Wendy Williams 'suffocating' in locked-up memory unit

by Thinus Ferreira

The former American talk show host Wendy Williams now claims its her son Kevin who stole her money - something that led to her bank freezing her account - that he was involved with a woman her age, and that she is "suffocating" in a small room in the "memory care unit" of her senior assisted living facility she can't escape from.

Wendy Williams (60) was placed under guardianship three years ago and is speaking out in a new interview from the facility in New York City where she's locked up and can't leave unless someone someone has the elevator key and open it for her.

Wendy Williams has been living in the senior care centre's "memory unit" looking after patients suffering from Alzheimer's Disease and dementia for seven months after an eye-popping Lifetime documentary last year Where is Wendy Williams?.

The documentary tracked what happened and led to Wend Williams' finances and her life to be placed under guardianship in March 2022 of Sabrina Morrissey - also called a conservatorship - and revealed Williams' battle against alcoholism and substance abuse.

Wendy Williams was diagnosed with aphasia and Frontotemporal dementia, as well as Alcohol-related brain damage with the guardian who said she is now "permanently incapacitated".

Wendy Williams doesn't have access to a cellphone, a computer or laptop or tablet but has a landline - a phone she can make calls from, but on which she can't receive calls. She also can't leave her floor and nobody can visit her.

The American gossip site TMZ's owner Harvey Levin hatched a plan to do the latest interview with Williams from inside her "imprisonment" on the 5th floor, since he has been friends with Williams and she had his number.

TMZ set up a camera in one of the opposite buildings, and then filmed Wendy Williams standing for an hour at the window, as Harvey Levin conducted a stand-up-sit-down interview with Williams who called on the landline and help the phone to her ear.

The interview, TMZ: Saving Wendy, is now available on Tubi. Tubi is like YouTube and no registration or account is required to access the site but Tubi is geo-locked and not yet available in South Africa. 

South Africans who want to watch TMZ: Saving Wendy, need to use a VPN selecting one of the countries where Tubi is already available, like the United States, to watch the interview.

Here are five of the most startling new revelations:

1. Isolated

Wendy Williams told Harvey Levin "The place where I am, the people are older. They are in their 80s and 90s. They call this the memory unit. I am part of the memory unit. In other words, what? Somebody who doesn't remember crap? Are you serious? The memory unit is suffocating. I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner in my bedroom."

"There's a bathroom, there's a closet, and the TV which was purchased by me through the guardian person.

2. Cats gone, clothes off-limits

"My guardian person got rid of my cats," Wendy Williams said.

"I don't know where my cats are now. They're twins. I've had these cats for years. And the guardian person told me that I can't go to storage. Everything's in storage. My clothing. Yes, there's clothing here but the majority's in storage."

"There's some stuff from my dad that I'd like to get. There's stuff for me that I would like to get. I'm denied going to storage."

3. Son allegedly stole her money

Wendy Williams claims she now knows why bank Wells Fargo froze her account before she was placed under guardianship and that it is because large withdrawals were made from her account by her own son Kevin Hunter.

"My son, he overstepped his boundaries and he was inappropriately using my money without telling me. Is he stealing from me? That's when my money got frozen at Wells Fargo, thank God. No more money stealing from my son and the other people."

"I was: What is going on with my money? Where is my phone Kevin? Where is my phone? Why are you keeping my phone? And there was nothing that I could do without my phone. And who am I going to call? So my son is overspending."

4. 'Horrible' son involved with woman Wendy's age

Wendy Williams broke down and started crying, telling Harvey "my son is a really good person but at this point in time he was a horrible person to me".

"The way he moves with other people - and what's going on with these other people at my apartment in Miami? What are you doing?"

Wendy Williams said "my son is not the only one involved with my money. Somebody pretended to be me - and it wasn't anybody in my family. It happens to be a person that I was introduced to by my son. And it's a woman, approximately my age."

"This woman called on the phone, pretending to be me. Red flag Wells Fargo, red flag, red flag! And so red flag thank God, they stopped all of the money that had been stolen from me by these people. Fortunately, I still had money left."

"In the process, the guardian gets to look after my money and I'm stuck here for three years. What kind of money is she making from me?"

5. Luxury prison

Wendy Williams noted that she feels "like I'm in prison. I'm in a luxury prison".

M-Net boss Waldimar Pelser anchors kykNET's In Gesprek as Lourensa Eckard takes family leave

by Thinus Ferreira

On Monday night Waldimar Pelser was back behind the tri-colour, circular anchor desk of the current affairs programme In Gesprek in Stark Studios, substituting for Lourensa Eckard who has taken family leave.

Waldimar Pelser relinquished the role when he was appointed as M-Net director for premium channels, with Lourensa Eckard who took over anchoring duties from January 2022 three years ago.

Before that Lourensa Eckard stood in as substitute anchor for Waldimar Pelser on In Gesprek produced for kykNET by Idea Candy.

kykNET told TVwithThinus on Monday afternoon that Lourensa Eckard has taken leave for personal family matters, without going into any details, and that Waldimar Pelser will be stepping in as anchor for the next few Monday nights.

In Gesprek with Lourensa Eckard just returned a few weeks ago for the 2025 year with new episodes after the year-end break.

"Good evening and welcome, I'm Waldimar Pelser and for the following two weeks I'm standing in for Lourensa Eckard," Waldimar Pelser said at the start of Monday night's episode.

South Africa's public broadcaster ups software engineer Lungile Binza as SABC COO from March 2025

by Thinus Ferreira

Lungile Binza who has been acting chief operating officer since February has been appointed as SABC COO of South Africa's public broadcaster from March 2025.

Lungile Binza replaces Ian Plaatjes who the SABC fired in June last year. Ian Plaatjes has since taken the SABC to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) over his June dismissal.

Until now Lungile Binza, a software engineer has been the SABC's head of technology.

Lungile Binza has a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and mathematical Statistics.

He also obtained a postgraduate diploma in business administration (PDBA) from the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science, and two master's degrees: a Master of Commerce in information systems from the University of Cape Town and a Master in business administration in general management from the University of Pretoria.

Lungile Binza is currently completing his PhD degree in ethical artificial intelligence.

According to the SABC, Lungile Binza's "extensive expertise and visionary approach have been instrumental in driving innovation and operational excellence within the SABC".

According to the broadcaster, Lungile Binza "will continue to oversee the corporation's operations, ensuring the delivery of quality broadcasting services to our diverse audience".

How streaming viewership is measured in this ‘chaotic’ era for TV data

by Don Clarendon, TV Insider

Until a a decade or so ago, TV viewership stats were easily accessible through Nielsen ratings, and the only trick was knowing the difference between a ratings point and a share. But in the streaming era, TV viewership has become a guessing game.

Many streaming platforms don't share in-depth viewership data with the public, leaving it to companies like Nielsen, Luminate, and Parrot Analytics to estimate audience sizes for streaming TV series - for a cost.

And even then, streaming numbers for a given programme can differ from one analysis to another.

Net introduced its Top 10 lineup in February 2020, but that feature is only a ranking with no viewership numbers to be seen.

The streamer took another step toward ratings transparency in December 2023, when it started releasing twice-a-year engagement reports showing six-month viewership tallies for its offerings. That's progress, but streaming viewership data remains scarce.

When streamers are forthcoming, they tout their successes through various metrics. Here's some of the most common terminology in this evolving and often confusing field of audience measurement:

Hours/minutes viewed: The amount of time users have spent watching a given film or TV show. For hit TV shows - especially ones with many seasons available for streaming - this number can soar into the tens of billions of minutes.

Views/streams: The number of times a given film or TV show has been streamed. Netflix's latest engagement reports include the number of views as well as the hours viewed for each title.

Viewers: The number of people who watched a streaming title - or at least, the number of accounts that have. Amazon Prime Video and Max often use viewers as a metric for their public-facing viewership stats.

Cross-platform viewers: The number of viewers who watch a linear TV program live, on PVR, on-demand, or through streaming. As The Hollywood Reporter points out, a linear TV programme's streaming viewership numbers can be reverse-engineered if a TV network shares data about that programme's other viewership.

First X days: A qualifier for viewing statistics to show a film or TV show's reach and engagement over the first X number of days that the title has been streaming - the first 3 days, first 7 days, first 25 days, first 28 days, etc.

Completion/retention rate: The percentage of streaming viewers who finish a film or TV series, relative to the number who start it. The analytics company Digital I determined in 2022 that Netflix TV shows with completion rates below 50% were likely to be cancelled at the time, per What's On Netflix.

Binge rate: The percentage of streaming viewers who watch the episodes of TV series in rapid succession, relative to all of that title's viewers. 

In its viewership report for the second half of 2024 the analytics company Samba TV shared that docuseries and crime dramas have higher binge rates - defined in that report as the percentage of 31-day season finishers who binged that season in the first 5 days — than comedies or other dramas.

Starters, watchers, and completers: Categorisations Netflix has used for its viewers, as revealed in a July 2019 letter to a United Kingdom parliament committee. "Starters" are households that watch two minutes of a film or a TV episode, "watchers" are those that watch 70% of a film or a TV episode; and "completers" are those that watch 90% of a film or a season of a TV series.

Who’s watching what on TV? Who’s to say?

by John Koblin, The New York Times

People now watch so many programs at so many different times in so many different ways that measuring viewership has become a hot debate in the industry.

Last month, the Golden Globes drew 10.1 million viewers. No, wait, maybe 9.3 million.

The very same night, Sunday Night Football attracted 28.5 million people. Scratch that, perhaps it was 25.8 million. The Yellowstone finale? Possibly 11 million - or eight million?

Ratings have long been the currency of the TV business, helping to determine how much media companies can charge for commercials. But the $60 billion that advertisers spend on television each year largely depends on a shared leap of faith that the numbers are as good as gold.

That faith, though, is resting on shaky ground.

People now watch so many programs at so many different times in so many different ways - with an antenna, on cable, in an app or from a website, as well as live, recorded or on demand - that it is increasingly challenging for the industry to agree on the best way to measure viewership.

In some cases, media executives and advertisers are even uncertain whether a competitor’s show is a hit or something well short of that.

The scramble to sort out a suitable solution began nearly a decade ago as Netflix rose to prominence. It has only intensified since.

"It is more chaotic than it's ever been," said George Ivie, the chief executive of the Media Rating Council, a leading industry measurement watchdog.

For decades, there was no dispute - Nielsen's measurement was the only game in town.

But things started to go sideways after the emergence of streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video.

Nielsen had no ability - at least at first - to measure how many people clicked play on those apps.

The streamers, of course, knew exactly how many people were watching on their own service but they either selectively disclosed some data or did not bother releasing it at all.

Over the past two years, as nearly all the major streaming services have introduced advertising, they have released more data. But the data they release makes apples-to-apples comparisons difficult.

Netflix discloses what it calls "hours viewed" and "views" for its shows.

Prime Video and Max prefer to describe how many million "viewers" watched a hit of their choosing. The disclosures can be helpful to compare one show with another on the same streaming service.

Yet those figures, too, can lead to disagreements.

Take the new Amazon Prime Video reality series Beast Games, starring the YouTube personality MrBeast. 

Amazon said the show had amassed "more than 50 million viewers globally" in its first 25 days, making it the streamer’s most-watched unscripted series ever, which would suggest it was a runaway hit.

But the Entertainment Strategy Guy, an industry newsletter, recently tallied data from a wide range of third-party measurement groups and reached a different conclusion.

In the post, which analyses viewership in the United States, the newsletter stitched together statistics from Nielsen, YouTube, Google Trends, IMDb and more.

The newsletter's conclusion? The show "is not a hit - no matter what data you look at or how you cut it - but it also isn't a flop or bomb, either." 

Nielsen, which was bought by private equity in 2022 has long relied on several thousand households across the country to draw its estimates for what is watched on hundreds of television networks on a minute-to-minute basis.

That group of households, which Nielsen calls a panel, has equipment installed at home, and those numbers are used to estimate ratings of different demographic groups - breaking down the numbers by age, income, gender or race.

But during the pandemic, some of the households it tracked could not be serviced by Nielsen technicians given stay-at-home orders, and the panel rapidly degraded. 

In 2021, the Media Rating Council stripped the company of its accreditation, a seal of approval that the media and advertising industries monitor closely.

Rival Nielsen upstarts, including companies like VideoAmp, Samba, iSpot, Comscore and Luminate, began to pounce.

Some of the upstarts have relied on so-called big data, using intelligence from set-top boxes and smart TVs to best determine a ratings estimate.

"They're bringing an abacus to an A.I. fight," Peter Liguori, a longtime media executive and the executive chairman of VideoAmp, said about Nielsen.

"They're moving the beads from one side of the abacus to the other, and we're using tech and big data and A.I.-machine learning to create the most refined, highest fidelity, highly credible measurement system."

A Nielsen spokesman said: "VideoAmp is known for its inaccuracy, and their criticism of us is no exception. Nielsen has been using proprietary machine learning and advanced artificial intelligence for years."

VideoAmp got a shot in the arm in recent months when Paramount Global - the owner of CBS, the Paramount+ streaming app, and pay-TV networks like MTV and Comedy Central - got into an extended contract dispute with Nielsen.

Paramount complained that Nielsen's prices were too high, going as far to say the measurement firm's fees exceeded the advertising revenue of some of its cable channels. 

Nielsen can charge a midsize media company roughly $50 million a year, and that price can balloon to $300 million a year for a much larger company.

Paramount's pivot to VideoAmp caused some confusion in the industry. After the Golden Globes, CBS announced that 10.1 million people had watched the show, citing VideoAmp data. A day later, Nielsen said only 9.3 million had tuned in.

Last Monday, Paramount ended its four-month standoff with Nielsen and signed a new contract, saying it was "incredibly pleased" to do so.

Nielsen has said it has taken the necessary steps to adjust to the new media landscape. The company publicly discloses all sorts of streaming ratings data now. 

And it earned back its Media Rating Council seal of approval in 2023. 

Last month, in a move the company has described as a significant step, Nielsen also earned an accreditation for what it is calling its "Big Data + Panel" measurement, which will use intelligence from set-top boxes and smart TVs to supplement its panel measurements of 42,000 households. (VideoAmp is not yet accredited by the rating council.)

"In a world where there's so much data, and so many opportunities for people to push their own narrative, I think Nielsen is even more important than ever," said Michelle Gelman, the senior vice president of product at Nielsen.

Brian Wieser, an industry analyst, said that there had long been a desire among advertisers to find a Nielsen alternative but that the vast majority of deals used Nielsen data.

"Many marketers have long had frustrations with Nielsen, and there was always this latent desire among many stakeholders to see competitors to Nielsen," he said. "At the same time, Nielsen's superiority was pretty clear."

Peter Olsen, who recently retired after two decades as a top ad sales executive for A&E Networks, said it would be in everyone’s interest to rally around a single calculation - from Nielsen or elsewhere.

Let's be honest, these ratings are kind of farcical in a way," Olsen said.

"The thought that was going to be 100% accurate? I don't think anyone's ever felt that way. But we need some type of agreed-upon third-party industry currency that we can just transact on."

JJ Tabane's eNCA talk show done after false bribery claims column

by Thinus Ferreira

The controversial commentator Prof Onkgopotse JJ Tabane's show Power to Truth on eNCA (DStv 403) is finished and ended a week after TimesLIVE was forced to retract a spurious column by Tabane it published on 21 January.

eMedia that runs eNCA as a TV news channel on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform says the abrupt end of Power to Truth a month into the new year was "mutually agreed upon" by eNCA and Tabane, that Tabane didn't resign and that its cancellation "aligns with the show's planned ending".

The SABC previously abruptly cancelled the Tabane-hosted Frankly Speaking on SABC News (DStv 404) in September 2018 after just seven months.

He was also fired from Power FM days later where he was suspended for having "committed serious material breaches of the provisions of our independent contractor agreement rendering it impossible to continue a contractual relationship with him," the radio station said at the time.

JJ Tabane, editor of Leadership Magazine and a professor of media studies at the University of Botswana, was then hired by Newzroom Afrika when the TV news channel launched in mid-2019, after which he jumped to eNCA.

In May last year in the week before South Africa's general election, JJ Tabane did a sit-down interview with former president Jacob Zuma and UmKhonto weSizwe party president, but it didn't air. 

eNCA on 27 May said all current affairs programming was cancelled for the week since it was too close before the elections.

Power to Truth only returned on 5 August, with eNCA that noted Power to Truth "has recently been on a production break with JJ on his annual leave".

At the time JJ Tabane said "I am happy to be back on screen after some much-needed time out for pure rest. I' look forward to bringing more thought-provoking conversations that help shape the future of our country.".

Back on air, the show only lasted for another five more months.

On 21 January 2025 TimesLIVE published one of JJ Tabane's opinion pieces titled "The stink in public works smacks of Nkandla".

On 27 January TimesLIVE had to retract and issue an apology for JJ Tabane's column and admitted there was "insufficient evidence" to support the serious allegations made by JJ Tabane that included unfounded claims that Dean Macpherson, minister of public works and infrastructure bribed a journalist to write so-called "negative" stories about the Independent Development Trust (IDT) and interfered in the operations of the IDT. 

Macpherson said he was "seeking legal advice on how to hold Tabane accountable for the false accusations".

In response to a media query on Tuesday this week, eMedia confirmed that last week Wednesday's episode of Power to Truth was Tabane's last and that show is done.

"In response to your enquiry, we would like to clarify recent developments regarding Prof JJ Tabane and his association with eNCA. After five years of hosting Power to Truth from Monday to Wednesday nights, the programme concluded with its final episode airing on Wednesday, 5 February 2025," eMedia said.

"This conclusion was mutually agreed upon and marks the end of the show's successful tenure on our platform."

"Throughout its run, Power to Truth provided a platform for robust debate on South Africa's pressing issues, featuring engaging discussions and interviews that informed and entertained our viewers."

"We are grateful for Prof JJ Tabane's significant contributions over the years and wish him continued success in his future endeavours."

"Please note that any social media posts suggesting that Prof JJ Tabane resigned from eNCA are inaccurate. The conclusion of Power to Truth aligns with the show's planned ending and does not reflect a resignation on his part."

Showmax Original series Kabiyesi starting 14 February is inspired by true events of Nigeria's Princess Aderiyife who ruled Oyo in 16th century

by Thinus Ferreira

Showmax's latest Nigerian series, Kabiyesi, will make its debut on MultiChoice's video streaming service on Friday 14 February, with a new episode which will be released every Friday thereafter.

Kabiyesi is inspired by true events and the reign of Nigeria's Orompoto, the only female Alaafin of Oyo who ruled in the 16th century.

With a mix of political intrigue, tradition and unbridled ambition, Kabiyesi follows the story of Princess Aderiyife of Oyo-Ile, played by Annetta Adebusuyi, as the only daughter of King Adegoke, who is set to marry Prince Obabamiji of Igboho.

However, a series of tragic events and a big betrayal forces Princess Aderiyife into a battle for power and in the process challenges deep-seated traditions as she fights to secure her kingdom's future.

Kabiyesi has Seyi Babatope as showrunner with the cast that includes Akin Lewis as Oba Adegoke, Amokun Ibrahim as Prince Obabamiji and Patrick Diabuah as Bashorun.

Oluwakemi Oladeojo portrays Queen Adelewa, with Olajide Ibitoye as Adetoro, and the series also starring Olanrewaju Ayanwale, Jibola Dabo and Huawa Angela Issa.

"Creating Kabiyesi has been a deeply rewarding journey," says Seyi Babatope.

"This story isn’t just about royalty – it's about human ambition, love, and the personal cost of leadership. We're bringing a unique and powerful narrative that celebrates the richness of African storytelling, and I can't wait for audiences to experience it."

M-Net orders Genesis as a 260-episode telenovela set in the gospel music biz for Mzansi Magic from Singavision Productions

by Thinus Ferreira

M-Net has commissioned a new 260-episode telenovela for Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) entitled Genesis from Singavision Productions, set in South Africa's vibrant gospel music industry and starting in in April.

Genesis will start on Monday 21 April at 19:30 and is set inside the high-stakes world of South Africa's gospel music industry where people might sing like but don't behave like angels.

The title Genesis refers to Genesis Records, the gospel music record label where the lives of the various characters intertwine.

The Genesis cast includes Baby Cele, Buyile Mdladla, Nay Maps, Gaosi Raditholo, Kealeboga Masango and KB Motsilanyane.

According to the official Genesis logline, "Felicia Thabethe, once the queen of gospel, thought she had built an unshakable legacy with her husband Gabriel. But when shocking secrets surface, everything she has worked for is thrown into chaos".

"Now, with Genesis Records at risk, Felicia must fight to protect her family's name before it all crumbles. Will she rise from the ashes of betrayal, or will the fallout cost her everything she holds dear?"

Shirley Adonisi, M-Net director for local entertainment channels, says viewers "must gear up for an emotional rollercoaster of a ride because that's what's in store when Genesis premieres".

"It's all about family, power struggles, love, faith – all set in the powerful and highly contested Gospel music industry which is very relatable to Mzansi."

M-Net's Pearl Magic Prime turns 4 with 17 original programmes showcasing Uganda's film industry

by Thinus Ferreira

M-Net's Pearl Magic Prime (PMP) channel marks its 4th anniversary on MultiChoice's DStv platform with 17 commissioned shows like Crossroads and 15 licensed shows which are all showcasing Uganda's growing film and TV industry. 

"Pearl Magic Prime's 4-year journey has been one of creativity and community, providing a platform for Ugandan stories to shine," says Rinaldi Jamugisa, MultiChoice Uganda's communications manager. 

"This anniversary is a tribute to our dedicated viewers and the creative minds behind every show."

Margaret Mathore, M-Net East Africa head of channels, says "Since October last year, we have introduced compelling new content that continues to captivate Ugandan audiences". 

 "Our commitment to premium local programming remains steady, and we are excited about nurturing and showcasing Ugandan talent."

Two years after M-Net launched the Pearl Magic channel, it started Pearl Magic Prime as a spin-off from Pearl Magic, launched on 8 February 2021.