TRANSFIGURATIONS. SABC weather reports have one unique competitive advantage: weather presenters can appear out of thin air.

The SABC which struggles to compete with the eNCA (DStv 403) when it comes to weather report presentation has found one thing it can do which the eNCA seems unwilling to try - the use of what appears to be dark magic to make a weather presenter appear out of nowhere on the screen.

It's anyone's guess as to what South African viewers are making of the SABC which has a weather presenter not walk from the side onto the weather map, but apparate like a graduate from Hogwarts into the screen, defying years of international weather presentation convention.

Where does this incredible "beaming in" powers come from? Hlaudi Motsoeneng?

And more importantly: If viewers see the visual reality of a very real presenter being manipulated through green screen and control room technology, does that enhance or detract the viewer's perception of the credibility and authenticity of the other weather related visual information being presented on the SABC's weather maps like temperatures - or are those also played with?

SABC's weather system 'no longer capable of supporting the weather production and play-out operation'; SABC looking at new system.

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The SABC is admitting that it's current weather system "is no longer capable of supporting the weather production and play-out operation" and that the South African public broadcaster is looking to implement a new weather and broadcast system to modernise and improve the look of the SABC's televised weather reports.

The SABC's outdated weather system can't compete with rivals anymore such as e.tv's slick interactive weather wall or DStv's Weather channel (DStv 415).

"The SABC is looking to implement a new weather production and broadcast system that will provide a modern look and feel to the SABC's weather slots on television," says the SABC.

"When taking into account the 12 daily weather slots during the week and 8 daily slots over the weekends, and the involvement of the 30 weather presenters to cover the various languages, the current weather system is clearly not capable of supporting the weather production and play-out operation. Future needs will demand more infrastructure," says the SABC.

The South African public broadcaster's plan is now to try and have the four studio play-out weather systems each installed in the studio equipment room with capable extenders to the control room areas of studios 9, 10, 11 and 12 at the SABC.