tuesday 9 April and will slowly be making its way to Cape Town with eNCA Now anchor Xoli Mgambi.

From Tuesday 23 April, Uveka Rangappa, the eNCA Morning News Today anchor will carry on the eNCA Election Bus journey from Cape Town on a further not-yet-disclosed route through South Africa before the country's upcoming general elections on 9 May.

eNCA says its eNCA Election Bus 2019 branded with its slogan "The Moment of Truth" will be hitting the road and stopping in small towns and major centres in all of South Africa's provinces "to find out what South Africans really feel about the state of our democracy".

The eNCA bus will "travel highways and byways to seek out the uncomfortable views, give voice to the heartbreak of broken promises but also hear great ideas and stories of triumph".

eNCA will broadcast daily updates on eNCA and on the eNCA website.

TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read from TVwithThinus - 13 February 2019.

Here's the latest news about TV that I read and that you should read too:

■ Communication minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams should try to help the SABC instead of censoring and undermining it.
The arrogant Stella has decided that she has the power to tell SABC journalists what they can and can't do.
■ Stella should be fired if the ANC is serious about democracy and freedom.

■ Auditor-General in Sierra Leone warns that members of the Sierra Leone Electricity and Water Regulatory Commission (SLEWRC) who got DStv for free for a year will have to pay the "fringe benefit" back out of their own salaries.

■ The BBC is fighting to try and prevent Netflix from poaching Sir David Attenborough.

■ "Everyone walks on eggshells around the NFL".
Surprise. You can't say too bad things about the sport you're covering. The relationship between American broadcast networks and ESPN, and its National Football League (NFL) echoes the relationship between SuperSport and South African Rugby.

■ In America the show Running with Bear Grylls seen on Discovery Channel (DStv 121) in South Africa and Africa, is moving to competitor National Geographic (DStv 181 / StarSat 220 / Cell C black 262).

■ Netflix. Showmax. Are video streaming shows really successful. Who knows?
Their refusal to release any real viewership figures makes it impossible to measure the true success.

■ Al Jazeera (DStv 406 / StarSat 257 / Cell C black 503) adds Bloomberg news content.

■ The March 2019 issue of Woman & Home SA covers South African TV newsers, SABC News' Francis Herd, eNCA's (DStv 403) Uveka Rangappa and M-Net's (DStv 101) Claire Mawisa of Carte Blanche.

■ Chef Nompumelelo Mqwebu claims contestants from My Kitchen Rules SA on M-Net (DStv 101) stole 2 recipes from her cookbook and that she demonstrated, that then in turn led to judge David Higgs be inspired to do a version in his book, Mile 8.

■ Where is Australia's "prestige" television?


■ Africa and Africans still grossly underrepresented in American television.
South Africa is one of just 5 African countries accounting for 49% of all mentions in American TV programming.


■ Sky's Property TV channel, the only one in the United Kingdom, is bankrupt.

■ Clueless and uninformed Nigerian complaining about pay-TV services like MultiChoice Nigeria and StarTimes Nigeria. Again.

■ Former M-Net commissioning editor Allison Triegaardt now of The Televisionaries discovered Netflix in December.
"In South Africa, people are saying that there isn't enough opportunity. But there's a move towards ad-funded productions now."

■ Netflix or Sex? New survey finds Americans would give up Sex for Netflix.

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.

BREAKING. eNCA going with 'gavel-to-gavel' live Oscar Pistorius murder trial coverage on television; doing a special Sunday preview.

eNCA (DStv 403) plans to broadcast "gavel-to-gavel" live coverage of the Oscar Pistorius murder trial for viewers whenever its allowed in the courtroom, and will have comprehensive reporting with nightly TV specials of the day's events between 19:00 and 20:00, repeated at 22:00.

ANN7 (DStv 405) did not announce Oscar Pistorius court trial coverage plans on television, but besides eNCA, MultiChoice will run a dedicated, 24-hour Oscar Pistorius trial TV channel on DStv on channel 199, and the Sabido-owned Platco Digital will also run its own dedicated, 24-hour Oscar Pistorius trial TV channel on OpenView HD (OVHD) on channel 119.

eNCA says the South African TV news channel will have an hour long Oscar Pretorius murder trial preview show on Sunday night at 18:00 as it gears up for covering "one of the biggest news stories of the year".

From Monday 3 March eNCA will broadcast live courtroom coverage and ongoing expert analysis and interpretation from a special vantage point outside the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.

eNCA will use its specialist court reporter Karyn Maughan who has covered the story right from that shocking day last year on Valentine's Day when Oscar Pretorius shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

eNCA's team of reporters who will also cover the unfolding court room and news proceedings include Annika Larson, Phakamile Hlubi, Uveka Rangappa, Cathy Mohlahlana, Jeremy Maggs, Iman Rappetti and Gareth Edwards who will field anchor from outside the Pretoria court room.

"Everyone will be covering the Oscar Pistorius trial," says Patrick Conroy, eNCA's group head of news.

"The difference will be the quality of reporting, accuracy and insights into what is going on. We have specialist reporters to do this. We will also provide consistent updates on Twitter and our website enca.com".

"While the Oscar Pistorius trial is undoubtedly one of the biggest stories of the year, we will make sure our viewers also get regular updates on all other important news stories," says Mapi Mhlangu, eNCA news director.