BREAKING. The Mzansi Magic TV channel will reside on channel 107 on DStv when the new South African TV channel starts in July.

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The new Mzansi Magic TV channel will start in July (read about Mzansi Magic RIGHT HERE). Although the channel themselves might be clueless about the actual channel number that Mzansi Magic will have on DStv - ''it's not been determined yet'' is the official answer from Mzansi Magic that I've been given - I can tell you that viewers with DStv Premium, DStv Compact and DStv Select will be able to find Mzansi Magic on channel 107 on DStv from July 12.

On the DStv EPG iPlate channel 107 is already ''live'' with the message ''107 FUT'' as a ''future channel'' that will start to broadcast soon.

BREAKING. SABC3 surprises (even me!) with The A List, a new local celeb magazine show that will hunt for access to footballers' wives.

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Well. Not even I knew about this one, which takes some doing. Completely out of the blue SABC3 just announced a brand-new local celebrity weekly magazine show, The A List that will start next Thursday, 3 June at 20:31 on SACB3 with presenter Sinazo Pelisa Yolwa. This new local production is blatantly going to try and cash in on all the football action coming South Africa's way. The A List will unashamedly focus on the glam factor around the upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

The A List - according to SABC3 (and I'm still getting over my totally dazed look for being clueless about this TV production) will be ''a sexy, fast paced entertainment show which delves into the world of celebrities visiting our country''. I told you at the beginning of the month RIGHT HERE that SABC3 has no intention of bring Flash! back for a second season this year . SABC3  was obviously making plans to broadcast The A List that will have 13 weekly, half hour episodes.

SABC3 says The A List will be ''filled with the hottest celebrities, footballer's wives and girlfriends (the so-called''Wags''). Fashion, beauty and style are a priority. But it's not just the beauty and fashion that catches our attention,'' says the producers of The A List, ''we also give the hottest news around and front row seats to top events that are being hosted for the Crème de la Crème.'' The A List is quite blatant in who the show will be pursuing. ''The footballer's wife or girlfriend,'' says The A List, ''. . . it is she that we are after''.

I can tell you that The A List is being produced by the former Motswako host Carol Bouwer and will be done from Cape Town although it will cover the whole of South Africa.

TOLDJA. M-Net and MultiChoice launches new TV channel, Mzansi Magic aimed at black viewers; set to start broadcasting in July on DStv.

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On Thursday last week RIGHT HERE I told you about M-Net and MultiChoice getting ready to launch a brand-new TV channel called Mzansi Magic.They just made it official today with an announcement.

Mzansi Magic - aimed at black South African viewers - will be available on DStv Premium, DStv Compact and DStv Select from July 12. ''Mzansi Magic is set to showcase locally produced content with a strong entertainment focus,'' says Yolisa Phahle, Mzansi Magic channel director.

Mzansi Magic TV schedule will consist out of local and international movies, music specials, doccies and soaps. Mzansi Magic will also have interactive local talk shows and other new local programmes, says Lebone Maema, Mzansi Magic programme manager. ''With Mzansi Magic we want to engage producers and explore possibilities beyond traditional commissioning models,'' says Yolisa Phahle.

I did ask them but Mzansi Africa apparently doesn't have a DStv channel number assigned yet.

REVEALED! How the SABC's beautiful new high gloss set at the SABC Broadcast Centre will look for its World Cup 2010 TV coverage.

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I can not only show you these wonderful artist impressions and terrific set design schematics, but I can also tell you more about the SABC's massive and beautifully-designed new high gloss set at the SABC Broadcast Centre that will be used to cover the 2010 FIFA World Cup from mid-June.

The set that is currently being constructed at the SABC Broadcast Centre at the Sandton Convention Centre and designed by De Wet Meyer of JDM Unlimited for the SABC, is the beautiful centrepoint of the South African public broadcaster's upcoming World Cup coverage. This showcase multi-level set at the SABC Broadcast Centre will serve as the main TV studio for the SABC's World Cup coverage.

For more great images revealing the set design as well as information about it all, click on READ MORE below.

M-Net Series loses with Lost: Why the slow M-Net Series will have to get better quickly in the new Susan Boyle/YouTube instant-view world.

While the rest of the world watched the spectacular Lost finale together on Sunday, frustrated South African viewers are left in the cold by M-Net Series (DStv 110) who's completely lost it with Lost.

M-Net Series will only manage to get to the Lost finale by 23 August (see my story HERE) by which time the hype will be passe, the secret and the ending spoiled and known and the shared TV moment be long over and done with. In TV land, having to wait three months for what the world is collectively sharing in a Susan Boyle/YouTube world, is an eternity. Already I've heard from extremely disappointed and frustrated South African viewers of Lost and readers who are struggling and finding it very hard to stay clear of Lost finale conversations, spoilers and even the internet. ''The New York Times had a story about the Lost finale and people who don't want it spoiled and they almost spoiled it themselves for me today,'' a frustrated Lost viewer tells me.

''If M-Net can show the Emmys and Oscars and American Idol finale live, why can't their sister channel M-Net Series work in something special in their schedule to also show the finale - even if its out of sequence so that it don't get spoiled for us?'' another reader asked me. The Lost finale went out in 8 countries at the same time on Sunday (America, Canada, Britain, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Israel, and Turkey) and several more over the past 48 hours.

BREAKING. South Africa's first Idols winner, Heinz Winckler adds yet another titel: dad.

South Africa's first Idols winner, Heinz Winckler just added another title to his name . . . that of dad.

Heinz Winckler who shot to fame and eventually won the first season of Idols on M-Net in 2002, became a first-time dad when his wife Alette-Johanni Winckler gave birth to their son Lian Theo Winckler in Johannesburg.

Heinz Winckler, by far the most successful of the five Idols winners that the reality show has produced so far, has already released three studio albums and toured the world. He said he's ''very proud of my wife and boy. I helped with my first diaper today and saw my boy feed so well. Thanks for all the well wishes and support.''

BREAKING. Glee gets renewed for a 3rd season while the 2nd season of this phenomenal show hasn't even started yet.

The best show currently on television in my opinion, Glee, just got renewed for an amazing third season - while it just got renewed a short while ago for a second season which also hasn't even started in America yet.

Meanwhile the second half of the first season of Glee is simply brilliant and will be back on South African screens from Saturday, 5 June at 18:00 for the last nine episodes.

''In just one year, Glee has transcended the television landscape and emerged as a global pop culture phenomenon,'' said Peter Rice, the Fox Networks group entertainment chairman, in a statement about the show which is aired in several countries across the world and had the first half of its episodes beamed straight from Fox in America to M-Net instead of the delivery of broadcast tapes. ''We couldn't be more thrilled to give Gleeks a third season of their favorite show,'' says Kevin Reilly, Fox Entertainment president.

BREAKING. SABC board blasts Ben Ngubane's ''appointment'' of Phil Molefe, calling it ''null and void'' with ''no legal effect''.

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The SABC board has come out guns blazing against the foolhardy, unilateral, secretive and shortsighted ''appointment'' by the SABC board chairman dr. Ben Ngubane and the SABC's group CEO Solly Mokoetle of Phil Molefe as the SABC's new head of news last week, calling the purported appointment ''null and void with no legal effect''.

The SABC board - which is the body tasked and responsible for making the appointment for this crucial position at South Africa's public broadcaster - just issued a press statement clearly indicating that the board believes that dr. Ben Ngubane has severely overstepped his boundaries and has overreached in ordering Solly Mokoetle to ''appoint'' Phil Molefe. ''The SABC board believes that the trust and credibility that needs to be restored in the SABC must start with transparent and clear rules of corporate governance''.

The SABC board reveals that 10 out of the 12 SABC board members attended yesterday afternoon's emergency board meeting [''emergency'' is my word, they call it merely ''special'']. ''After deliberating for several hours yesterday afternoon and evening, the SABC board unanimously agreed that the appointment of Phil Molefe as chief executive of news and current affairs was not legal''. The SABC board has now decided that the process of assessing candidates - which has not yet been concluded, must continue. ''The SABC board regrets any embarrassment to any of the candidates for the position,'' says the statement. ''The SABC board stands by its commitment when taking office in January to oversee the reorganisation and revival of the SABC as a national public broadcaster worthy of the people of South Africa.''

ALSO READ: ''Highly irritated'' SABC board anuls chairman Ben Ngubane's ''appointment'' of Phil Molefe amidst growing tension.
ALSO READ: Ben Ngubane might be a no-show at Saturday afternoon's emergency SABC board meeting; Solly Mokoetle is on his way to China.
ALSO READ: A defiant Ben Ngubane attacks the SABC board.
ALSO READ: Bemawu demands the ''immediate suspension'' of Ben Ngubane and Solly Mokoetle.
ALSO READ: Entire SABC abuzz over new internal power struggle at public broadcaster.
ALSO READ: Fundamental breach of corporate governance at SABC, says public pressure group SOS.
ALSO READ: SABC board COMPLETELY bypassed in ''appointment'' of Phil Molefe as new head of news.
ALSO READ: SABC appoints Phil Molefe as new head of news.
ALSO READ: After more than a year . . . STILL no head of news at the SABC.

BREAKING. M-Net Series not joining the worldwide Lost farewell; splitting up Lost finale over two weeks in August preceded by a special.

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The opcoming Lost finale on M-Net Series (DStv 110) will not be going out close to the rest of the world and will also be broken up in two parts and not be broadcast as a whole, or in one day as the rest of the world will experience it.

The final episode of Lost will be broadcast in a few hours in America. It will show at exactly the same time in Canada and within a few hours in Britain and elsewhere in Europe - a total of 59 countries within 48 hours. I asked but M-Net Series during the past week, but the M-Net channel told me they're not joining the worldwide Lost goodbye. What I can tell you however, is that M-Net has at least worked in a special episode just before the finale that is split into two parts.

The Lost special will be broadcast on M-Net Series on Monday, 9 August, followed by Lost's finale, ''The End'' part one on 16 August, and ''The End part two on 23 August.