MultiChoice to add talk radio station POWER 98.7 to DStv's audio channel line-up from 26 May on channel 889.

MultiChoice will be adding the fast-growing talk radio station POWER 98.7 from 26 May to DStv's audio channel line-up.

South Africans across the country will now be able to listen to the Gauteng talk radio station's programming on DStv's audio channel 889 and voices like Masechaba Lekalake, Tim Modise, Iman Rappetti and Hajra Omarjee.

"The partnership with DStv enables us to spread our tentacles to provide this growing listenership with compelling content," says Andile Khumalo, POWER 98.7's managing director.

MultiChoice already carries radio stations like talk competitors 702 and 567 Cape Talk, as well as local radio stations like YFM and Kaya FM, Jacaranda FM, 94.7, MetroFM, Highveld Stereo and KFM, and a large number of international radio stations.

Aletta Alberts, general manager of content at MultiChoice says DStv's addition of POWER 98.7 is part of giving pay-TV subscribers access to compelling content "and the chance to shape and influence the narrative".

Somewhat strangely Andile Khumalo in the DStv statement announcing the radio channel addition, echoes exactly the same words as Aletta Alberts, also saying that POWER 98.7 is delighted that MultiChoice shares its vision of providing a platform "that will shape and influence the national narrative".

POWER 98.7 will be available in South Africa and Lesotho on DStv Premium, DStv Extra, DStv Compact, DStv Family, DStv Access and DStv EasyView, as well as on DStv's Indian and Portuguese packages.

Union threatens to take SABC to Broadcasting Complaints Commission over alleged erroneous SABC News reporting over government wage offer.

The Independent Labour Caucus (ILC) is threatening to take the SABC to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) for allegedly erroneously reporting that a wage offer for government workers has been rejected.

The SABC's SABC News allegedly reported from this past Friday until Tuesday morning that a possible government wage offer has been rejected and that strike action is allegedly also threatened.

The SABC "caused great embarrassment," says Basil Manuel, the chairperson and spokesperson for the ILC.

"We told the SABC when we first heard this broadcast on Friday night that it was untrue," says Basil Manuel. Yet the SABC allegedly kept broadcasting the erroneous story.

The ILC says it demands a right of reply from the SABC, and is also threatening to lay an official complaint with the BCCSA over the SABC's reporting.

Former suspended SABC TV boss Leo Manne resurfaces at Trace as the TV group's new senior vice president for Southern Africa.

The former and suspended SABC TV boss Leo Manne who resigned last month at the public broadcaster, has suddenly resurfaced at Trace where he has just been appointed in a new position to look after the TV entertainment group's Southern Africa region.

Leo Manne is the newly appointed senior vice president for the Southern African region for Trace which runs TV channels like Trace Sport Stars (DStv 188) and Trace Urban (DStv 325) on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform.

Leo Manne left the SABC under a cloud at the end of April after he resigned, following a protracted 7 months suspension and investigation since the end of September last year for a possible disciplinary hearing.

Leo Manne, previously the longtime SABC1 channel head who was then promoted to general manager for TV channels over SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3 at the SABC, was suspended by the SABC on 25 September 2014, "pending investigations".

The suspension followed over allegations that he was listed as a director of Siyaya TV, one of the new pay-TV operators who received a licence in 2014 from the broadcasting regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) to start a new subscription television service.

Siyaya Free to Air TV will be a new competitor for not just MultiChoice's DStv, On Digital Media's (ODM) StarSat and Platco Digital's OpenView HD (OVHD) but also terrestrial broadcasters like the SABC and e.tv.

Siyaya Free to Air TV for instance snagged the exclusive TV broadcasting and radio rights to Bafana Bafana games last year in a 6-year deal reportedly worth more than R1 billion, taking it away from the SABC which used to have it and show these soccer games on SABC1.

After months of being suspended, Leo Manne took his case to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), demanding to be reinstated as the general manager for TV channels at the SABC.

In April however, the CCMA ruled in favour of the SABC. The CCMA says "in the matter between the SABC and Leonard Moeranne Manne an arbitration award was issued on 21 April 2015 with the arbitrator ruling in favour of the employer of the employer".

Leo Manne tendered his official resignation from his SABC position after the CCMA ruling, which also brought to an end to the SABC's investigation which dragged along.

Trace has now hired Leo Manne, saying in a statement he will now oversee all broadcast media related operations within the Southern Africa region as Trace's new senior vice president after he's meandered through South Africa's media industry.

"I have always embraced any opportunity in my career that has allowed me to work with and create great media brands, especially in the context of a rapidly changing television and entertainment environment," says Leo Manne.

Leo Manne says he is looking forward to delivering "compelling and engaging localised content" for Trace.

"Leo Manne's specialised skills in broadcast media will prove to be a valuable asset to Trace moving forward and we welcome his unquestionable talents," says Olivier Laouchez, Trace CEO.

SABC2 'humbly apologises' for 7de Laan's graphic violence and language; admits it 'did not provide sufficient warning regarding the violent scenes'.

SABC2 says the public broadcaster's TV channel "humbly apologises" to viewers over its 7de Laan soap and the graphic violence and inappropriate language shown during episodes in February and admits that it failed to warn viewers properly.

The SABC2 apology comes after the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) again found that 7de Laan, produced by Danie Odendaal Productions, and SABC2 were found to have breached the broadcasters' code of conduct - this time with a two episode hostage drama shown in February.

Following viewers' complaints, the BCCSA earlier this month slammed SABC2 and the predominantly Afrikaans weekday soap on the channel in its judgment, finding that the violent hostage drama depicted in Oppiekoffie in 7de Laan was unsuitable for the timeslot and that SABC2 and the soap failed to provide viewers with adequate warning.

The BCCSA says 7de Laan was "too explicit" in what it showed during the 18:30 timeslot - the second time 7de Laan was reprimanded for too explicit violence.

The BCCSA found that 7de Laan on SABC2 showed "graphic and explicit scenes" of "repetitive, multiple instances of pointing guns in a threatening manner", verbal abuse and unwelcome suggestions of a sexual nature, a hostage bleeding profusely, the traumatised mother of a crying baby who was taken by an attacker, and a character suffering a heart attack.

"Family viewing time, when large numbers of children are part of the audience, is not the appropriate time to highlight issues such as hostage dramas where injury and the death of innocent people occur," the BCCSA ruled.

"In light of the public complaints following the broadcast of the 7de Laan hostage drama scenes on SABC2 in February, the SABC humbly apologizes to viewers who may have been offended by the aforementioned scenes," says SABC2.

"We acknowledge that we did not provide sufficient warning regarding the violent scenes to our viewers. We further assure our viewers that 7de Laan reflects family values and remains a soap that is suitable for family viewing," says SABC2.

The BCCSA ordered 7de Laan and SABC2 to broadcast a lengthy on-screen statement, as well as an accompanying voice-over telling viewers that 7de Laan and the channel had erred in broadcasting explicit violence in an unsuitable family viewing timeslot with an inadequate warning.

Three years ago in June 2012 the BCCSA found that SABC2 and 7de Laan crossed the line with a too explicit portrayal of attempted suicide and the events depicted too graphic for the timeslot.

SABC2 and 7de Laan were then issued with a reprimand and the broadcaster cautioned to be even more careful with material that is broadcast during family time.

Vodacom and Naspers talking about sharing DStv video content; looking at customers paying a fixed amount for video data instead of per megabyte.

Vodacom and Naspers are having discussions about the possibility of letting their South African customers download movies and episodes of TV shows but paying a fixed amount instead of the exorbitant data costs per megabyte which has held back the uptake and growth of video-on-demand (VOD) and other over-the-top (OTT) services.

Bloomberg reports that Vodacom is having talks with media and TV company Naspers to bring DStv video content through its pay-TV platform MultiChoice to mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.

A deal between the big companies could bring new impetus to South Africa's severely constrained and lagging broadband infrastructure and investment.

The roll-out of new services and video-on-demand growth in South Africa have been slow, hampered by years of government inaction and incompetence, as well as bureaucracy at the country's slow-moving broadcasting regulator.

The consumer uptake of video-on-demand (VOD) and OTT services in South Africa, as well as things like digital video mobile broadcasting or DVB-H, have been severely held back the past decade due to a slow-moving and constricted regulatory environment.

On a practical level, limited broadband availability and roll-out for instance has resulted in extremely high data costs involved for ordinary South African consumers who are scared to make use of it and also don't have the money to pay for it.

With expensive uncapped internet connections in the minority in South Africa, consumers with restrictive capped connections and slow connection speeds who want to use even a little bit of data to make video calls or watch video like a movie or TV shows, quickly run into debilitating price points where making use of these services become too expensive.

Besides paying a rental fee per movie release or making use of VOD services, South African customers are burdened with the additional high cost of the actual data used which is quickly gobbled up when accessing video downloading and streaming services like Times Media's VIDI, MTN's FrontRow or MultiChoice's DStv Catch Up.

Last week for instance, Altron TMT admitted that it's Altech Node which it launched in September 2014 was an flop, with sales for the expensive video-on-demand (VOD) set-top box (STB) and service "below expectations with regard to retail customer take-up".

MultiChoice for instance warns DStv subscribers watching video on tablets and smartphones that it recommends uncapped data accounts because "downloading video consumes large amounts of data so please be aware of your data package limits and costs".

It comes as the global VOD streaming service Netflix plans to enter South Africa soon as a new competitor and market disruptor. Netflix told TV with Thinus in January that it plans to be operational and definitely available to South African customers before the end of next year.

According to Bloomberg, Vodacom and Naspers are now considering allowing customers to download a movie or show to a smartphone or tablet for a fixed fee instead of "billing per megabyte".

A deal would mean that customers would be able to download DStv on Demand movies and shows through Vodacom for a cheaper fixed price, without the insanely high cost that comes with the data use of a 500MB or more movie download or streaming, in addition to the rental fee.

Shameel Joosub, Vodacom's chief executive officer (CEO) told Bloomberg that Vodacom - which recently shocked and angered consumers with a unilateral tariff hike from May - plans to sell its own video content to customers. "That's where we'll evolve," said Shameel Joosub.

A deal between Vodacom and Naspers would be the first new big partnership between the two since Vodacom started selling the two DStv Select bouquet offerings from MultiChoice in June 2007, a packaged product agreement which was terminated in late 2011, with legacy DStv Select subscribers being phased out.

GOING UP. Veteran British South African actor, director and stage legend Rex Garner has died.

The veteran British born film, stage and TV actor and director Rex Garner who came to South Africa in 1968 to carve out a new chapter in South Africa's growing stage and entertainment sphere, died Sunday night.

"Rest in peace, Rex Garner," wrote actress Judy Ditchfield, a former actress in the SABC3 soap Isidingo on Monday on social media.

"Thank you for starting me on my journey in comedy. For the many lessons I learnt from you in the many productions I did with you, thank you. Say hi to Gordie for us. Rest in peace Rex. You were the King of Comedy in South Africa."

Comedian, producer and director Tim Plewman said "my great friend and mentor, Rex Garner passed away last night. I am broken with sadness. May be find his way".

South African television viewers will mainly remember Rex Garner for his TV role as the lawyer Reginald Cluver in the Penguin Films comedy Going Up opposite Joe Mafela and June van Merch which just started again last week with its umpteenth rebroadcast on the SABC's just started rerun channel SABC Encore (DStv 156) on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform.

It just the tip of the iceberg however for a supremely prolific and long career in the performance arts for Rex Garner, who appeared in and directed a vast number of plays over several decades in South Africa - which included several farces especially with great friend and fellow thesp Gordon Mulholland.

Rex Garner made over 200 TV appearances in various TV shows in the United Kingdom, and added appearances in several more in South African television and played in and directed more than 150 plays in South Africa by 2005.

On South African television Rex Garner played the lead role in Molière's The Miser for which he received the Tonight Best Actor Award and was nominated for an Artes Best Actor Award. He was also nominated for a Best Actor Award in The Settlers after which 4 seasons of Going Up followed.

Rex Garner first came to South Africa in the late 60's after first visiting in 1968 to direct and star in Uproar in the House.

He then commuted between South Africa and the United Kingdom for some time after which he moved here permanently in 1974 as artistic director for the Academy Theatre until it closed in 1979.

He joined Pieter Toerien in several stage productions, winning several awards in South Africa for serious to comedic roles, as well as directing. In 1983 for instance he won two Fleur du Cap Awards - Best Director for Noises Off and Best Actor for Mass Appeal which made him the first person to receive both awards in the same year.

Rightly described as "a legend in his own lifetime" Rex Garner's career saw him become one of South Africa's most respected and renowned directors of theatre.

Today's interesting TV stories to read from TV with Thinus - 16 May 2015.

The Good Wife's Julianna Margulies and ArchiePanjabi absolute HATE each other.
The Good Wife lied to viewers and filmed scenes separately in which they appear opposite each other in the season finale and then spliced it together so that the actresses don't have to appear together. Body doubles were also used.
The final scene on The Good Wife between the two actresses was a complete fake and neither were there together, reports Entertainment Weekly as well due to a long running feud.


More behind-the-scenes drama in South Africa's derailed and fracturous digital terrestrial television (DTT) migration.
One of the latest scandals involve different manufacturers who all want in on the lucractive contracts as the government bail-out millions (the process was hijacked by manufacturers, among others, leaving viewers in the cold) squabbling over getting quoted different prices to make the set-top boxes (STB's).

Al Jazeera America's hated CEO Ehab Al Shihabi who refused to leave is gone now and back in Doha.
CNN Money reports that since Al Anstey, peviously the managing director of Al Jazeera English (DStv 406 / StarSat 257) was roped in to take over last week, and that staff feel that wilEhab Al Shihabi gone "people are relieved and hopeful".


Disney's CEO has the vision of wanting to create entire TV channels dedicated to Star Wars and Marvel Comics.
Bob Iger says Disney wants to take these creations directly to the consumer, like it is doing with Star Wars Rebels on Disney XD (DStv 304) for instance.

Survivor as a reality show has managed to outwit and outlast the now cancelled American Idol ...
... because of Jeff Probst.

David Lynch is finally onboard the reboot of Twin Peaks.
Salary and budget problems have finally been overcome. David Lynch will direct all 9 episodes.

It's 15 years ago that Beverly Hills, 90210 ended after 10 seasons.
What would the original characters' names be today if they were in West Beverly High?


Why is it so difficult to end a really great TV show?
The New York Times Magazine says the past 2 decades of great TV has proven that the better the TV, the harder it has become to say goodbye to it.
"The underlying problem is that a TV series' life span is an exceedingly unnatural thing, determined more by ratings, contractual obligations and other corporate-side concerns than by the ideal length of the show's narrative and a writer's original vision."


K.C. Undercover renewed for a 2nd season.
The Disney Channel (DStv 303) comedy with Zendaya will be back for another season.


Discovery also orders a special documentary after the Nepal earthquakes.
Following National Geographic Channel (DStv 181) making the Earthquake on Everest TV documentary special by Sky Vision Productions, Discovery Networks International (DNI) has commissioned Aftershock: Disaster in Nepal made by ITN Productions.


CBS Reality (DStv 132) is going to gets its very first original show.
CBS Reality, which is run by AMC Networks International, is going to get Donal MacIntyre: Unsolved, the channel's very first original series. The 12 episode, hour long series will follow the investigative journalist and presenter Donal MacIntyre analysing notorious unsolved crime stories. He will use interviews and case files to explore why the cases in question were never solved.


And finally ...
Non-TV: The New York Times' brutal and brutally honest review of Mariah Carey's Las Vegas residency.
The great critique of the fading elusive chanteuse and "her laserlike shrieks" at her new Las Vegas gig might give the poor thing an emotional breakdown.

Today's interesting TV stories to read from TV with Thinus - 15 May 2015.

The SABC's SABC Encore (DStv 156) forces old programming onto viewers.
Launching SABC Encore with old programming was not a savvy move, SABC should instead be focusing on producing new content like other channels and broadcasters.

Mwasa accuses SABC of "battle of attrition" against staffer who was allegedly attacked.
Union says the SABC is allegedly unfair in the case in which a staffer has made a case against the SABC's head of news, Jimi Matthews, after she was allegedly assaulted by him during the State of the Nation Address earlier this year. The SABC allegedly insist that its matricless chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng "should preside on the case".


The Simpsons fired Mr Burns
Because actor Harry Shearer refused to accept the same contrained contract to do no other work which all the other voice actors accepted. The Simpsons producer tries to explain and gives his side of the story, saying he hopes Harry Shearer comes back.


The future of The Vampire Diaries and Supernatural.
The CW channel head in America reveals what he thinks of both these longrunning shows.
And Nina Dobrev is essential to The Vampire Diaries, how on earth can she leave?


Melissa Rivers slams Giuliana Rancic, Kelly Osbourne and Kathy Griffin.
Says Kathy Griffin who took over Fashion Police on E! Entertainment (DStv 124) "sh-t all over my mother's legacy". Look at the whole, fascinating 52 minute interview of YouTube filled with several other insights (like how the press and media always go for the free food at functions - so true!)


With CSI ending after 15 years, that TV show's legacy is everywhere.
The forensic drama formulae that CSI invented can now be seen everywhere across TV. Meanwhile the experts on spin-off CSI: Cyber on M-Net (DStv 101) seem clueless and don't know what they're doing.

Watch the trailer for the ooh new and awesome looking science fiction drama, Childhood's End.
Of course based on Arthur C. Clarke's novel. (Sidenote: Please, please, please, please can MultiChoice just add Syfy? That channel is in a dramatic quality, genre content resurgence. Adding Syfy now will be the same as adding MGM which turned into AMC which will suddenly have The Walking Dead spin-off upping its street cred.)

MASSIVE MILESTONE. Legendary producer George Mazarakis marks 20 years as executive producer of Carte Blanche on M-Net.

Carte Blanche on Sundays at 19:00 on M-Net celebrates an utterly massive milestone today: it is exactly 20 years today that the legendary producer George Mazarakis has been the showrunner as executive producer of the long running weekly investigative magazine show.

In the whole of South Africa's TV industry George Mazarakis' achievement is unparalled, sharing the remarkable honour with only one other person - Patience Stevens of Tswelopele Productions who've been steering the SABC's popular weekly glamorous lifestyle magazine show Top Billing on SABC3 for 23 years now as executive producer since 1992.

Besides George Mazarakis and Patience Stevens who've both surpassed two decades as the same executive producer still working on their respective weekly hour long shows, nobody else in all of South African television can claim the same daunting feat - made even more remarkable given the mercurial nature of channel line-ups and whims of broadcasters where local TV shows are annually commissioned and cancelled a dime a dozen.

Carte Blanche will celebrate its 27th anniversary in September on M-Net, with George Mazarakis who've deftly steered it for 20 of those years as M-Net's flagship show.

Carte Blanche, produced by Combined Artistic Productions, has not only maintained its true Sunday night appointment television cache over the past decades but has perennially remained the most watched show and most watched local show on M-Net.

Occasionally bumped by Idols some weeks, Carte Blanche has always reclaimed its top ratings spot on the most watched programme list, weathering anything from the biggest buzz-making American shows of any given season to local reality productions with its uncompromised credibility and mix of tantalising stories, unflinching consumer exposes and newsmaker profiles.  

Besides garnering countless awards and accolades, Carte Blanche has maintained its number one position as M-Net's most watched show for a mindboggling (and counting) 1 040 weeks.

With its slogan of "the right to see it all", George Mazarakis has remained an unabashed, outspoken advocate for press freedom in South Africa as Carte Blanche kept evolving, constantly pushing the boundaries of what's possible for the investigative magazine TV genre from the pre-internet, pre hashtag era, to today's multi-media, multi-screen and multi-channel television environment.

In 2008 George Mazarakis was instrumental in starting Carte Blanche's "Making a Difference" campaign, setting out to raise R20 million. Instead the campaign became a movement and has since raised more than R100 million to make a real difference in ordinary South Africans' lives.

"I first met George Mazarakis in 1995 when he accepted the appointment as executive producer of Carte Blanche; an academic from Rhodes University with experience in both television and radio," says Jon Sparks, the owner of Combined Artistic Productions, who calls George Mazarakis "a giant" in South Africa's TV industry.

"Over the past 35 years I've been fortunate enough to work with many talented producers in film and television but none have come close to matching the determination and dedication that George has shown at the helm of Carte Blanche," says Jon Sparks.

"He has a fiercely loyal and dedicated team that perform miracles week after week and whilst he always maintains that he merely guides the ship – we all know that George Mazarakis is Carte Blanche."

"Try to imagine having to deliver 1 hour of television every single week for 20 years. That's daunting stuff," says Jon Sparks.

"The pressure is relentless. Critical deadlines, legal issues, viewings at odd hours and over weekends and of course the need to produce a programme that will entertain the viewers when they sit down at 19:00 on a Sunday evening to watch a show that will provoke thought, anger, laughter, tears and hope."

"How does anyone maintain the same level of dedication and commitment  to show number 1 041 as you did to show number 1?  Surely that can only be achieved by an extraordinary person. What an honour and privilege to work alongside a true giant in our industry," says Jon Sparks.

This Sunday night Carte Blanche on M-Net will once again bring viewers that just-right mix of can't look away stories. Devi Sankaree Govender will investigate the 3 500 farm murders reported since 1990, investigate the medicinal use of dagga, Derek Watts has a story about elder abuse, and Bongani Bingwa interviews Mmusi Maimane, the new top man of the Democratic Alliance (DA) political party.