SABC advertises for positions of CEO, COO, head of SABC radio and audit boss - in print - a year after saying it won't place ads in print media anymore.

The beleaguered South African public broadcaster is advertising for a new chief executive officer and a new chief operating officer - and in print - a year after announcing its ditching external media for job ads.

On Sunday the SABC paid for placed advertisements in English South African newspapers like The Sunday Times and City Press exactly a year after SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago in April 2016 said that the embattled broadcaster has "decided that it will advertise its employment vacancies and tender advertisements on the SABC's television, radio and digital platforms only".

At the time the SABC said "this decision will be implemented with immediate effect; the public broadcaster will no longer place advertisements in any print and other media platforms".

On Sunday the SABC said its looking for a new permanent CEO, COO, chief audit executive and a head of SABC radio - positions that had been vacant for months at the broke broadcaster that's lurching from crisis to crisis and asked Treasury last week for another mega bailout.

The closing date for applications for these positions are 26 May 2017 and enquiries about the positions can be made to Mosima Selekisho at mosimas@talent-africa.co.za and telephone 011 771 4800.

Notably the position of SABC COO - formerly occupied by the famously matricless and controversial Hlaudi Motsoeneng currently suspended and facing a new disciplinary hearing this week - requires candidates now to have "a relevant post-graduate qualification", 10 years experience in the broadcasting industry of which 5 years must be at executive level in the media industry.

The SABC last advertised for a CEO seven months ago in October 2016 but no appointment was made after the broadcaster fired Frans Matlala who was allegedly axed because he helped National Treasury with an investigation into Hlaudi Motsoeneng's procurement of a multi-million rand studio that was constructed without having been put out to tender.

The new SABC CEO - the troubled public broadcaster has gone through 11 since 2009 with James Aguma as the latest acting CEO - faces one the biggest challenges in the corporation's history with the SABC again on the brink of financial collapse as it was seven years ago when it got a R1.47 billion government bailout.

The SABC only has R110 million the bank, recorded a massive loss of R509 million in the fourth quarter of 2016 and its losses in the three quarters of 2016/2017 now stands at over R1 billion - its biggest loss in a financial year.

For months, since February, the SABC has been unable to pay content producers and struggling South African production companies what they're due, with the new minister of communications, Ayanda Dlodlo who will be meeting with the Independent Producers' Organisation (IPO) this week.

SABC's human resources boss Mohlolo Lephaka dead after short illness; called parliament 'a kangaroo court' and had to apologise publicly.

The SABC's human resources boss Mohlolo Lephaka is dead following a short illness; he died on Saturday morning.

Mohlolo Lephaka called South Africa's parliament "a kangaroo court" in December 2016 during the special ad hoc committee investigating corruption, maladministration and mismanagement at the SABC and the former SABC board, and was forced to publicly apologise weeks later.

Mohlolo Lephaka called parliament "a kangaroo court" at a controversial press briefing of the SABC's former chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng in Cape Town, where he also decided to talk.

Mohlolo Lephaka died Saturday morning after a short, unspecified illness.

The SABC in a statement noted Mohlolo Lephaka's passing and said it extended condolences to his family and friends.

Actor Mandla Hlatswayo shot and killed during Johannesburg robbery; tried to intervene when Pimville pub was being robbed.

The South African actor and DJ Mandla Hlatswayo, not to be confused with the reality TV star of the same name, has been shot and killed during a robbery attempt Sunday night in Johannesburg.

Mandla Hlatswayo who had roles previously in SABC1's Generations as Siphiwe Phosa for seven years and also appeared in the second season of Soul City in 1996.

Mandla Hlatswayo was killed when he was shot together with someone else in Pimville, Soweto during a robbery where he tried to intervene in the pub that was being robbed.

Mpho Mhlongo, JoziFM CEO where Mandla Hlatswayo was a DJ says in a statement on Facebook: "It is with sadness that I inform you of the passing of our beloved brother, friend and colleague, Mandla Hlatshwayo. He was gunned down last night at Meli pub in Pimville. He will be sorely missed. May his humble soul Rest In Peace!"

SABC CEO James Aguma shocks parliament: Wants Broadcasting Act changed so people require a SABC TV licence for more devices like computers, wants DStv to collect fees, wants news sponsored.

SABC acting CEO James Aguma shocked on Wednesday by telling parliament the SABC wants the Broadcasting Act changed to include more viewing devices so that more people need a SABC TV licence, for instance for computers, cellphones and tablets.

James Aguma wants DStv forced to collect SABC TV licence fees on behalf of the SABC. James Aguma also wants the SABC's news commercially sponsored.

James Aguma, SABC executives and the SABC's new interim board appeared before parliament's portfolio committee on communications to brief members of parliament about the latest situation at the crisis-riddled public broadcaster and its revised corporate plan.

James Aguma said the SABC is budgeting for lower revenue from SABC TV licences this year, but that the SABC wants to see changes made to the Broadcasting Act to make it mandatory for people to pay a TV licence for more devices they view content on.

James Aguma in parliament said the SABC wants "changes to the Broadcasting Act to increase revenue from television licences. Here we're saying the majority of non-payers of TV licences may be brought into the net if we can change the Broadcasting Act due to two things".

"One to define what a receiving device is - a TV - because now you can view content on different platforms. Yet the Act is only talking to a limited devices. So we need to do that."

"Also probably compelling some of the commercial broadcasters to make sure that they can collect TV licences on behalf of the SABC."

James Aguma told parliament that if the Broadcasting Act is changed, it would broaden the collection base for SABC TV licences which in turn would help to increase the potential revenue the public broadcaster could collect from this income stream.

Currently people are required to pay a TV licence for a device that can receive a TV signal. 

As video-on-demand (VOD), digital broadcasting and video content channeled through other device however grows, millions more South Africans are watching TV content on computers, laptops, cellphones, tablets and other devices.

"We also want a review of the Icasa regulations for sponsorship of news," said James Aguma, telling parliament the SABC that has to provide impartial, unbiased and non-commercial news, wants commercial sponsorship of news programming that is currently not allowed under broadcasting regulations.

James Aguma first told parliament about this in March 2017 and now, two months later, mentioned the idea again.

James Aguma told parliament the SABC spent R649 million the past three years on broadcasting news and gets R100 million per year from MultiChoice for its SABC News (DStv 404) channel.

"We don't get any revenue from that [news]. So we're saying, if there are changes to this, then probably we can close the gap between the cost from broadcasting news and the revenue that is limited to what we get from MultiChoice."

"We want to find inventive ways of collecting SABC TV licence revenues, one of which is changing the Broadcasting Act to assist us in that regard".

RATINGS APRIL 2017: On SABC1 Skeem Saam pops, while SABC3's second batch of local shows flops.

The struggling SABC continued to lose TV viewers in April as SABC2 and SABC3 again shed viewers and audience share in the past month while SABC3's debut of a second batch of local shows all flopped like the first batch in 2016.

While e.tv's new April launched telenovela Broken Vows is a ratings dud at 20:00 opposite power house Generations, SABC1's Skeem Saam is proving to be South African television's most valuable player, topping 7 million viewers for the first time in April after it steadily gained more than one million viewers since the start of the year.

While SABC1's managed to up its audience share in April, SABC2 and SABC3 are down as South Africa's TV ratings continue to flash red for the public broadcaster, indicative of the worsening financial and management crisis the SABC finds itself in.

SABC1

It a show that gets little coverage and is under-reported but there is a SABC TV success story: Skeem Saam is SABC1's most valuable player when it comes to ratings, having grown its audience by over 1 million viewers in just four months - an astonishing feat.

From 5.97 million viewers in December 2016, Skeem Saam has robustly grown its viewership to 7.02 million viewers in April 2017, crossing the 7 million mark for the first time ever.

The show continues to track as the third highest rated show monthly on SABC1 and also the third most watched show on all of South African television.

In April, one episode of Generations The Legacy, on 18 April, lured 109 361 more viewers than Uzalo, making Generations the most watched show on SABC1 for the first time in 2017 with 8.92 million viewers, compared to Uzalo's 8.81 million viewers - the show that usually holds the top "most watched" spot.

April saw rating surges for both the Xhosa and Zulu TV news bulletins on SABC1, growing from 4.18 and 4.32 million to 4.61 and 4.57 million viewers respectively.

Other SABC1 shows that managed to add viewers include Friends Like These from 2.9 to 3.58 million viewers, Ngempela from 2.76 to 3.24 million viewers, Nyan Nyan from 3.09 to 4.12 million viewers, and Mokapelo from 2.64 to 3.09 million viewers.


SABC2

Like a glacier, the ongoing worrying trend is continuing of SABC2's overall viewership and audience slide. In April SABC2's numbers receded further, although its top show, Muvhango edged up from 6.24 million to 6.42 million viewers.

Also up on SABC2 is local telenovela Keeping Score from 2.58 to 2.62 million viewers, Afrikaans soap 7de Laan from a disastrous 2.05 to 2.31 million viewers, the Afrikaans news from a low of 1.34 to 1.37 million viewers, the Venda TV news bulletin from a low 928 145 to 1.01 million viewers, and sitcom Skwizas from 1.34 to 1.43 million viewers.

Down is Bones of my Bones from 2.41 to 2.22 million viewers, with the Sotho and Setswana TV news bulletin continuing to bleed viewers in its 20:00 timeslot, down from 1.21 to 1.01 million viewers.

The perennial Afrikaans music competition show, Noot vir Noot is a shocking shadow of its past since its misguided move from Friday to Thursday nights.

Noot vir Noot has shed over half of its former viewership. Ratings have slumped to barely 1.07 million viewers for its highest rated episode on 20 April, compared to the average of over 2.2 million viewers it used to get in previous seasons.

In fact, the umpteenth old rebroadcast of Afrikaans sitcom Vetkoekpaleis that has no production cost overheads for the SABC lures more viewers than Noot vir Noot, with the library title luring 1.28 million viewers to SABC2 in the same 19:00 timeslot on Mondays, compared to Noot vir Noot on Thursdays.


SABC3

The disastrous ratings destruction continues for SABC3 that saw a further sad slide in viewership and audience share in April. SABC3's entire second batch of local shows introduced in the month, except one, are flops.

While "the stage is yours" at SABC3, the channel shockingly continues to bleed viewers, advertisers and cash on local shows viewers don't want to watch - everything on the channel except local soap Isidingo in first place in April with 1.3 million viewers is now languishing with less than a million viewers.

SABC3 introduced a second barrage of local shows in April with big fanfare but they're nowhere in the ratings except for the Friday comedy Soap on a Rope that managed to lure a measly 469 102 viewers.

While costing the SABC money, other new local shows are ratings wash-outs, from The Hostess with Lorna Maseko, Driving in Heels, Dinner Date SA, Tyres and Braaiers and Uyanda: It's On, to Thula's Vine, Is That a Fact? and The Good Life.

The SABC's flagship TV news, its English bulletin at 18:00 on SABC3 fell further in April from 756 753 to just 638 978 viewers.

Moved an hour later and now broadcast live for its new third season is paying dividends for local talker Real Talk with Anele with Anele Mdoda and produced by Cheeky Media, that for the first time became a ratings grabber with a still low, but there, 530 259 viewers.

Things are also working out for the advertiser-funded production (AFP) Tropika Island of Treasure of which the 7th season moved from SABC1 to SABC3 and is now the 12th most watched show on the channel with 520 885 viewers.

SABC3 viewers still show up for international fare.

In April they watched movies like One in the Chamber (832 168), Blue Caprice (659 568), Nora Roberts' Tribute (609 043), Northern Lights (564 854), Nora Roberts' High Noon (563 833), All is Lost (563 337), Midnight Bayou (547 868) and Fallen Not Forgotten (516 652).

SABC3 viewers also stuck around for the new season of Survivor: San Juan Del Sur (470 434) that started, and The Bold and the Beautiful (469 814) weakened by yet another SABC timeslot move.

Bollywood films Deiva Thirumagal (498 021) and Ek Deewana Tha (484 900) rounded out SABC3's April list of top 20 most watched programmes.


e.tv

Topping e.tv's most watched shows in April were Scandal! (4.58 million) and Rhythm City (3.22 million) both stable although slight off from March highs, followed by WWE Wrestling Raw ticking up from 2.55 to 2.79 million viewers.

Up against the SABC1 Generations juggernaut, e.tv's newly launched in April telenovela Broken Vows was nowhere in the ratings and failed to make the list of e.tv's 20 most watched shows during the month.


DStv
On pay-TV Our Perfect Wedding on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) remained steady at 1.57 million viewers in April as the most watched show, followed by soaps Isibaya and Igazi with 1.25 million viewers respectively, and Date My Family in 4th place with 1.15 million viewers.

Continuing the M-Net packaged channel's total viewership dominance in April, Mzansi Magic also grabbed the 5th to 10th places of most watched shows on pay-TV with Saints and Sinners (902 888), The Queen (842 348), Lockdown (730 344), Isithembiso (729 360) and Isikizi (652 754).

Besides Mzansi Magic, soccer matches broadcast on SuperSport 3 and SuperSport 4 did the rest of the heavy lifting for DStv in April with the Absa Premiership, Uefa Champions League, Premier League, La Liga and Nedbank Cup bringing the boys to the yard and grabbing 13 places on DStv's list of 30 most watched programmes.

NOLLY LOVES BOLLY. Nigeria's obsession with Bollywood and the Zee World channel on DStv sparks a film series, Zee World Madness.

Nigerian viewers are so enthralled by Bollywood and specifically the Zee World channel on DStv that a Nigerian filmmaker produced a 6-episode film series, Zee World Madness, hilariously chronicling Nigerians' new Bollywood and Zee World obsession.

Zee World recently marked its second anniversary in February since it was launched on 3 February 2015 on channel 166 on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform in South Africa and the rest of Africa and added to GOtv.

Recently Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) added further channels, Zee Bollymovies and Zee Bollynova, for African viewers with English-dubbed Bollywood content including films and series.

Zee World Madness, produced by Diamond Movies International Ltd and directed by Mac Collins Chidebe, shows how Nigerians are obsessed with the colours, fashions and drama that Zee World bring to viewers - with tragic, but also humorous and funny effect, even including some Bolly-Africa dance numbers.

Although not authorised by ZEEL, Zee is basking in the glow of the fan appreciation, and has only good things to say about the Bolly-crazy Zee World Madness that has 6 "episodes" of about 50 minutes each that is now available on YouTube.

Zee says that since the launch of a bespoke feed, Zee has become the number one destination for Bollywood on the African continent.

According to ZEEL, the launch of the made-for-Africa feed has seen Zee World become very successful in South Africa and Nigeria.

"We are excited to see that Zee World has been rocking Nigerian audiences and how the channel is influencing their day to day lives," says Harish Goyal, CEO of Zee TV Africa.

"The fascination and love with Zee World and the Bollywood culture itself only serves to re-emphasise that at the heart of it all, we are all the same. Culture, colour and the triumps and lows of our relationships are a unifying force that certainly bring us all together."

Here's a trailer of Zee World Madness:

After 4 years Ayanda-Allie Paine returns to eNCA to anchor a new, softer news, weekend breakfast TV strand, Weekend Wake Up.

Ayanda-Allie Paine is returning to eNCA (DStv 403) where she will anchor a new weekend morning programming strand, Weekend Wake Up from this Saturday and Sunday between 07:00 and 10:00.

The former eNCA'er left the eMedia Investments TV news channel in mid-2013 but is now back after stints at the SABC's SABC News channel and Morning Live and then Power FM where she resigned in September 2016.

Weekend Wake Up is a new news and lifestyle show that will revolve around entertainment, lifestyle and family issues and also include sport as eNCA tries to compete more directly with SABC2's Morning Live Weekend editions during the same timeslot on Saturdays and Sundays and ANN7's Vuka Africa that has a softer approach.

"It's news, with a little more breathing room," says eNCA channel news director Mapi Mhlangu.

"There is a different energy on weekends. Weekend Wake Up is designed for those who want to stay informed - but in a more reflective and relaxed way."

"The weekend breakfast show has a little more room to fully explore important topics for the South African public. Ayanda-Allie brings the perfect balance for this show as she has a strong news instinct but is also quite comfortable kicking back and exploring more feature-driven and lifestyle topics".

Ayanda-Allie Payne in a statement says returning to eNCA after the SABC and Power FM "is more of a homecoming" and that "having started my television career in the channel and then venturing out onto other platforms, it seemed like a natural progression for me to go back to an environment" like eNCA.

Comedy Central on DStv's new Trump card: Channel adds The President Show, with Anthony Atamanuik as Donald Trump, to Friday nights.

Orange is the new comedy on Comedy Central (DStv 122) with the African feed of the channel that has added the funny new The President Show to its schedule, starting on Friday 5 May after The Daily Show.

The hilarious new weekly The President Show with Anthony Atamanuik started last week in America where it is shown on Thursdays following The Daily Show, which means that South African and African viewers are seeing an episode one week after America.

In the way that Stephen Colbert played a fictional news reporter alter-ego on The Daily Show, Anthony Atamanuik plays a version of America's president Donald Trump, with Peter Grosz as his sidekick vice president Mike Pence.

Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) jumped to add the new late night show, produced by Clone World Productions, to Comedy Central Africa's line-up.

Anthony Atamanuik started impersonating Donald Trump during America's 2016 presidential campaign and then toured through America.

In a statement about The President Show, Anthony Atamanuik said: "Laughing at the president is a proud American tradition and we hope not to disappoint anyone in that department."

"But our political system is too broken for us to be content joking about one man, even though he is a disastrous silly little toddler boy. Mostly I'd just like to thank Comedy Central for giving us this platform to speak truth to power and if we're lucky, end up in prison!"

Comedy Central says "just like a certain chief executive in Washington, The President Show gleefully tosses out the rule book of its predecessors" and will feature "no unfair questions from reporters, no awkward photo ops with German ladies and no bedtimes. Just a fun show where he can put his unique Trumpian spin on such late-night staples as desk segments, field pieces and guest interviews".

.@LateNightDonald makes a surprising announcement. No, he's not resigning. #PresidentShowpic.twitter.com/9u5toBgxSh

— The President Show (@PresidentShow) April 3, 2017

Top Billing doesn't like vagina: Former director Pamela Power tells of how she botched an insert for The Vagina Monologues because the show didn't want the word 'V' mentioned.

A former director on the SABC's Top Billing has revealed that the opulent magazine show doesn't like vagina.

In a funny anecdote, Pamela Power, a TV scriptwriter and script editor, shared a funny anecdote with talk show host Anele Mdoda on SABC3's Real Talk with Anele, saying she was once responsible for doing an insert on the play "The Vagina Monologues" but was ordered not to use the word "vagina" anywhere in the insert for the SABC3 show produced by Tswelopele Productions.

In another insert she wanted to do for Top Billing - South Africa's longest running uninterrupted local programme on South African television and that focuses on the lives of the rich and famous - she wanted to film homeless people for the show because she says "I was so much more Special Assignment".

Special Assignment is SABC3's weekly investigative magazine show strand.

The director who has worked on TV shows ranging from Top Billing and SABC1's Generations and Uzalo to Mzansi Magic's Rockville and who is currently a script editor at SABC2's Muvhango, didn't know how she was supposed to tell a story about "The Vagina Monologues" without using the word "vagina".

"I was the worst director ever and I think they were so happy to wave me goodbye," said Pamela Power who authored the books Ms Conception, Things Unseen and Delilah Now Trending.

"The Vagina Monologues, I was supposed to film that and without ever having the word 'V' mentioned," explained Pamela Power.

"So I didn't film any of the show. And then I got back and they were like: 'But you haven't filmed any of the show, you just did everything in the background".

"I said [its] because you didn't want me to mention the word!" said Pamela Power.