BREAKING. Tatum Keshwar makes her debut as Top Billing TV presenter on Thursday, 8 April.

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I broke the news on Thursday RIGHT HERE that Miss South Africa 2008 Tatum Keshwar is joining the Top Billing team on SABC3 as the newest presenter.

Now I can tell you that Tatum Keshwar will make her debut appearance in Top Billing in next Thursday's episode at 19:30 in her first insert. She's already been filming several inserts that will be rolled out in the show over the next couple of weeks.

Programming note. CNN International looks at ''secrets and sin'' of Catholic church in crisis.

CNN International (DStv 401) has special programming tonight with a powerful special documentary, World's Untold Stories: Secrets and Sin followed by a special edition of Connect the World which will look at how the new escalating crisis rocking the Catholic church is affecting people around the world.

CNN International has the documentary World's Untold Stories: Secrets and Sin at 21:30 tonight, looking at how the Catholic church's own rules fascilitated cover-ups of sexual abuses. CNN International talks to victims, investigators and clergy about those who tried to conceal their secrets and sin, detailing the years of accusations and decades of abuse.

Immediately following this documentary, at 22:00, there will be a special edition of Connect the World on CNN International, looking at how the church scandal is affecting people around the world. A special blog, asking for viewer participation, is now live RIGHT HERE and CNN's user-generated service, iReport HERE is also encouraging viewers to send in their reactions and comments.

BREAKING. Scandal hits SABC1's Class Act: top 10 finalist disqualified, replaced because of mysterious ''contractual issues''.

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I can exclusively reveal first that scandal has hit SABC1's Class Act reality show with the producers forced to make an unexpected, unplanned and shocking change to the top 10 contestants less than 24 hours after the top 10 Class Act wannabees were announced on Saturday.

Producers of Class Act looking for a leading hero type actor, had to scramble and backtrack on their just announced top 10 by suddenly dumping Cape Town's Denzil Thompson after he has already spent several days as part of the top 10 group.

The producers at this point is only willing to confirm that Denzil Thompson ''has unfortunately been disqualified'' from Class Act and that it comes ''as a result of contractual issues''. Denzil Thompson, a 26 year old waiter from Zeekoeivlei has immediately been replaced with a new top 10 contestant, Lungwelo Gwala from Durban. The Class Act judges also had to be called in to decide who would replace Denzil Thompson.

I have asked for what the specific contractual problem with Denzil Thompson was, and when or if I get an answer, I'll post it right here.

INTERVIEW. ''Universal Channel as a name is a great asset for us to broaden the appeal of the TV channel.''

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The Universal Channel (DStv 108) just came into full effect on MultiChoice's DStv bouquet, replacing the Hallmark Channel name.

I spoke to John Burnett, vice president of commercial operations and Universal Networks International's managing director for Africa. I asked him about his personal hopes for the new Universal Channel, possible Universal channel additions and talked about where Africa fits into Universal's plans. See what he says are the positives of the Universal Channel name change and how the target audience is expanding.

For my interview with Universal Networks International's John Burnett, click on READ MORE below.

BREAKING. To court over South Africa's digital TV migration process . . . again.

South Africa's digital television migration process, and the switchover from analogue broadcasts to digital terrestrial television (DTT), could be delayed yet again/further.

The Nafcoc Broadcasting Consortium plans to bring court action tomorrow (Monday) against the Independent Communication Authority of South Africa (Icasa) regarding Icasa's final Digital Migration Regulations that was published in February. Nafcoc took Icasa to court in July last year regarding the proposed DTT regulations and e.tv also launched court action over the regulations just before the end of last year.

I asked Lawrence Mavundla, president of Nafcoc, for a response but didn't hear back from him yet. The Nafcoc Broadcasting Consortium is not happy that the SABC, e.tv and M-Net will be getting additional digital TV channels during the migration process to help entice viewers to make the switcover from analogue TV to digital. The consortium feels it will strengthen the existing broadcasters and make it difficult for potential new TV channels to start in South Africa.

I talked to Paseka Maleka, Icasa spokesperson an hour ago to hear if Icasa has any comment or whether this latest proposed court action could derail the digital migration process in South Africa. ''The broadcasting authority can only react and respond once legal documents are entered and we can study the complaints regarding the DTT regulations. So far we have received nothing.''

BREAKING. TVIEC to call for an 'open day' within weeks for anyone owed money by the SABC.

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I can exclusively reveal first that the Television Industry Emergency Coalition (TVIEC) is planning to organize an ''open day'' for anyone (still) owed money by the SABC to come forward so that a master list can be compiled to get the debt of the public broadcaster to South African TV producers settled.

''We will call for an open day soon to get people throughout the production industry to come forward with any debts outstanding, to once and for all get a figure together on what the SABC is owing the industry,'' Desiree Markgraaff of the TVIEC just told me.

''Within weeks we will put out the call to have an open day for anyone owed money to register what they're owed by the public broadcaster and lodge what the debt is. That will probably happen in the next two or three weeks,'' she says.

BREAKING. SABC still owes South African production industry ''many millions of rands,'' says TVIEC.

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I can exclusively report back first on yesterday's full day meeting of the Television Industry Emergency Coalition (TVIEC) at the Goethe Institute in Johannesburg.

I just got off the phone with Desiree Markgraaff, chairperson of the Independent Producers' Organisation (IPO), and a member of the TVIEC steering committee.

Basically millions of rands are still outstanding and owed by the SABC to producers and the production industry in South Africa, there is a huge concern regarding the public broadcaster's continued reduction of work and no new production commissions, and continued confusion regarding the process of royalty payments outstanding by the SABC that's payable for repeats.

For a basic summary of yesterday's TVIEC meeting and what Desiree Markgraaff told me, click on READ MORE below.

BREAKING. SABC2 investigating allegations of sexual assault behind the scenes of The Joey Rasdien Show.

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The upcoming The Joey Rasdien Show has been rocked by scandal with charges of sexual assault behind the scenes of the new family sitcom that's supposed to make its debut on SABC2 in May.

I can tell you exclusively that SABC2 is set to issue a press release tomorrow, Monday, on allegations of sexual assault that allegedly occured behind the scenes. A production member who used to work on The Joey Rasdien Show and has since quit, claims that she was sexually assaulted by another member of the show. I've been told that SABC2 is seeing this shocking allegation in a very serious light, and immediately started to investigate what is going on at the The Joey Rasdien Show which will be loosely based on the big-haired comedian's own family life.

I phoned the representation of the production member against whom the sexual allegations are levelled, and was immediately referred to his legal representation. Attorney Mark Dempster of Dempster Mckinnon Incorporated who represents the man in questions, told me yesterday that the woman ''had had ample opportunity to approach any relevant forum but instead had chosen the media. This in itself smacks of opportunism to attempt to ruin a person's reputation which is impeccable.''

BREAKING. CNBC Africa no longer getting $3 million a year from the Gauteng Film Commission.

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Apparently the business channel CNBC Africa (DStv 410) received $3 million (R22,29 million) per year from the Gauteng Film Commission (GFC) for the past two years - a five year contract that has now been cancelled.

SASFED - a collective federation that represents the interest of the vast majority of film and TV industry organisations in South Africa - has welcomed the cancellation of the contract. In a press statement, SASFED indicated that the federation has expressed concern about the massive amount of the GFC's annual budget that was committed to CNBC Africa. ''This [contract] alarmed SASFED since CNBC Africa does not act to promote local content production, especially in the independent production sector. SASFED called for this money to rather be made available to Gauteng based companies in the independent production sector, if they were to survive these tough times.''

SASFED said the contract has now been cancelled. I've also asked CNBC Africa for reaction and I'm still awaiting a response.