Tropika drops it like its hot: Tropika done as sponsor of the advertiser-funded production Tropika Island of Treasure on SABC1.

Clover's Tropika brand is done with the advertiser-funded production (AFP) and reality show Tropika Island of Treasure.

Tropika Island of Treasure 5: Jamaica is currently being broadcast with the dead Reeva Steenkamp as a contestant who was shot dead in the head by her boyfriend, the paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius.

Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead and died a violent death three days before the advertiser-funded show was to start on South African television; SABC1 and the production company Stimulii decided to go ahead and show the programme.

On the day of the first episode of Tropika Island of Treasure 5: Jamaica on SABC1, Tropika gleefully tweeted about a "killer deal": 100 cases of Tropika today".

Tropika and the show received global exposure since February as news channels and news programmes across the world clamoured for clips from Tropika Island of Treasure 5: Jamaica as part of its reporting on the tragic Oscar Pistorius shooting death case.

The AFP jumped from e.tv to SABC1 for the current season. Tropika will no longer be a sponsor when the next season of the on-air marketing activation rolls around. The 6th season will take place in the Seychelles but Tropika's sponsorship is ending with the current season.

Neither Clover and Tropika, nor SABC1, nor the production company gave any reasons for the end of the sponsorship in a press statement, only saying that "the next season of Island of Treasure will see a new sponsor which will undoubtedly bring about a few exciting new changes to the format".

"Viewers should look forward to an even more entertaining season," says Vukile Madlala, SABC1 publicity manager in the statement.

Samantha Moon, Stimulii CEO says in the statement "Island of Treasure will continue to bring the hottest, quality entertainment to SA screens".

BREAKING. SABC1 refuses to pull Tropika Island of Treasure 5 from the schedule following the violent death of contestant Reeva Steenkamp.

SABC1 refuses to pull the reality show Tropika Island of Treasure 5 from it schedule which is set to start on Saturday 16 February just two days after the violent death this morning of the model and reality contestant Reeva Steenkamp.

The SABC says the first episode of Tropika Island of Treasure 5 set in Jamaica will go ahead on Saturday as scheduled.

Reeva Steen-kamp was Oscar Pistorius' girlfriend and she was allegedly shot by him in the head at his home in Silwer Woods Estate during the early hours of this morning.

The police is investigating a case of murder and is also opposing the bail application of the Olympic and paralympic athlete.

Kaizer Kganyago, the SABC's corporate spokesperson tells me that Tropika Island of Treasure 5 produced by Stimulii as an advertiser-funded production for the channel will proceed and that the first episode will be shown on Saturday on SABC1.

That comes as M-Net and DStv has immediately pulled all  Oscar Pistorius TV ads and promos and will remove all billboards as soon as possible.

"As SABC1 we are deeply saddened by the tragic turn of events involving one of the players on our show, Tropika Island of Treasure 5," says Vukile Madlala, SABC1 publicity manager.

"Our thoughts and prayers during these trying times are with the family and friends of the dearly departed Reeva Steenkamp."

Broadcasters, advertisers and companies usually pull shows and adverts in the wake of real-life deaths of actors or people in productions out of sensitivity for the people involved, as well as viewers who might react negatively.

News channels worldwide including the eNCA in South Africa went into overdrive this morning reporting the news.

SABC1 starts new educational morning show, Geleza Nathi; will visit various South African high schools.

SABC1 is starting a new educational morning show through its SABC Education division, Geleza Nathi which will run on weekdays starting from Monday 11 February with late night repeats.

Geleza Nathi is produced by Ya-Yebo-Yes for SABC1.

In Geleza Nathi South African teachers will discuss core South African education curriculum concepts across 6 subjects for grade 10 to grade 12 learners to help them with the work required for examinations at the end of the school year.

Geleza Nathi will be broadcast weekdays between 05:00 and 06:00 with repeats beteen 23:00 and midnight on weekdays.

"Geleza Nathi will also go on a whirlwind national tour, visiting various high schools across all nine provinces," says Vukile Madlala, SABC1's publicity manager.

"Each day a different school is featured and our young, funky presenters Amanda Manku and Nonhlanhla Ntuli will get the scoop on what's happening at various schools and communities countrywide."

More daring stories around sex and relationships in second season of Intersextions starting on SABC1 on 12 February at 20:30.

The second season of Intersextions will start on Tuesday 12 February at 20:30 on SABC1 for another 26 episodes, with the drama show revolving around sex, love and relationships which will keep with its first season format of interlinked episodes.

The show, a partnership between SABC1, SABC Education and Johns Hopkins Health and Education in South Africa (JHHESA), is produced by Quizzical Pictures and AntS Multimedia.

"We are confident that the new talent will breathe new energy into the series," says Harriet Gavshon of Quizzical Pictures. The second season of Intersextions will have over 100 new actors.

"What is extraordinary about Intersextions is that we try to use it as a platform to develop new talent on every level. Many of the episode directors are first time directors and the writing team and cast is full of new and fresh faces," says Rolie Nikiwe, Intersextions creative director.

"The programme will continue to drum home the overarching message of responsible sexual behaviour, HIV testing and TB screening, condom use and reduction of multiple partners," says Pontsho Makheta, SABC content general manager.

"Viewers can expect a more daring script that the first series as we have gone back and consulted widely," says Richard Delate, the managing director of JHHESA. He says the second season of Intersextions will feature storylines that "are gripping yet real in bringing to the fore society's unspoken issues on relationships."

"As a channel we are thrilled to bring our viewers the second season of this popular cutting-edge drama," says Vukile Madlala, SABC1's publicity manager. "Viewers should look forward to more authentic, insightful and thought-provoking South African stories," she says.

All You Need Is ... Professionalism as SABC1 and Endemol South Africa replace Sisanda Henna with the kwaito star Tshepo Mosese.

SABC1 and Endemol South Africa which has unprofessionally dumped the All You Need is Love presenter Sisanda Henna after 3 episodes since reviving the tired and basically cancelled format show for a new fifth season, has now replaced him with Tshepo Mosese who is also known as the kwaito star Howza.

In an embarrassing turn of events, SABC1 and Endemol SA fired Sisanda Henna after he already appeared on-screen and without making sure that before the new All You Need is Love started, that they had the "right" person they wanted. Now Tshepo Mosese is suddenly taking over and will make his first appearance on Tuesday 19 June on SABC1.

SABC1 says All You Need is Love which basically disappeared in 2007, "requires a strong personality" - which by implication means that SABC1 is not of the opinion that Sisanda Henna has or had a personality strong enough for All You Need is Love.

Vukile Madlala, SABC1's head of publicity, says Tshepo Mosese "resonates well" with SABC1 viewers. "We believe the viewers will be very pleased with Howza," says Endemol SA, without going into any detail or explanations as to why Sisanda Henna was blatantly dismissed from the show after production on the new fifth season started.

It's not the first time All You Need Is Love became All You Need Is a New Presenter. Hlomla Dandala was the first presenter of the dating reality show who got fired after the end of the first season. Zwai Bala took over for the second season after Tumisho Masha who was offered the job first, refused it out of friendship with Hlomla Dandala which Endemol SA producers were clueless about.

Zwai Bala made way for Tshepo Mabona in the third season of All You Need Is Love. In the fourth season Aubrey Poo suddenly became the presenter. Vanessa Jansen who appeared in the first four season as a co-presenter is also not part of the fifth season.

BREAKING. SABC1 publicity manager denies the channel wanted to move soap to SABC3, despite her channel head Leo Manne who said so.

It's seems that at SABC1, executives are out of touch and not all on the same page, with the channel's spokesperson now calling it ''rumours'' when her very own channel head told the press earlier this year that SABC1 plans to move The Bold and the Beautiful to SABC3 - a plan the SABC eventually didn't get to because the broadcaster ran out of time.

TV with Thinus broke the news in April that SABC1 planned to move The Bold and the Beautiful to SABC3 and into Isidingo's timeslot of 18:30.

SABC1's channel head, Leo Manne, told advertisers, media buyers and the press about this plan in April himself. Then last month RIGHT HERE I wrote that the plan has been scrapped because different SABC divisions took too long to actually plan the move carefully.

Lefa Afrika, SABC3 programming manager, told TV with Thinus in September about the move of The Bold and the Beautiful: ''No, no. Not happening anymore.''

Now SABC1's publicity manager, Vukile Madlala, seems either clueless about this, or is deflecting. Tonight quotes Vukile Madlala now denying that there was a plan to move The Bold and the Beautiful from SABC1 to SABC3 - despite her own SABC1 channel head Leo Manne who told the press about the plan.

''The rumours are completely untrue. The Bold and the Beautiful is one of our big investments and our audience appreciates it,'' Vukile Madlala is quoted by Tonight.

BREAKING. The Bold and the Beautiful's move from SABC1 to SABC3 off for now; didn't work fast enough to find a replacement.

The SABC's plan to move the soap The Bold and the Beautiful from SABC1 to SABC3 as I first reported RIGHT HERE in April has been partly postponed, partly scrapped.

TV with Thinus can report that the SABC didn't take into account, and didn't work hard enough in time, for the somewhat intricate and complex procedure of repositioning the weekday soap, with the plan that has now lost some impetus. ''It's not completely off the table but not enough people gave the plan attention soon enough and consistently. And with all the other things going on here the Bold move somewhat fell to the wayside,'' an insider dishes.

The original plan as hatched by the SABC earlier this year, was to move The Bold and the Beautiful from SABC1 to SABC3 by October or around the end of the year to somewhat - if not exactly - co-incide with the relaunch of SABC3 happening in October. The plan was for specially re-edited episodes of Bold being broadcast as well - cutting out ''unnecessary scenes'' and thereby catching up with where the show is in America and moving closer to the American broadcasting date of the soap.

''Everybody left the nitty-gritty for everybody else. So nobody really sat and worked out exactly how it will need to work and exactly what it will entail and exactly what is needed and to only then proceed step-by-step and do the logistics,'' whispers an insider.

The rationale to move The Bold and the Beautiful from SABC1 to SABC3 - the business economics and viewership data supporting the move - are all still legitimate and still there. Viewership of The Bold and the Beautiful has fallen dramatically on SABC1 since the heydey of the soap in the 1990's. SABC1 wants and needs a bigger tentpole to anchor the weekday early primetime line-up.

In addition, the soap's aspirational values are move aligned with the viewer values of the SABC3 target audience, according to SABC executives. SABC3 also already introduced the Bold repeat slot on weekends a few years ago, paving the way for the switch.

''Bold simply fits better on [SABC]3 now,'' says another source. ''The problem is that SABC1 didn't work fast enough on finding an adequate replacement for Bold. The soap can't move and just leave a hole. So basically Bold will at least move to 18:30 from October which is its intended timeslot, just not yet on the right channel.''

Whether The Bold and the Beautiful will or might still move, not even SABC insiders know with 100% certainty. ''It's not that the door is closed. For now Bold is staying on SABC1. But who knows, it could suddenly be on the cards again.''

''SABC1 will retain Bold,'' is all that Vukile Madlala, SABC1 publicity manager is willing to say, when asked for how long The Bold and the Beautiful will still remain with SABC1 and when it might be moving to SABC3.

ALSO READ: The Bold and the Beautiful moving from SABC1 to SABC3 from October; episodes to follow closer to America.

TOLDJA! SABC1 announces a reloaded schedule from October with Bold and local magazine shows swapping timeslots.

SABC1 just officially announced what TV with Thinus readers already knew, and found out exclusively almost a week ago already RIGHT HERE - that the SABC1 schedule is changing from October with The Bold and the Beautiful moving to 18:30 and all the local magazine shows moving to 18:00 - as well as other programming changes.

''Come October, SABC1 will introduce to its viewers a new schedule compliment that will see major changes affecting titles sitting in the 18:00 and 18:30 timeslots,'' says SABC1.

''These changes are part of the channel's Reloaded Campaign introduced in August 2010. Several of our shows which have already been affected by this exciting process of refreshing and revitalizing include the following: Live, RGB, Selimathunzi, Jam Alley, and Seskhona,'' says Vukile Madlala, SABC1 publicity manager.

''It represents our commitment to remain competitive in this ever-changing television landscape, says Vukile Madlala. ''Our focus is at ensuring that the brand maintains its position as the torch-bearer and trend-setter.''

The Bold and the Beautiful will move to 18:30 from the first week of October. Dance Your Butt Off - exactly as I said would happen - is moving to Saturdays at 17:30 on SABC1 from October. As I broke the news, the celebrity magazine show RGB will move to Tuesdays at 19:00. Mzansi Insider, Selimathunzi, Seskhona and Jam Alley will all go out on weekdays at 18:00.

SABC1 variety show Selimathunzi looking for a new male presenter to replace Kaos Matu; will hold nationwide open auditions.

SABC1's long-running variety show Selimathunzi is looking for a new TV presenter and doing a nationwide open castingcall to find a replacement for Kaos Matu who's leaving the youth centered show after more than a decade.

Vukile Madlala, SABC1 publicity manager says the goal of the Selimathunzi Presenter Search is to ''fully reload and refresh this popular variety show on the one hand and SABC1's commitment to continue and unearth and to showcase fresh youthful talent.''

The Selimathunzi Presenter Search will kick off on Saturday, 12 March in Gauteng and any men between 21 and 25 who are Nguni speaking can enter. The winner have to be prepared to move to Johannesburg if chosen where Selimathunzi is recorded. The winner should be able to ''travel and interview the young and old and be able to tell Mzansi stories in a way that our audiences will enjoy''.

The Selimathunzi Presenter Search (no venues details are available yet) will take place on Saturday 12 March in Johannesburg, Thursday 17 March in Bloemfontein, Saturday 19 March in Durban, Thursday 24 March in Port Elizabeth and Saturday 26 March: Cape Town. A panel of judges from SABC1, the production industry and ''celebrities'' will attend regional auditions. Five finalists will be chosen to go to the next stage where viewers will get to vote for their favourite.

Mzansi Insider restarts on SABC1 with new twin presenters Hlelo and Ntando Masina.

SABC1 restarts its lifestyle show Mzansi Insider tonight at 18:30 with the new presenters and twins Hlelo Masina and Ntando Masina and Phil Mazibuko, the former Live presenter.

Mzansi Insider will incorporate more Twitter and Facebook faceback as part of the social media interactivity component that the show wants to grow. ''Ou viewers will be able to partake in the show as content generators,'' says Vukile Madlala, SABC1 publicity manager.