BREAKING. Tower Prep coming to Vuzu from 24 October at 20:30, suddenly replacing The Nine Lives of Chloe King.

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I can exclusively break the news that Tower Prep is coming to Vuzu and will start on Monday 24 October at 20:30.

The teen drama will be replacing The Nine Lives of Chloe King which I was first to spill in August RIGHT HERE was supposed to start in that timeslot, but has now been replaced. ''The title has been dropped from the schedule,'' a source tells TV with Thinus. In its place is Tower Prep - actually a Cartoon Network show - but one of the new hour long live-action shows the Cartoon Network started trying.

The Cartoon Network has another live-action show Unnatural History which immediately made me wonder: If the Cartoon Network is not going to show Tower Prep (their own show) first, if at all, and rather sold it to other channels (Cartoon Network doesn't want to show it themselves in this territory), is there still a chance it will be showing Unnatural History? The answer is no. The Cartoon Network in London tells me Unnatural History won't be on the channel.

(By the way, I also asked about the 4th season of Star Wars The Clone Wars which just started on Cartoon Network in America and I'm told is will start in the 2nd quarter of 2012 on the Cartoon Network in South Africa).

Tower Prep is a very enjoyable science fiction type show and revolves around Ian Archer (Drew van Acker) who goes to sleep and then wakes up at Tower Prep - a private boarding school nobody can escape from. There's a wall around it, strange and dangerous creatures in the woods at night, teachers and a coach, and an enigmatic computer controlling everything.

With some new friends (there's bullies too) Ian and his friends try to figure out how to escape from Tower Prep and what (and where) the school actually is. As students at the school they're all actually special, each with a unique ability, and later on are mysteriously warned that they have to be prepared because ''a war is coming''.

You might start out watching Tower Prep and think ''Harry Potter'', but my only clue will be that this is not magic, its a science fiction show - remember that.

BREAKING. Crushanda Jones out of Idols on M-Net as Dave van Vuuren and Mark Haze will compete to win the 7th season.

Crushanda Forbes (23) from Kimberley is out of Idols, leaving Dave van Vuuren (21) from Johannesburg and Mark Haze (28) from Cape Town as the last two contestants who will perform and one who will win the 7th season of Idols on M-Net.

If the suspense is killing you, take a look RIGHT HERE at what I predicted way back at the beginning of August.

''Crushanda, I'm afraid you fall this close to the final,'' said Idols presenter ProVerb. ''Wow, what can I say guys? Top three alone is a major achievement for me,'' said Crushanda Jones. ''It's not the end of me, I'm still going to work as hard as I ever could. To all my fans, thanks so much for supporting me.''

As with previous seasons, the show announced that the full Top 10 contestants would be appearing in the Idols finale on Tuesday 4 October of 90 minutes from 19:30 which will be (also as usual) a live finale results show.

I have two other predictions for the Idols Tuesday finale. There's usually some announcement, this year there could be two. The show and M-Net usually leverage the huge reality TV audience to impart some upcoming information.

I would venture to say there's a very high likelihood that M-Net will announce during the Idols finale on Tuesday that the show will be back for an 8th season (viewership figures are great, the show isn't going anywhere but on).

Then I would gues that M-Net will announce at the end of the Idols finale that entries have open for MasterChef South Africa and that people can now enter for MasterChef SA immediately and how to do it. MasterChef South Africa is already in pre-production with Curious Pictures and Lucky Bean Media co-producingis already in pre-production with a possible broadcasting date on M-Net for February 2012, sources are telling me.

ALSO READ: Number 4 is out! Frizzy Freddie falls out of Idols.
ALSO READ: Number 5 is out! Lefa Phike goes home as Idols judge Unathi Msengana starts to cry.
ALSO READ: Number 6 is gone! Koebaai Kelly. Kelly Fortuin must pack her bags back to Cape Town.
ALSO READ: Number 8 and 7 are gone! Erin Fourie and Dene Vorster both leave Idols in a double elimination.
ALSO READ: Number 9 is gone! Phaksy must pack up. Phaksy Mngomezulu the next Idols contestant to get the boot.
ALSO READ: Number 10 is gone! Nolly aint going Holly. Noluthando Meje the first of the 7th season's Top 10 contestants in Idols to be sent home.

BREAKING. Thelma Melk, the SABC's company secretary, suspended for allegedly 'poor work performance'.

Thelma Melk, the long serving company secretary of the SABC is out; suspended because of allegations of ''poor work performance'' and taking unapproved leave.

Business Day broke the news of Thelma Melk's suspension at the public broadcaster. Sources confirm to me that Thelma Melk was told on Friday that's she's being suspended.

Thelma Melk has been linked to controversy at the SABC before where she was an international jetsetter before the broadcaster clamped down. Besides other international locales, Thelma Melk jetted to Los Angeles, first class, on a so-called ''content purchasing visit'' with a ticket that cost the SABC R175 000 and which made waves in 2009.

MUST CARRY CLUELESSNESS! Nobody - not even Icasa - has ANY idea of what public TV channels who will have to carry after DTT.

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No-one, no-one in South Africa - not the government, not the broadcasters, not the pay TV platforms, not even the regulator Icasa have any idea of who will have to carry what public TV channels during the switch-over of, and after digital terrestrial television (DTT).

Currently South Africa's broadcasting regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) has regulations stating the so-called ''must carry'' clause whereby pay TV operators such as MultiChoice's DStv and On Digital Media's (ODM) TopTV ''must carry'' public free-to-air television channels (for free).

That's why SABC1, SABC2, SABC3 (and e.tv) are included in the bouquets of DStv, TopTV and on M-Net's analogue decoder. So, if in the switch from analogue to digital broadcasting in South Africa - a process known as digital migration - the SABC expands from 3 TV channels to 18 TV channels and e.tv goes from 1 to an as-yet-unannounced set of TV channels, will that entire new channel array have to be carried and be included on DStv, TopTV, and M-Net's DTT set top box?

The new additional public television channels are and will still be after all, public TV channels. And surely after years of DTT discussions, multiple sets of regulations and amendments, and great leadership and vision by Icasa as a strong, able and competent broadcasting regulator, there will be a well-defined set of regulations governing ''must carry'' terms and what ''must carry'' will mean and entail during the start of, and after the switch-over of DTT?

Guess again.

The South African broadcasting industry is completely clueless on ''must carry'' regulations for DTT, in fact, from Icasa side no 'must carry' regulations or clear and specific answers for ''must carry'' under DTT exists. That means that nobody has any idea what will happen, what must happen, or what is required.

''Currently there's regulations that speak to 'must carry' for pay TV operators. Those regulations address the SABC within the current environment with analogue television. It's very arguable whether those regulations have relevance within a digital environment,'' Thato Mahapa, TopTV's senior manager for regulatory affairs, told parliament.

''The subject wasn't treated comprehensively, so there needs to be a very definitive statement on what impact 'must carry' must and will have during the dual illumination period and there after. That's not something that's clear at this stage,'' Thato Mahapa said.

Pay TV operators of course get these channels for free and would get the future additional channels for free as well since they're ''forced'' to carry them. For the pay platforms it's additional content and additional channels - something that attracts subscribers. But it also requires bandwidth that could go to rather have other TV channels on a bouquet. And of course there's the issue of what to do when it's a rubbish channel that an operator don't really want to have - even if it is free.

Asked by the portfolio committee on communications in parliament ''what must be carried after digital migration?'' on the platforms of pay TV operators such as DStv, TopTV and M-Net, Icasa was completely clueless and had no answer. ''We don't have a direct answer,'' said Icasa.

''What we are doing is that currently we have a project to review all the broadcasting related regulations because they are all analogue based. So we are going to review them and align them with the digital environment. 'Must carry' is one of them,'' Icasa said.

A slight tad bit late, wouldn't you say Icasa?

BREAKING. Vuzu still negotiating broadcasting rights for the 3rd season of The Vampire Diaries; trying to get new teen drama The Secret Circle.

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Baff. Baff. Baff. That's 3 baffs 'cause I've got three little titbits ... first.

Baff one: Vuzu (DStv 123) is negotiating for the broadcasting rights to ... the new hour long teen drama The Secret Circle that just started and is two episodes old in America. Teen witch children discover their ancestry and ... well I've watched the two hours already shown and its good.

Baff two: There is no broadcasting rights licensing agreement yet with Vuzu for the brand-new 3rd season of The Vampire Diaries ... yet. The 3rd season of The Vampire Diaries also just started in America and is also two episodes old.

Baff three: The fact that insiders are telling me that there's no broadcasting contracts yet, indicates that Vuzu does want to continue with The Vampire Diaries, and more importantly, is in fact clearly interested in trying to get The Secret Circle. ''Still in contract stages,'' I'm told.

Oh, the scene above? Boy witch kisses girl witch in the woods, and things start to rise. Water droplets. Water droplets start to rise.

Terra Nova behind the scenes: 'The Heart of Terra Nova' and the first look at a new carnosaur.

Terra Nova, the epic-looking, brand-new, massive TV adventure by Steven Spielberg about a family travelling back in time to a new colony in the past starts tonight in America (M-Net will have it from January 2012).

Because the show starts in America this evening with a two hour premiere, TV Guide has this exclusive new dino-tacular photo or a carnosaur that's one of the first dinosaurs that will be showing up.

There's also this brand-new behind-the-scenes clip below, that I would suggest you watch, Terra Nova: The Heart of Terra Nova, that reveals a bit more about the most expensive TV show yet made.

''Terra Nova is this massive production of adventure and action, and, like, dinosaurs and guns and future and past and all this crazy stuff that you have to absorb, but at the very center of it all there's this, just a simple story of a family trying to stay together,'' says Landon Liboiron who plays son Josh Shannon.

AETN UK rebrands and changes its name to A+E Networks UK; new name and logo used immediately.

AETN UK, a joint venture between A+E Networks and BSkyB is rebranding as A+E Networks UK with a new name and logo.

A+E Networks UK delivers channels such as History (DStv 254) and the Crime & Investigation Network (DStv 255) to South Africa on MultiChoice's DStv.

''The new logo features a contemporary colour palette and fresh typography that could be easily recognisable and reflect with the global communications company that A+E Networks is today,'' says A+E Networks UK in a statement.

"At A+E Networks UK we've been in the business of reinventing storytelling since 1995 when History first launched,'' says Tom Davidson, the managing director for A+E Networks UK. ''Through our portfolio of diverse channels we offer viewers inspiring stories, inventive new genres and great entertainment."

The new corporate image, company name and logo was unveiled in America in May and will be rolled out and used immediately across Britain, central and Eastern Europe, the Nordics and Benelux countries, South Africa and the Middle East.

BREAKING. SABC3's on-air look and bi-blue and white channel logo won't be changing from October.

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I can exclusively reveal that SABC3's bi-blue and white channel logo (and on-air look) won't be changing come October when SABC3 relaunches with a new programming schedule.

''It remains the same. Unchanged,'' says a source. ''The focus is on the content, the better content and the timeslot adjustments; the channel imaging is strong and clean will remain,'' another SABC3 insider tells TV with Thinus.

New Lonely Planet programming block dedicated to travel television to start on BBC Knowledge from 5 November in South Africa.

The Lonely Planet branded programming block will start on BBC Knowledge (DStv 251) in South Africa on 5 November, BBC Worldwide that runs channels like BBC Knowledge, announced today in Britain.

The Lonely Planet block on BBC Knowledge will provide a dedicated home to the channel's travel programming, including the show Free Rein specially commissioned by BBC Worldwide from Lonely Planet's production arm Freehand.

Free Rein will follow Bryan Brown and Rachel Ward as they set out on a travel adventure across The Kimberley in Australia. Following in 2012 is Year of Adventures with Ben Fogle and based on the Lonely Planet book of the same name.

''This dedicated home on BBC Knowledge marks a major step in our development of Lonely Planet as a television brand,'' says Jana Bennett, the president of BBC Worldwide Networks. ''BBC Worldwide will continue to support its growth through these programming blocks and through specially commissioned Lonely Planet productions. We hope that in time, the brand can evolve into a standalone television channel.''

In South Africa and the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, the Lonely Planet block will kick off on 5 November on BBC Knowledge with the shows Tribe, Long Way Round and Roads Less Travelled. Other shows to fill the Lonely Planet programming block include Paul Merton in India, Tropic of Cancer with Simon Reeve and Russia: A Journey with Jonathan Dimbleby.

''The Lonely Planet schedule is designed to take our viewers on a journey of exploration and discovery, and we've selected these titles to feed their passion for experiencing the world through travel,'' says David Weiland, the senior vice president for programming and TV channels.

''Along with our own growing roster of original commissions – like Free Rein and Year of Adventures – these programmes will find a natural home in the Lonely Planet block, with a host of engaging personalities and experts to transport viewers right to the heart of a place,'' says David Weiland.