Enter Survivor South Africa Champions on M-Net which will be filming for the entire month of October 2013 with Mark Fish and Corne Krige.

South Africans can now enter Survivor South Africa Champions, the next season in M-Net's local Survivor reality show version with 27 episodes which will be filmed during the entire month of October 2013 in an as yet undisclosed location with soccer player Mark Fish, and rugby player Corne Krige as tribe captains.

Contestants who want to enter the open casting process to possibly be selected for the Endemol South Africa produced reality show, will have to be available for the entire month of October 2013 and will have to have a passport valid until at least April 2014.

Nationwide auditions for Survivor South Africa Champions take place from 09:00 in Johannesburg on Thursday 1 August at the Indaba Hotel; in Cape Town on Thursday 8 August at the River Club; and in Durban on Thursday 15 August at the BAT Centre.

Contestants are advised to be there from 08:00 already to ensure an audition spot before the producers. Registration will close on 15:00 on the respective days.

Contestants need to be older than 18, be able to swim, healthy, and need to complete a registration form either before the time or fill it in there - and indicate as well whether you want to be on Mark Fish or Corne Krige's tribe.

Contestants attending the nationwide auditions can wear what they like. Contestants will be subjected to medical and psychological tests and background checks.

Contestants will need to motivate and tell a good story as to why they want to be on Survivor South Africa Champions and how and why you think you will be able to win.

BREAKING. MultiChoice adds Tshwane TV to DStv; Cape Town Television (CTV) will be added to DStv from September.

The South African community TV stations Tshwane TV (TTV) (DStv 262) and Cape Town Television (CTV) (DStv 263) are both joining MultiChoice and are being added to the DStv platform as new nationally available television stations.

Tshwane TV will be added to DStv from Tuesday 9 July on channel 262 and CTV will be added to DStv from September on channel 263, giving both these South African television stations a national, and much wider footprint.

The addition of the two further local community TV channels form part of MultiChoice's programming strategy to provide more local South African television content for the DStv pay-TV platform.

DStv already provides South African viewers with three community television stations, Soweto TV (DStv 251), Bay TV (DStv 260) from Port Elizabeth, and 1 KZN (DStv 261).

All three are all producing and broadcasting local content and regional news for several hours per day and which are slowly but surely strengthening the firmament which is South Africa's local television production industry.

"Our goal has been to establish an independent and sustainable community television station," says Ruth Phume, Tshwane TV station manager. "One of our initial objectives was to increase our geographical reach and viewership through a partnership with existing broadcasters. We are delighted that we have achieved this through our agreement with DStv."

"We are delighted to launch Tshwane TV on DStv. The addition of this channel strengthens our local content offering on DStv," says Robyn Smith, MultiChoice's content manager.

Tshwane TV has 6 hours of primetime viewing daily from 18:00 to midnight; a mix of locally-produced and international programmes in 7 different languages, English, Afrikaans, Setswana, Sepedi, Venda, Tsonga and Zulu.

"September is a fitting date for Cape Town Television's broadcast expansion because it will be exactly five years old when it launches on the second frequency and on DStv," says Karen Thorne, CTV station manager.

The Cape Town community television station in September will have a stronger terrestrial channel signal when it adds a second terrestrial frequency after approval from South Africa's broadcasting regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa).

Besides channel 67, CTV is also getting channel 32 lower in the available spectrum which means that more Capetonians will be able to pick up Cape Town Television's free-to-air signal easier with an aerial.

Regarding the addition to MultiChoice's DStv, CTV which is refreshing its look with new on-air branding says its wider availability to viewers will "be a breath of fresh air in the media landscape, which is dominated by conventional and commercially-dominated TV channels" in South Africa.

"CTV's programming promotes debate and creates a rare space for authentic voices to come through in a sea of media mediocrity."

"This is a great step forward for Cape Town Television as the channel will be reaching many more viewers and it will be accessible both nationally and in neighbouring states," says Karen Thorne. "We see this as a great opportunity to showcase the city and all it has to offer to the country and the region."

CTV says the channel is working hard to produce and source more content, especially locally produced videos and thought-provoking documentaries.

Fox News Channel moving Megyn Kelly to a new timeslot when she returns from maternity leave; sign new long term deals with presenters.

After years of a very stable schedule the Fox News Channel (TopTV 405) will be moving Megyn Kelly to a new timeslot when she returns from her maternity leave.

Fox News Channel also renewed the contracts of Bret Braier, Shepard Smith, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and Greta Van Susteren in new long term deals.

Fox News Channel says a new schedule will be announce at a later date but it will mean for South African viewers a timeshift since Megyn Kelly is moving to primetime in America, moving her to the early hours of the morning in South Africa.

"Megyn is an exceptional talent who has successfully filled and surpassed each role we have given her at the network," says Roger Ailes, the chairman and CEO of Fox News in a statement.

"Her ability to command the screen, delve into the facts and lead a debate is what makes her one of the most sought-after anchors in the business."

"Roger Ailes hired me nine years ago when I was new to this business and he had little other than instinct to suggest it might work out. I was grateful for him then, remain so today, and am excited for this new opportunity," says Megyn Kelly in the statement.

Is TopTV getting ready to dump Top Crime and to add Fox Crime? Where is the promised replacement channels? TopTV isn't willing to talk about it.

On Digital Media (ODM) running the struggling South African satellite pay-TV service TopTV is possibly getting ready to dump its own Top Crime (TopTV 301) channel and to add Fox Crime - but TopTV isn't willing to talk about it or to give answers to a growing number of extremely irate TopTV subscribers about months' old promises of new replacement channels for axed ones.

Asked if TopTV is planning on axing its Top Crime channel, and asked if Fox Crime is going to be added to the pay-TV operator's channel bouquet, TopTV declined comment.

Top Crime - regarded as possibly the worst of the self-compiled and self branded "Top" channels on TopTV's bouquet when it comes to the unending recycling of stale content over the past three years - could be the next "Top" channel facing the chop.

Top Junior and Top Movies+24 were both suddenly slashed in April - a move the Woodmead based pay-TV operator called "an unavoidable exercise". No replacement channels have so far been added.

Now Fox International Channels Africa (FIC Africa) and On Digital Media (ODM) are in talks about possibly adding Fox Crime to TopTV as well - the same new channel supplied by FIC Africa and starting on 9 July on MultiChoice's DStv platform.

Fox Crime however would be extremely similar to Top Crime. Top Crime has been filled with old library crime and adventure series content which TopTV has been repeating over and over for the past three years in a loop, with hardly any new content added since Top Crime launched in May 2010.

Fox Crime - although similar in channel proposition as Top Crime - will however also have some first-run new content as well as premium content in the form of the new TV series The Bridge. Episodes of The Bridge will be shown in South Africa two days after its shown in America.

The addition of Fox Crime to TopTV - if negotiations work out and the channel is added - would actually be the replacement of Fox Retro which just disappeared from TopTV's channel bouquet without any prior warning.

However ... if Top Crime is to be axed in the process, it might be perceived by some subscribers as if Fox Crime is substituting for Top Crime. The reality would however be that TopTV subscribers are then one channel more short.

In fact, TopTV subscribers are still waiting for replacement channels since the end of 2012. TopTV subscribers are incensed about months' old and now hollow promises from TopTV to find and replace channels such as Showtime, Star and Silver when Turner Broadcasting pulled their channels from TopTV. TopTV is also refusing to talk about or address the issue.

TopTV, although in business rescue, is still a running business, but remains silent about plans.

Will TopTV be ending the Top Crime channel and why? Is Fox Crime being added to TopTV - and if it is added, does it replace Fox Retro or will Top Crime be removed and Fox Crime be that channel's replacement?

A lot of viewers are wondering what happened to the replacement channels TopTV promised replacements for. TopTV subscribers are saying its been months and they still have to pay the same monthly subscription but they've been getting less content than before?

All of these current and pressing questions were asked of TopTV in a media enquiry. The pay-TV operator isn't answering any of these.

Media24 dumps another magazine as AdVantage is closed down after 20 years.

Media group Media24 is dumping yet another magazine with AdVantage, the South African advertising and marketing industry's go-to source ending its existence.

South African TV executives, ad and media buyers and media, marketing and advertising strategists and planners, all used the trade publication for information on the biz.

Media24's unceremonious closure of AdVantage magazine will be other people and places' gain such as online and digital platforms who will move in to provide the information, articles and content AdVantage provided to the local industry the past two decades.

"It is with deep regret that we announce that AdVantage magazine will be closing," says the magazine today. "The July issue will be the last the industry will see of this iconic publication. The AdVantage team would like to thank the industry, our readers and advertisers for their loyal support over the last 20 years."

The end of pirated viewing of South Africa's SABC and e.tv in the rest of Africa as the free-to-air signals are curtailed.

For the rest of Africa it's the end of free, pirated viewing of the South Africa's SABC channels and e.tv after the broadcasters' signals emanating from South Africa to neighbouring African countries were shut down.

While South African viewers complain bitterly about the sad state of affairs and quality of public television and while growing numbers of them are pirate viewing overseas TV fare from the United States and Britain, the rest of Africa have in turn been turning to South Africa's SABC1, SABC2, SABC3 and e.tv whose signals have been beaming much better entertainment programming into the rest of Africa for years.

Literally millions of African viewers been watching South African broadcasters' signals on free-to-air Chinese decoders such as Philibao, Wiztech, Fortec and South Africa's Vivid decoders available from the South African parastatal signal distributor Sentech who've failed to properly encrypt the signals outside of South Africa's borders.

Southern African viewers have been clamouring to watch the SABC and e.tv and their more frothy, faux glam entertainment, finding the mix of South African public television and its soap, news and reality television offering better than what they're being offered by local public and state broadcasters on which they've been subjected to poor programming line-ups, low broadcasting and production standards and a lack of variety.

Local African broadcasters and pan-continental business units such as e.tv operating customised regional TV stations such as eBotswana have complained for a long time about Sentech's failure to keep South Africa’s TV signals, unencrypted, out of the rest of Africa.

They've been arguing that its been having a debilitating effect on their viewership and ad revenue since viewers are watching the SABC and e.tv’s TV content they're not supposed to.  

Besides watching content not licensed to be shown in other regional territories, multinational companies and brands have opted to rather forsake TV stations in certain African countries to advertise on South African television, knowing their TV commercials and products will be seen by viewers across Africa through the TV signals of South African broadcasters in those countries anyway.

Yesterday, 1 July, was the start of signals being cut, with viewers across Africa from Zimbabwe to Botswana now forced to return to their own state and public broadcasters or sign up for more expensive pay-TV options such as DStv. 

Upset African viewers outside of South Africa are now complaining about no longer getting SABC1, SABC2, SABC3, e.tv and the "popular Christian programmes" they used to watch.

Last year Sentech was ordered by the South Gauteng High Court to encrypt South Africa’s free-to-air broadcasting signals by the end of May 2012 after it found Sentech "wrongful, negligent and in breach" for its failure to encrypt South Africa’s TV signals spilling over outside of South Africa. 

Sentech which appealed the decision eventually decided to drop the case recently. eBotswana is however still pursuing its claim of damages against Sentech. eBotswana last year claimed R8 million in financial losses from Sentech's failure to keep South African TV content in South Africa.

BREAKING. Fox International Channels Africa explains pulling Fox Retro, the lack of communication, and if FOX Crime is coming to TopTV.

Fox International Channels Africa (FIC Africa) is talking about the "sudden" and absolutely shocking demise of Fox Retro (TopTV 181) from TopTV from which it disappeared without warning or explanation; why Fox Retro viewers and TopTV subscribers were not told until after the Fox supplied channel disappeared; and whether Fox Crime which is coming to DStv from 19 July will also be added to TopTV in the place of Fox Retro.

I just got off the phone with Alessandro Tucci, FOX International Channels (FIC) Africa general manager who is based in Johannesburg and who oversees Fox's Africa business in South Africa and across the African continent.

Sir, thank you you for you time and willingness to talk to me. I woke up today and heard from a lot of very upset, shocked and angry TopTV subscribers and I got a lot of email from people which usually happens when an operator suddenly no longer has a TV channel. 
In May Fox International Channels Africa said that the Fox channels supplied to TopTV will remain on TopTV. When was the decision taken to end Fox Retro and why was the channel shut down?

Alessandro Tucci: The decision of shutting Fox Retro is not related to TopTV. It's more related to overall Fox channels and that performance management. What we're trying to do in South Africa is to bring our big brands to subscribers and pay-TV customers. 

We launched our channels on TopTV a few years ago and Fox Retro was a good proposition then, but very quickly we have seen that bringing TV shows from the 70s 80s and 90s was not the best proposition going forward as a single channel for a new market growing very fast in Africa. So we decided that the channel as Fox Retro was, was not the best we could do anymore. 

We also added FOX recently to MultiChoice's DStv and in a couple of weeks were launching FOX Crime on DStv on 9 July as well. So we decided to shut down Fox Retro to concentrate on our key brands going forward such as FOX Crime.

Also, the rest of our channels are all still on TopTV and still available to TopTV clients.

TopTV subscribers and Fox Retro viewers are really upset that they were not told before the channel was discontinued that Fox Retro was being taken away. 
Why did Fox International Channels Africa make the announcement that Fox Retro ended only today after the channel was terminated? Why couldn't people be told earlier?

Alessandro Tucci: The customers are right. It is miscommunication between us and TopTV management; we didn't properly communicate this decision. 

However, as we said in our PR release, the Fox Retro customers will see their content didn't disappear; we have created a strip into the FOX channel and we're bringing the best of FOX Retro content to viewers now on that channel. 

If someone was a fan of Quantum Leap or M*A*S*H they can still enjoy it through that block. As you say, it was a little bit of bad communication between us and TopTV; we didn't properly communicate that.

Is FOX Crime going to be added to TopTV as a TV channel, or will it not?

Alessandro Tucci: On 19 July we will start with FOX Crime on DStv and we are now in discussions with TopTV management. We really hope we can find an agreement this week soon, and to then add FOX Crime to TopTV possibly very, very soon.

Thank you very much for your time sir and for your willingness to talk to me and to answer these questions.


ALSO READ:  TopTV loses Fox Retro as Fox International Channels Africa pulls the channel after saying in May that all Fox channels are safe. 
ALSO READ: Analysis: An awful, "old" ending for Fox Retro on TopTV - and another terrible, real-life how-not-to example of pathetic communication.

ANALYSIS. An awful 'old' ending for Fox Retro on TopTV - and another terrible, real-life how-not-to example of pathetic communication.

It's breathtaking, astounding, unbelievable, and shocking how superbly bad the lack of communication - and how big the fail - is from both TopTV and Fox International Channels Africa - over the sudden dumping of the Fox Retro channel from TopTV's channel line-up without any prior warning.

TopTV's publicity and marketing division and its PR agency, Fox International Channels Africa's marketing division, and its PR agency, all four of them based in Johannesburg inside South Africa and filled with supposed expert communication specialists, all failed monumentally in even showing the lowest form of common courtesy: to just at least tell TopTV subscribers, to tell TopTV Retro viewers, and to tell the South African press that the channel is getting yanked before it was instantly just gone.

TV channel don't just suddenly disappear. Decisions are made weeks if not months in advance; definitely 24 hours before a TV channel such as Fox Retro goes dark and subscribers suddenly are left wondering - without any warning, explanation, reason or communication - what is going on.

Yet that is exactly what happened: Not even 24 hours before the time could either TopTV or FIC Africa or both muster up with any type of statement, programming note, press release or just basically tell people that Fox Retro is getting dumped.

No. They wait for it to happen and the fall-out to start, disrepecting pay-TV viewers who are just good enough to pay; but not to be actually spoken to.

On Monday morning TopTV responded with an answer after media enquiries. FIC Africa finally issued a general press statement but also only after media enquiries are made about what is going on with a missing TV channel.

Why must TopTV subscribers wonder what is going on? Why must TopTV subscribers be in the dark when something like this happens, instead of knowing and being informed before it is going to happen so that they're in the loop?

Why must TopTV subscribers then go to the press to desperately ask journalists to try and find answers? Is this reputable brands? Is this how professional companies behave? Is this what media companies who work in communications do? Not talk at all in time?

Why is something like Fox Retro being removed as a channel with a lack of transparent communication to customers happening in South Africa in real-life? Why are pay-TV subscribers and even the press then left in the dark until after it has happened? Why is the communication being done so non-existently poorly?

It will simply not happen in other pay-TV markets in the world, but companies and PR agencies and marketing executives possibly think South Africans don't deserve better. Perhaps its a philosophy of lets just make money and not worry about the backwater subscribers who won't kick up a fuss and who don't deserve answers.

Why are people in marketing, publicity and working in a media industry and South Africa's TV industry so bad at talking and transparency and so terrible that they don't communicate at all when its required and don't do so in time? It's almost as if people huddle and think: What's the worst possible decision(s) or communication strategy we can cope up with? And then they choose that one.

TopTV subscribers deserve better. They actually paid for something (or prepaid for something) suddenly taken away.

Fox Retro viewers deserve better. They grew with and were exposed to a brand and perhaps fell in love with it. Somewhere every TV channel is someone's favourite can't-live-without channel. But then it leaves them without saying goodbye and rips their heart out.

South African TV viewers in general deserve better. National and multi-national companies in the TV business have clearly shown how little respect and responsibility they feel towards South Africa and South African viewers. TV channel removed? Oh well, we will tell you after the fact because that's how little you as a viewer really matter to us. But please just keep paying.

Sadly when it comes to Fox playing open cards and communicating upfront and openly with South African pay-TV subscribers, in my opinion, in the case of Fox Retro suddenly vanishing, it's not just one of Fox's channels which are retro.

ALSO READ: TopTV loses Fox Retro as Fox International Channels Africa pulls Fox Retro after saying in May all the Fox channels on TopTV are safe.
ALSO READ: Fox International Channels Africa explains pulling Fox Retro, the lack of communication, and if Fox Crime is coming to TopTV.

BREAKING. TopTV loses Fox Retro as Fox International Channels Africa pulls the classic channel after saying in May Fox channels are all safe.

You're reading it here first. 

TopTV has lost another TV channel with Fox Retro (TopTV 181) from Fox International Channels Africa (FIC Africa) going dark without any explanation, warning or advance warning given to Fox Retro viewers or TopTV subscribers.

TopTV now displays an on-screen message telling TopTV subscribers simply that Fox Retro no longer exists on the channel line-up of the beleaguered South African satellite pay-TV platform.

In May FIC Africa assured TopTV and Fox viewers that Fox won't be pulling any of its 5 Fox supplied TV channels off of the TopTV platform after all the TV channels from Discovery suddenly disappeared.

FIC Africa said in May when specifically asked about it, that it has "no plans to remove channels" from TopTV. Now Fox Retro is permanently gone.

MultiChoice's DStv will be adding the new Fox Crime channel from FIC Africa to DStv from 19 July; insiders told me today that FIC was or is apparently planning to replace Fox Retro with Fox Crime. That news so far I could not confirm, although it would yield one possible explanation for Fox Retro going dark on TopTV.

I reached out on email and phone Monday morning to both TopTV and the representation working for FIC Africa in Johannesburg about Fox Retro, but so far no answers on why the channel stopped.

In April TopTV ended its self-compiled and own branded Top Junior and Top Movies+24 channels, calling it an "unavoidable exercise". Neither of those channels has so far been replaced.

TopTV is currently in business rescue, with the Woodmead based pay-TV operator which got a licence from the broadcasting regulator earlier this year to start a separate porn bouquet of three pornographic channels - Desire TV, Private Spice and Playboy TV - supplied by Playboy UK/Benelux Limited.

On Digital Media (ODM) which runs the TopTV platform has not yet given any indication of whether it will go ahead with its porn plans to launch it commercially. Asked last week about latest developments regarding the operator and the bail-out proceedings with China's StarTimes taking a stake in the company, TopTV declined comment.

11:50 - TopTV respond to a media enquiry confirming that Fox Retro is no longer available as a TV channel. TopTV says: "This was a decision by Fox to terminate the channel over the whole of Africa. It was not a TopTV decision. Discussions are far advanced with regard to a replacement channel and we will advise as soon as the details are known."

12:53 - FIC Africa, through the PR agency its retains, At Vogue Communications, issues a general press statement to all press, saying the "vintage channel exists pay-TV platform TopTV".

"Though FOX Retro has continued to confirm its position as a proven value destination for pay-TV viewers, FIC has determined that delivering channels with a broader content base will better serve local audiences."

The statement says FOX Retro is getting dumped on TopTV "to ensure that the African portfolio more closely resembles the international channel structure".

"The company understands the popularity of retro programming and has therefore included a daily retro block on FOX (DStv 125 / TopTV 180) to cater to Retro's committed audience."

Alessandro Tucci, FOX International Channels (FIC) Africa general manager says "Retro was an excellent channel choice when we launched in the local market. As we have settled into the market we have had the opportunity to gauge which brands are more relevant to African audiences working within the key channel brands that FIC has identified internationally."

"The plan to discontinue the channel is part of our global strategy to deliver the right channel brands and content mixes to our local audiences. We have reviewed our content strategy and believe that our retro programming has a better home on our flagship channel FOX."

"This will also see a larger audience across the continent being able to access retro favourites."


ALSO READ: Fox Retro's awful end on TopTV: Another terrible, real-life how-not-to example of pathetic communication.
ALSO READ: Fox International Channels Africa explains pulling Fox Retro, the lack of communication, and if Fox Crime is coming to TopTV.