Rhema channel on DStv to increase its broadcasting hours; StarSat's audio music channels, Music Choice, changes its name to Stingray.

The Christian TV channel Rhema (DStv 343) on MultiChoice's DStv will increase its broadcasting hours from the end of April on Sundays while the audio music channels on On Digital Media (ODM) and StarTimes Media South Africa's StarSat has been renamed to Stingray Music.

From 27 April the Rhema channel, broadcasting Christian speakers like Joyce Meyer, Ray McCauley, Creflo Dollar, Angus Buchan and Joseph Prince will increase its broadcasting hours on Sundays.

From 27 April Rhema will start to broadcast from 05:00 to 22:00 every Sunday.

Meanwhile the audio music channels known as Music Choice on StarSat - the channels set from 335 to 359 - has been changed by the supplier. The Music Choice channels will now be known as Stingray Music.

TV news in other languages back on SABC News channel - but now all recorded broadcasts from the bulletins shown on SABC1 and SABC2.

The TV news in other languages are back on the SABC News (DStv 404) TV channel following the SABC's decision to turn SABC News into an English only TV news channel but there is a caveat - all of the TV news bulletins in South Africa's other official languages besides English on the channel are now rebroadcasts of recorded bulletins first shown on SABC1 and SABC2.

The additional half hour of new Afrikaans news which was broadcast on SABC News at 19:30 for instance has been dumped, with Afrikaans news which is now broadcast at midnight (00:00).

It's not live new and additional news, but a rebroadcast (although not indicated or acknowledged as such through any on-screen notification) of the Afrikaans TV news bulletin that is broadcast live on SABC2 on weeknights at 19:00 five hours earlier.

It's the same for the TV news in Zulu, Sotho, Venda, isiNdebele and other languages - the news bulletins are recorded and played out later during the night from those which first aired on SABC1 and SABC2.

The planned new State of the Nation broadcast which was supposed to be an hour long new broadcast in prime time with "news stories from all of South Africa's provinces" didn't materialise and didn't start on 1 April.

(Another interesting change to note is that the Afrikaans TV news on SABC2 changed its format since 1 April. The SABC2 news bulletin is now being done in the format of how the additional TV news bulletin was done on SABC News, starting with a run-down of numerous news headlines and ending with some type of an animal story.)

BREAKING. Relevant TV gone from OpenView HD; Alex TV also abruptly disappears from OpenView HD after its broadcasting licence expires.

Relevant TV channel (OVHD 253) is gone from OpenView HD with no warning to OpenView HD viewers or telling the press, while the community TV station Alex TV also disappeared abruptly and went off the air without warning after its broadcasting licence expired.

Although Relevant TV and Alex TV are still sold to OpenView HD viewers as two of the available channels on the satellite TV platform's channel line-up on its website, Relevant TV and Alex TV have both been scrapped, with no word from OpenView HD as to why.

The shocking and sudden termination of Relevant TV, a non-denominational, multi-national Christian lifestyle TV channel with Joshua McCauley as founder, is apparently due to Relevant TV no longer forming a part of the "focus" of OpenView HD which is run by Sabido's Platco Digital division.

"Relevant TV will be off air due to unforeseen circumstances that the channel could not avoid," says OpenView HD.

Furious OpenView HD viewers who got no warning nor any explanation are fuming about the abrupt removal of Relevant TV which was added to OpenView HD in September 2014.

"Please take the necessary action to rectify your unforseen circumstances," said OpenView HD viewer Viv Mellows.

The community TV channel Alex TV (OVHD 453), stylised as lx tv, is also abruptly gone from OpenView HD without prior warning to viewers or the press.

Alex TV's licence apparently expired since the TV channel covering the Alexandra township started broadcasting in May 2014.

In response to a media enquiry made on Tuesday about Alex TV going dark, Maxwell Nonge, the managing director of Platco Digital said "the channel is in the process of renewing its broadcast licence with the regulating body".

In response to a media enquiry made on Tuesday about Relevant TV, Maxwell Nonge says "the channel is ending its contract due to business contraints. Viewers can look forward to the introduction of more channels on the platform over the course of the year".

Hannelie Bekker out as managing director of FOX International Channel Africa in South Africa after 5 months.

You're reading it here first.

I can reveal that in a shock move Hannelie Bekker is out at FOX International Channels Africa (FIC Africa) where she was the new managing director for 5 months.

FOX International Channels Africa is completely quiet about the shocking exit of Hannelie Bekker, with no announcement, statement or notification about the highly respected TV executive whose last day at FIC Africa's office in Johannesburg, according to sources, was last Tuesday at the end of March.

Hannelie Bekker, a highly experienced, highly skilled and extremely talented TV executive was appointed as the new managing director of FOX International Channels Africa (FIC) in November 2014 and replaced Alessandro Tucci.

 Hannelie Bekker's appointment at the end of 2014 for which she relocated from Kenya back to South Africa, signaled a massive upscaling and appointment coup for FIC Africa and its regionalised pay-TV business in South African and the rest of the African continent.

At Sony Television's upfront on Wednesday afternoon in Johannesburg the primary topic of conversation under journalists, ad executives, media buyers and TV executives was Hannelie Bekker's sudden exit and the silence from FOX International Channels Africa about it.

There's been no word from FIC Africa and FIC Africa marketing executive Khosi Khanyile about Hannelie Bekker, nor whether who will replace her in the position of managing director - if anybody.

Just a month ago, on 10 February, FIC Africa had a hugely successful FOX upfront and press day to showcase the premium upcoming shows secured for the FOX and FOX Crime TV channels.

Hannelie Bekker took South African TV critics through a smooth and pitch-presentation of FOX's upcoming programming with sizzle reels and took questions from the press afterwards in a wide-ranging Q&A session.

Hannelie Bekker's sudden and unexpected exit after just 5 months - and FIC Africa's silence to communicate the top executive change and the reasons for it - is odd and surprising given FIC Africa's commitment to the press regarding programming information and corporate changes.

Hannelie Bekker leaving is a huge loss for FIC Africa, not just due to the TV executive's real experience, skill and TV industry standing, but also for the perceived cache her appointment signaled about FIC Africa to South Africa's pay-TV business industry.

Whoever is appointed next as FIC Africa managing director - if anyone - it's unlikely that FIC International will be able to find someone locally with the years of TV experience, pay-TV acumen and vast list of established business contacts and professional relationships Hannelie Bekker instantly brought to FIC Africa.

SABC slammed for scrapping of all TV news bulletins in South Africa's other languages on SABC News channel.

The SABC is slammed for its scrapping of all TV news bulletins in South Africa's other official languages besides English on the public broadcaster's SABC News (DStv 404) channel, with PEN South Africa saying that "at a time where the country is divided by a heated debate about the British colonial legacy of Cecil John Rhodes, the SABC is surely obliged to consult with the public it intends to inform and empower".

The SABC dropped all of its daily TV news bulletins in South Africa's vernacular languages on the SABC News channel since yesterday, without responding to media enquiries as to what prompted the decision and why the public broadcaster is scaling back in its TV news offering in South Africa's other official languages on the 24-hour TV news channel it launched in August 2013.

Gone since yesterday are all bulletins on the SABC News channel which were done in Zulu, Afrikaans, Siswati, Tsonga, Xhosa, isiNdelebe, Sotho and Venda throughout a day.

"PEN South Africa strongly object to the cancellation of additional TV news bulletins in other indigenous South African languages on SABC News (DStv channel 404)," said the organisation in a statement.

"This decision shows a clear lack of commitment from our public broadcaster to the multilingualism and linguistic rights enshrined in the South African Constitution and Bill of Rights."

"This lack of commitment is sadly ironic, considering that the SABC states on its website and in marketing material 'a unique selling point is SABC News Channel's multilingual programming' and that SABC News is delivered 'to audiences in all 11 South African official languages," says PEN SOuth Africa.

When the SABC launched the SABC News channel in 2013, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, chief operating officer (COO) of the SABC said that the channel "is an opportunity for the public broadcaster to enhance its public service mandate and extend its focus on provincial stories and the different official languages".

"PEN South Africa believe it is the duty of the SABC as a public broadcaster committed to peaceful dialogue and communication in a multicultural, multilingual society, to reconsider its decision to cancel all TV news bulletins in languages other than English on SABC News," says the organisation.

"If the SABC wants to opt for English only on a news channel created to serve all South Africans at a time where the country is divided by a heated debate about the British colonial legacy of Cecil John Rhodes, it is surely obliged to consult with the public it intends to inform and empower."

Gideon Khobane taking over as M-Net channel director; Victor Eckard now head of content for DStv digital media.

Gideon Khobane is taking over as M-Net channel director, replacing Victor Eckard who is now head of content for DStv digital media.

Gideon Khobane was previously the marketing manager for M-Net set of AfricaMagic TV channels on DStv and since July 2014 he was M-Net's research and business intelligence director.

He worked for 6 years with M-Net AfricaMagic channels division in neighbouring African countries since he joined M-Net in 2008.

Gideon Khobane now assumes the position of looking after the M-Net (DStv 101), M-Net Edge (DStv 102) and M-Net City (DStv 115) TV channels that M-Net supplies to MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform for South Africa and the rest of the African continent.

"Gideon Khobane replaces Victor Eckard who successfully launched M-Net Edge, Express from the US, and has been instrumental in the success of Catch Up and Catch Up Plus, and has now been asked to head up the content division at DStv Digital Media," says Yolisa Phahle, M-Net CEO for South Africa, in a press statement.

M-Net also still makes mention of the M-Net Series channels, although no M-Net channels with that brand name exists anymore.

"M-Net and the M-Net Series channels will continue to drive growth for the company and I can think of no more suitably qualified individual than Gideon Khobane to take these channels forward," says Yolisa Phahle in the statement announcing Gideon Khobane's appointment.

"Gideon Khobane has played a critical role in the increasing success of the Africa Magic brand and more recently has driven M-Net's strategy in South Africa."

M-Net says Gideon Khobane's new role as M-Net channel director will include management, overall content acquisition, scheduling and content marketing, "while ensuring that the two M-Net premium brands, M-Net and M-Net Edge, remain the most loved and talked about channels on DStv Premium; with a view to the newly-launched M-Net City becoming one of the most-watched channels on the DStv Compact package".

"My research and content marketing background gives me a deep awareness of what sort of content has worked with M-Net audiences in the past, and how the team and I can convert those insights into higher viewership results," says Gideon Khobane in the statement.

Gideon Khobane says the goal is to turn these M-Net channels in his portfolio "into the most talked about channels in Africa".

Gideon Khobane will be looking at the introduction of further new local formats for M-Net as well as adding new adaptations of popular international productions to the M-Net roster.

"Our aim is to always remain the top entertainment choice for our audience, and our offerings need to be innovative," says Gideon Khobane.

Anton Heunis out at SABC as acting CEO and taking early retirement; Nomsa Philiso taking over as SABC's commercial enterprises executive.

Anton Heunis, the SABC's acting CEO since September 2014, is out at the public broadcaster with the South African TV executive taking early retirement due to health reasons and Nomsa Philiso taking over in Anton Heunis' position as the SABC's group executive for commercial enterprises.

Anton Heunis is leaving the SABC after 35 years with the broadcasting corporation.

The South African public broadcaster refused to give an indication on when Anton Heunis is leaving, or who is replacing him as acting CEO of the SABC.

Nomsa Philiso, general manager at sales operations at the SABC, is taking over in the position of group executive of commercial enterprises.

Anton Heunis briefly stepped down in November as acting SABC CEO due to illness, and was temporarily replaced by the SABC's famously matricless chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng who duties were delegated to.

Health reasons prompted Anton Heunis to opt for early retirement.

In an internal memo to SABC staff obtained by TV with Thinus, the broadcaster told SABC personnel that Anton Heunis "is being succeeded by Nomsa Philiso, who was appointed as general manager: sales operations in 2011, and has frequently acted as group executive: commercial enterprises".

"Anton Heunis will stay on at the SABC in the role of Commercial Advisor, both in the context of commercial enterprises and for other SABC commercial ventures. This will ensure seamless continuity for SABC advertising sales and other commercial activities."

"For Group Sales the planned transition will enable 'business as usual', irrespective of the inevitable challenges and successes that will mark the coming months of the SABC 2015/2016 financial year," says the SABC's internal memo.

At yet another hastily convened press conference at the SABC's Auckland Park headquarters on Wednesday 1 April, the SABC announced that Anton Heunis is leaving, although he will do a handover to Nomsa Philiso who is replacing him as group executive for commercial enterprises at the SABC.

A lot of the media thought the SABC's notification of a press conference was an April Fool's joke but the public broadcaster told the media it's not the case.

At the SABC's press conference Hlaudi Motsoeneng mentioned race, remarking that, "Anton was the only white person here, but when I see him, I don't see a white person and when he sees me, he doesn't see a black person".

Hlaudi Motsoeneng told the press that the SABC will produce "a better individual".

"Even as we are losing a good individual, we will produce a better individual in the new appointment," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

Last TV news bulletins in other South African languages sign off for a final time on the SABC News channel after all news besides English are dumped.

"Goeienaand en welkom by hierdie laaste uitsending van die nuus in Afrikaans op die SAUK se 24-uur nuusdiens," said SABC News anchor Ivor Price at 19:30 on Tuesday 31 March.

("Good evening and welcome to this last broadcast of the news in Afrikaans on the SABC's 24-hour news service.)

At the end co-anchor Louise van Wingerden said: "Dit was dan die heel laaste Afrikaanse bulletin op die SAUK se 24-uur nuusdiens." ("This was then the very last Afrikaans bulletin on the SABC's 24-hour news service".)

"Baie dankie vir die saamkyk die laaste 21 maande en die nuus in Afrikaans was danksy u ondersteuning verreweg die gewildste 30 minute segment op hierdie kanaal," said Ivor Price. 

("Thank you for watching with us the last 21 months and the news in Afrikaans was, thanks to you, by far the most popular 30 minute segment on this channel.")

"And we also wish to thank our English speaking viewers for their wonderful support. The very successful format of this bulletin will be applied to the Afrikaans news on SABC2," said Louise van Wingerden.

The Xhosa news TV bulletin on the SABC News channel has also been cancelled.

The Sotho news TV bulletin on the SABC News channel has also been culled.

The Ndebele language news TV bulletin on the SABC News channel is also gone.

Scrapped are bulletins in Zulu, Afrikaans, Siswati, Tsonga, Xhosa, isiNdelebe, Sotho and Venda as part of SABC News's (DStv 404) shocking move to rid the news channel of all news bulletins in languages other than English.

The move to dump all TV news and TV news bulletins is South African's other official languages besides English includes SABC News doing away with its regular weekly half hour magazine shows like Health Talk, Film SA, Bophelong, Afroshowbiz News, Rights & Recourse, The Journal and Kaleidoscope.

SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago didn't respond to multiple media enquiries and calls made the past few weeks about the drastic change to the SABC News schedule and why the public broadcaster cancelled the news bulletins in all vernacular languages.

Scrapped are bulletins in Zulu, Afrikaans, Siswati, Tsonga, Xhosa, isiNdelebe, Sotho and Venda.

On its website and in marketing material the SABC says "a unique selling point is SABC News Channel's multilingual programming" and that SABC News is delivered "to audiences in all 11 South African official languages".

When the channel launched, the SABC's famously matricless chief operating officer, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, said the SABC News channel will be an opportunity for the SABC to "enhance its public service mandate and extend its focus on provincial stories and the different official languages".

The SABC News channel launched in August 2013 which replaced the SABC's first struggling attempt at a 24-hour news channel, SABC News International. SABC News International was shut down after bleeding millions of rands after just three years at the end of March 2010.

SABC News, now running for a year and a half, is part of a controversial deal worth millions of rand Hlaudi Motsoeneng signed with MultiChoice's DStv platform.

It makes SABC News exclusively available to DStv only, keeping it off On Digital Media (ODM) and China's StarTimes Media SA's StarSat, as well as Sabido and Platco Digital's OpenView HD satellite TV platforms.

Earlier this month in an interview on SABC2, Hlaudi Motsoeneng called SABC News "a pilot project".

"The channel that is sitting on the MultiChoice bouquet, the news channel, it is a SABC channel. When we migrate to DTT, that channel will be migrated to our own platforms. It is an SABC channel. It is sitting there as a pilot project."

Today's interesting TV stories to read from TV with Thinus - 1 April 2015.

The backlash in America against South Africa's Trevor Noah has started one day after he was announced as the new host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central (DStv 122).

Trevor Noah's social media became a beating stick as people scoured through his Twitter feed - as far back as 2009 -for messages offensive to women and Jews. 
Some more of Trevor Noah's offensive Twitter messages and Comedy Central had to do damage control on Tuesday, calling criticism of Trevor Noah "unfair" and saying that Trevor Noah "has a bright future at Comedy Central".
Why did Trevor Noah become a villain and why did people turn on him so quickly? Should Trevor Noah be held to a higher standard? Trevor Noah finally says it was "jokes that didn't land".

Ad Age says the outrage won't bring down Trevor Noah in its opinion and Variety says Comedy Central should defend Trevor Noah's right to offend.
Meanwhile the younger Trevor Noah could perhaps reverse the aging audience of Comedy Central and The Daily Show.
And how Trevor Noah got The Daily Show job - Jon Stewart played an advisory role.


South African documentary producer drags Sabido and e.tv to the broadcasting regulator.
The Independent Communication Authority of South Africa (Icasa) will hear on 9 and 10 April a fascinating case from documentary producer Kevin Harris alleging that Sabido and e.tv are not fulfilling their broadcasting licence obligations when it comes to supporting the production of independent local documentaries.


Downton Abbey bosses tried to keep the show going...
... without creator and writer Julian Fellowes. TV executives wanted the ITV drama shown on BBC Entertainment (DStv 120) to continue for longer and further than the final 6th upcoming season this year.

We can interfere with South Africa and the media's freedom of speech says parliament speaker, Baleka Mbete.
The controversial speaker of parliament has the audacity to argue in court papers that parliament has the "right" to cut broadcasts of the TV feed because because disruptions will damage the "dignity" of parliament.

eNCA (DStv 403) set to fire 40 people.
Forty people at Sabido's 24-hour TV news channel are apparently going to lose their jobs.

The SABC to hear the case against its head of news Jimi Matthews.
After Jimi Matthews allegedly assaulted a female SABC employee there's now a date for the grievance procedure and possible disciplinary process.

The arrival of Netflix in Australia is bad for pay-TV subscribers there.
A price comparison site reveals the best TV shows are already exclusively being shown on other pay-TV providers, and video-on-demand (VOD) services could damage Australia's TV and film industries.

And how Netflix is growing - could be worth a massive $100 billion.

Is Sherlock on BBC Entertainment (DStv 120) gay?
TV series creator Steven Moffat says that Sherlock is not gay and not interested in sex.

Nigerians now want to ditch DStv after MultiChoice's price hike from April.
DStv subscribers in Nigeria are furious over the price increase and blame the government for "failing to call MultiChoice Nigeria to order".

Richard Hammond and James May no longer work for the BBC.
After the BBC fired Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear on BBC Entertainment (DStv 120) the other two co-presenters are now out of their Top Gear job as well.

Meanwhile the Top Gear Live world tours - including the one in South Africa - will now drop all references to Top Gear and be rebranded and known as Clarkson, Hammond and May Live as it is stripped of all BBC branding by BBC Worldwide.