BLIND ITEM. Another long-running, quality, weekly, South African magazine TV show got the axe and will be gone by the end of June.

It's sad.

Another long-running, quality, weekly South African magazine TV show which had great production values is quietly getting taken off television - basically cancelled.

I can reveal that it will be gone by the end of June.

With basically just two episodes left before the end of this month, there's been not as much as a word from the TV channel its been broadcast on for years that this show is going away.

I feel terribly sad for the production company, the presenters, and everyone involved with this show which really sparkled and really enhanced the channel's weekly schedule.

Now another long-running weekly local TV show which did good work and which supported and contributed to South Africa's local TV industry and production sector is gone.

The show going off the air doesn't saying anything about the show as much as it speaks to the problems and financial downsizing the channel seems to be in - which is my guess as to why the channel isn't willing to pay for further episodes to be made.

Today's interesting TV stories to read from TV with Thinus - 18 June 2015.

Russian state television fires TV reporter for being critical of Putin.
Konstantin Goldenzweig fired from NTV over being critical of Russia's Vladimir Putin, says he refuses for taking part in "propaganda madness".

Lifetime making unauthorised Beverly Hills, 90210 made-for-TV movie.
Will show what happened behind the scenes during the show's first 4 years which is turning 25 this year.

Game of Thrones on M-Net is spinning out of control.
The New York Times says the fantasy drama has a Lost problem, spinning to an ending that will be disappointing. Is this the beginning of the end for Game of Thrones, asks Vulture.


Did you miss the interview in May where the SABC spokesperson rudely put the phone down?
The SABC's Kaizer Kganyago abruptly ended an interview with Netwerk24's Elma Smit.
You want to listen to this 7 minute interview and how it all ends on Soundcloud when Kaizer Kganyago who represents the SABC and the public broadcaster's image, puts down the phone while Elma Smit is talking with him.


17 is the perfect number of TV channels people would like in their pay-TV bundle.
New American research finds people who would get to choose their own TV channels, would settle for 17 TV channels in their pay-TV bouquet.

Ali Fedotowsky is finally leaving eNews.
The flakey former Bachelorette contestant is done with eNews and E! Entertainment (DStv 124) and won't be back as a eNews correspondent; it was a "mutual decision".

Top Gear will get a female presenter.
New Top Gear presenter Chris Evans says the new Top Gear on BBC Entertainment (DStv 120) will definitely get a female presenter from now on.

Investigation Discovery watched for longer than any other TV channel.
American marketing research reveals that people watch the Discovery Networks TV channel for the longest time of all available TV channels - and the secret formula for keeping viewers tuned in all day with its lurid true-crime shows.

How Game of Thrones on M-Net Edge fell apart ...
... and how it can be retooled and be great again. Vox explains.

The lying Brian Williams is gone and out as news anchor at NBC Nightly News on CNBC Africa 
(DStv 410).
Will be replaced by Lester Holt permanently who becomes the new anchor. The New York Times reports Brian Williams will be shipped off to struggling 24-hour TV news channel MSNBC (StarSat 263).

Melissa Rivers to become the new moderator of Fashion Police on E! Entertainment when the show returns in August with 2 guest panelists.

Melissa Rivers, the daughter of the late Joan Rivers, will return as the new moderator of Fashion Police on E! Entertainment (DStv 124) in August, together with Giuliana Rancic and Brad Goreski.

Melissa Rivers has been the executive producer of Fashion Police during and after the death of Joan Rivers last year, and during the restart and tumultuous self-destruction of the show earlier this year with Kathy Griffin when the show derailed due to behind-the-scenes fighting as the presenters' egos clashed in Joan Rivers' absence.

Last month during her book tour, Melissa Rivers said Kathy Griffin "sh*t all over my mother's legacy".

As Melissa Rivers also already indicated last month, the final empty chair which formerly belonged to Kelly Osbourne who dramatically quit Fashion Police in February, will be a revolving chair becoming two, with two different celebrities per episode as guest panelists.

Fashion Police will return to E! Entertainment from 31 August to cover the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards.

Fashion Police is produced for E! Entertainment by Wilshire Studios with Melissa Rivers and Lisa Bacon as the executive producers.

"I'm very excited to be given the opportunity to continue to work with my E! and Fashion Police family," says Melissa Rivers in a statement.

"As an executive producer since the beginning, Melissa helped shape Fashion Police into an iconic TV series that couples fashion with comedy," says Jeff Olde, the executive vice president of programming and development for E! Entertainment.

"We are pleased to now also feature Melissa in front of the Fashion Police cameras, as she joins returning panelists Giuliana and Brad. And with the added flavor of rotating panelists, the show will deliver fresh, different and unpredictable fashion reviews with each new episode," says Jeff Olde.

Siyaya TV signs deal extension with South African Football Association (SAFA) to broadcast all Bafana and Banyana matches for 10 years.

The Siyaya TV pay-TV operator has signed a massive deal extension with the South African Football Association (Safa) giving it the broadcasting rights of all Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana matches for 10 years.

Last month the SABC's famously matricless chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng who has refused to deal with Siyaya TV, apparently lied when he claimed that the SABC had secured broadcasting rights of the national soccer team games on television.

Hlaudi Motsoeneng claimed that the SABC had reached a 3-year agreement over the broadcasting rights to show all local Bafana Bafana games, Banyana Banyana, as well as the men's under-20 and under-23 games.

Pay-TV operator Siyaya TV and SAFA, in a joint statement, said the SABC is lying and that the SABC doesn't have Bafana Bafana TV rights to show any national team football games on television and that no valid contract with the SABC exists.

Now in a new statement SAFA and Siyaya TV in a further joint statement says Siyaya TV has actually extended its broadcasting rights contract to show show all Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana in a new further 10 year deal.

"Following the conclusion of the first year, both parties wish to report that the partnership remains solid and is further strengthened by the ongoing collaborations to enhance it regularly for the benefit of both parties and their brands."

"To this end, SAFA and Siyaya are proud to announce an extension of the original agreement that will now run for a total of 10 years."

"We value the commitment and support from Siyaya over the past year and we look forward to the innovations that Siyaya brings to the table in making the beautiful game accessible to the Rainbow Nation," says Dennis Mumble, SAFA CEO.

Siyaya chairperson, Dr Vuyo Mahlati, says in the statement she is "elated about recent developments which will enhance the relationship between Siyaya and SAFA".

"As a game changer, the extension affords Siyaya TV the space to advance the offering with digitalised innovation and partnerships that benefit the customer. For us football is always about people, access, quality and affordability," says Dr Vuyo Mahlati.

New local reality series, Durban Beach Rescue, following Durban's lifeguards, starting on the Travel Channel on Saturday 4 July at 20:00.

A new locally produced reality series, Durban Beach Rescue, will start on the Travel Channel (DStv 179) on Saturday 4 July at 20:00, following various lifeguards across Durban's beaches during the hectic 2014 December holiday.

With unpredictable conditions, both from the sea as well as beach goers, the various lifeguards have their hands full as they cope with high school graduates, lost children, unidentified sea creatures which could be sharks, and massive crowds in the form of holidaymakers.

The 10-episode Durban Beach Rescue which was originally called Heatwave and executive produced by Bronwyn Berry, will play out in double episodes from July on the Travel Channel.

Cameras follow lifeguards across various Durban beaches like Sihle Xaba at Battery Beach, Clint van der Merwe at the Durban beachfront, the senior lifeguard Mxolisi Luthuli at Durban's busiest and most dangerous beach, The Wedge; and Azanda Dlamini who is experiencing her first season as a trainee lifeguard on Battery Beach.

Then there's Sue-Ellen Martin called the black Pamela Anderson who got this nickname from the lifeguards at North Beach, Alvin Mtatshi who is experiencing his first season as acting senior lifeguard at South Beach and Muziwandile Mthethwa from Battery Beach.

Channel O on its controversial Youth Day ad: 'We welcome the dialogues that the ad has invoked.'

Channel O (DStv 320) says it "welcomes the dialogues" around its Youth Day ad which is raising eyebrows for its pop culture take on an iconic and harrowing struggle era photo from 1976.

The M-Net supplied music channel on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform tells TV with Thinus that the ad from the Black River FC ad agency – which has been described as "incredibly insensitive" and "disgusting" – was to focus on the recognition of the young people who championed democracy in South Africa almost four decades ago.

Black River FC took the iconic and searing image taken by Sam Mzima of the still missing Mbuyisa Makhubo running through the streets of Soweto holding the body of the 13-year old Hector Pieterson alongside a traumatised 17-year old sister Antoinette Pieterson, and gave it a glossy black-and-white update.

Soweto Uprising photo by Sam Mzima

Hector Pieterson has now been replaced with a graduation gown and smiles in Nganga Dlanga new sanitised photo – a drastic departure from the haunting image which was seen around the world and came to represent the Soweto Uprising of 1976.

"Channel O has noted the diverse commentary regarding its recent Yotuh Day ad," says Nkateko Mabaso, the director of local interest channels at M-Net.

"The channel wishes to confirm that the ad was created to honour the unfailing courage and enormous sacrifice of the youth of 1976. Their actions have had a profound impact on our world today," says Nkateko Mabaso.

"In light of this Channel O welcomes the dialogues that the ad has invoked because these conversations speak fundamentally to the principles of democracy that so many gave their lives for."

"Whilst the creative treatment of the advert many be subject to varying interpretations, resulting in criticism or compliments, its focus remains firmly on the recognition and respect of those young people who tirelessly, and at great personal cost, steadfastly championed our democracy," says Nkateko Mabaso.

ID: Investigation Discovery on ODM's StarSat to end; channel will be switched and changed to ID Xtra as part of a new deal with Discovery Networks.

The crime and investigation channel ID: Investigation Discovery on On Digital Media (ODM) and StarTimes Media SA's StarSat will be discontinued and is going to be replaced with ID Xtra as part of a new deal signed between StarTimes and Discovery Networks.

Investigation Discovery which has been available on TopTV since it launched in May 2010 - now available on StarSat on channel 223 - will remain available on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform on channel 252, but will be changed to IDX on StarSat.

The ID Xtra channel launched in April last year as a new spin-off Discovery Networks channel to sit alongside the main ID: Investigation Discovery channel.

While ID: Investigation Discovery is skewed towards a largely female viewership who indulge in the murder and crime documentaries, IDX is even more tailored towards women with even more real-life mystery, crime and suspense factual and lifestyle programming.

It's not yet clear when ID: Investigation Discovery on StarSat will flip to ID Xtra, but StarTimes calls the Discovery Networks channel change an "upgrade".

"After receiving very positive feedback in 2015, StarTimes and Discovery Networks agreed the channel should be upgraded to ID Xtra, with a focus on mystery and suspense content," says StarTimes in a statement.

The ID: Investigation Discovery to ID Xtra switch is part of a new agreement signed between StarTimes group president XinXing Pang and James Gibbons, the executive vice president of Discovery Networks in the emerging business region.

According to the new agreement the existing Discovery Science (StarSat 222) channel will remain on the StarSat platform, as will Euro Sport News (StarSat 220).

StarTimes and Discovery Networks are planning to launch another new TV channel - an edutainment channel from the Discovery Learning Alliance - but it is primarily destined for StarTimes' satellite pay-TV platform in the rest of Africa. It's not clear whether this new channel will be added to StarSat in South Africa as well.

StarSat lost the TLC channel at the end of 2014 which it had since May 2010. Competitor MultiChoice currently has the Discovery Networks International channels TLC Entertainment, Discovery Channel, Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet and Discovery World.

Deen TV on Openview HD and StarSat starts new weekly show, The Ultimate Journey, focusing on the Hajj and Umrah.

Deen TV (OVHD 152 / StarSat 365) has started Hajj and Umrah lessons on-air, with the new 25 minute weekly show The Ultimate Journey on Tuesdays at 18:30 which is centred around Umrah, Hajj and the entirety of that journey.

The Hajj and Umrah are spiritual journeys undertaken by Muslims, and the new show which started on 16 June, covers everything from when people need to book tickets, leaving your home, right up to coming back home.

The Ultimate Journey is presented by Imam Isgaak Cassim, founder of the Almujaahiedeen travel agency and organisation, who teaches and provides help for those preparing, planning and taking the journey.

"Deen TV is bringing those teachings into the comfort of your home in the form of a TV series," says Faizal Sayed, Deen TV CEO and talk show host.

"While receiving the lessons comparable to attending classes viewers will also be receiving practical examples and see the lessons being put into practice through the visuals and clips that will be accompanying the teachings."

Deen TV says The Ultimate Journey is set to be as informative as if one were to attend Imam Isgaak Cassim's classes and is aimed at bringing the lessons to those who may be unable to attend classes such as elderly people or those with a busy work schedule and wishing to deepen their knowledge on the subject.

The Ultimate Journey will span over a number of weeks during the period before and in the time leading up to the month of Hajj.

ANN7 announces the 9 judges for the South African of the Year Awards 2015; awards show will again be broadcast live this year.

ANN7 (DStv 405) has announced the judges for the ANN7 South African of the Year Awards.

The SATY2015 judges are Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Kanthan Pillay, Yershen Pillay, Claudia Henkel, Khaya Dlanga, Neren Rau, Ashraf Garda, Carolyn Steyn and Colin Bell.

The second edition of the ANN7 South African of the Year Awards 2015 will be taking place later this year and the 24-hour TV news channel says the awards show will once again be broadcast in full and live on ANN7 on the night.

The categories for the SATY2015 include Trendsetting Celebrity of the Year, Campaign of the Year, Spirit of Humanity of the Year, Sportperson of the Year, Business Leader of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Young South African of the Year, Conservationist of the Year, and South African of the Year.