eNCA Marks Earth Hour

eNCA has turned down the lights on their studio to mark Earth Hour on the 29th of March from 8:30pm, as seen below

ANN7 Goes All Out with Election coverage

It is shaping up to be a David vs Goliath battle this election season: The couragous David, ANN7, taking on a somewhat arrogant Goliath, eNCA (arrogant in the way how chief Patrick Conroy constantly ridicules ANN7's tiny viewership figures on Twitter, showing a great degree of unprofessionalism).

What ANN7 lacks in overall production values is more than made up in how they covering the elections (and their presentation overall).

Their main political show, Political Edge with Hajra Omarjee has been extended to a full hour on Sundays (8pm).

 

Another addition to their schedule is a daily two hour show called SA Decides at 5pm, where a total of 45 "media professionals" (I am using the term in quotation marks as that is the term referred to by the channel and I am unable to verify its validity at this point) has spread out to all nine provinces (5 per province) to get a feel of what the mood in the country is like ahead of the elections and ensuring that people have their voices heard. I really admire their efforts, but thi production comes across very much as a travelshow/educational-show-on-SABC/community tv show type of a program and not a professional news production. Maybe it is because the 'journalists' are not formally attired or just the overall presentation, but for now I am going to see how things go

 

"It's my first time doing this. For me it's gonna give me the exposure that I need." Statements like this by the journalist above is sure to raise skepticism on the show.

This past week, they ran special programs in prime time from 8pm to 10pm, Election Tracker, co-anchored by prime time anchor Chantal Rutter Dros and Editor-in-Chief, Moegsien Williams. I hadn't heard of Mr Williams before this week as I had not seen him on the telly before, so a quick Google search revealed that he has quite a journalistic pedigree behind his name having previously been editor at Independent Newspapers. The special were about a first-of-its kind in South Africa poll on election projections and were quite well done. 

“SA Decides” Election Tracker. Picture: TNA

I really have to give it to these guys with the guests that they had on these shows (and on ANN7 Prime in general) as all larger political parties were represented, and some smaller ones as well took part in this debate. I really found it nice that they openly debated the lack of tv time the smaller parties are receiving on SABC News, as usually eNCA and SABC themselves often do not often even acknowledge the existance of their competition (at least on air). They had so much guests, that they could not fit everyone onto the main set and had to instead cross over to people that were in the same newsroom as themselves. 

I also enjoy how journalists and anchors now walk through the newsroom during presentations, talking to statisticians, , adding a very lively dimension and a feeling of immediacy to their presentations.

SPECIAL COVERAGE: "God bless America, and, oh, while I'm at it, God bless Great Britain Too" Piers Morgan Signs off

Last night, Friday the 28th of March,  Piers Morgan signed off  " after 3 years, 2 months, 11 days and over 1000 shows" Piers signed off from PML. See the full video below, courtesy of CNN:

Though many critics of his will criticise this farewell due to its message of gun violence, I felt that it was done right: your mission, in this case Piers' persistence on the Gun Control debate (though often criticised), shone right through the end and in a way that will leave an impression that will last a while. If anything, jis legacy will be that of the debate he raised on the gun control issue, and that is what a talk show is should do: raise discussion, even if it is controversial.
It wasn't very emotionally fuelled (but did feel that way for a bit for the writer, that has been a Piers fan since before the show and will acknowledge that the show had its short comings.

For interest's sake, here is the farewell video of Piers' predecessor, Larry King, who occupied that same time slot on that same channel, but for twenty five years:

SPECIAL COVERAGE: Final Episode of Piers Morgan Tonight/Live

Tonight, LIVE at 3am CAT on CNN ( Africa: DStv 401, otherwise check local listings for time and availability), Piers Morgan will anchor the final ever edition of Piers Morgan Live, the show launched on January 17th, 2011 meat to replace Larry King Live. There is so much to say on the topic so look out for my two articles of analysis, "Piers Morgan: Who Can Get Right What He Could Not?" and "Piers Morgan: What went Wrong" over the weekend to come.

Gareth Edwards and Macmfarlene Moleli Takes over from nikiwe Bikitsha

As previously reported, Nikiwe Bikitsha has left eNCA, eventually revealing that she chose to return to her roots in radio at Cape Talk/Radio 786.

Courtesy os the Twitter account of Nikiwe Bikitsha

This has left two voids in the eNCA schedule: 4-6pm and 7pm on eNews Prime Time.

Courtesy: enca.com

On eNCA, it was midmorning anchore gareth Edwards that stepped up to take the 4pm-6pm slot. This is his umpteenth slot change since joining the channel at launch when it was still called eNews Channel, initially as sports anchor, then late night/fill in anchor, then mid morning anchor solo, then breakfast show anchor along with Ayanda Allie Payne when the channel rebranded to eNCA, then again demoted back to midmorning anchor along with Eleni Giokos (ironically, to fill a void left by Mac Moleli who had left the channel after being demoted from the breakfast slot to make way for Gareth in the morning), then when Eleni left eNCA for Bloomberg he was joined by JoAnne Josephs, who had came to mid morning so that Nikiwe could get the 4pm slot. Now, instead of moving JoAnne back to 4pm, they leaving her in the morning (which could be considered a major responsibility as most breaking news happens during that slot, eg. Parliamentary sessions, press conferences, marches, court cases, etc.), they gining the slot to Gareth, who has consistently shown why he is the channels only self made 'news stars' that weren't brought from elsewhere.

The energy, chemistry and passion displayed by the mid morning duo of JoAnne Josephs and Gareth Edwards I one that I have enjoyed so much that I am a firm believer that these two could anchor a quality primetime slot in the future. Such a pity they will be broken up

Another responsibility of the 4pm anchor is that he immediately becomes the go-to person if they need a fill in for the prime time shows eNCA News Night and eNews Prime Time.

Courtesy enca.com, because they don't seem to delete old anchor pages

On eTV, Macfarlane Molelie will be taking over for Nikiwe. A former breakfast show host on eNCA, he left the channel a few months after being relegated to the less-watched and longer mid morning show. He is back with the group now, but on eTV as the anchor of the most watched English news bulletin in South Africa , eNews Prime Time. He will be anchoring on Mondays and Wednesdays, alternating with long time anchor Pat Pillai who will be doing Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Late Edition and weekend editions of eNews Prime Time (along with holidays) will continue to originate from Cape Town with the likes of Robin Smith (who, too, is a former eNCA anchor) at the helm.

Let's see how long eNews can go without having to shuffle anchors yet again.

CNN Strengthens Middle East prime time, as Connect the World with Becky Anderson moves to UAE

[As usual, press release first, then analysis]
"25 March 2014

CNN International anchor Becky Anderson is relocating from London to the UAE, in a move that will see her prime time show, Connect the World with Becky Anderson, anchored from CNN Abu Dhabi, the network’s Middle East broadcasting hub.


As part of the relocation, Connect the World will move to a new time slot and its format will evolve. Airing at 7:00pm from 6 April 2014, the show will form the backbone of the network’s prime time coverage in the Middle East, and strengthen CNN’s commitment to the region.

Becky Anderson said: “In many ways locating Connect the World in UAE is the perfect expression of the show’s philosophy. Geographically, culturally, and economically it is at the centre of so many important stories, and is an ever more significant global crossroads. As well as being an exceptionally dynamic place in itself, it is also an ideal location from which to access the rest of the Middle East and beyond.”


Alongside the familiar mix of news, insight and analysis of key stories, Connect the World will incorporate more stories from the region, and take advantage of its location at the meeting point between East and West. The programme will also take regular road trips, using Abu Dhabi as a stepping off point to explore a range of locations.

Anderson’s wealth of experience includes interviews with world leaders, Hollywood stars, and top CEOs. In addition to anchoring her prime time show, she has reported on a range of major news stories and events throughout her time at CNN.


Mike McCarthy, Senior Vice President of Programming at CNN International, said: “Becky brings fantastic knowledge and versatility to this important hub. Connect the World will remain focused on international news, but we want to take advantage of its new location to explore the stories that matter in the Middle East. The show will be fast-paced and multi-faceted, and will also take in business and cultural stories. It will debate and analyse the news, become a focal point for live reports, and continue to integrate social media into its format.”

Global Exchange, presented by CNN’s emerging markets editor John Defterios, becomes the daily branded business section within Connect the World, drawing on Defterios’ business expertise and regional knowledge to bring business to the fore.

McCarthy added: “Following on from the launch of the new CNN Arabic web site, and alongside our portfolio of programmes from the region, bringing Becky to UAE to join John underlines our commitment to this key part of the world.”

" ANALYSIS

• Though rumoured for quite a while now, thiss announcement still comes as a shock for various reasons. No matter how happy Becky may seem in the on air promos airing for the switch, I can't think of why any person in prime time in a large market like London (along with most of Europe and the whole of Africa) would willingly give up this 'top of the food chain' slot and leave their home country to move to the UAE and present a show that may still be prime time, but only in the Middle East. One has to wonder what the motive behind moving someone as senior as Becky to this new slot actually is.
• Though the release may make it seem as if Becky is going to the UAE to strengthen their offering targetted towards that market, which she is, one has to also has to now see that things at CNNs bureau there is in a mess. Think about it: That bureau is responsible for one hour of programming a day, yet it seems to have changed anchors so often over the last few months: John Defterios was the original and then, as someone at CNN fan noted, anyone BUT John Defterios, which included Becky herself, Hala Gorani, being done from Atlanta, and then seemingly settling on former Israeli-based correspondent Sara Sidner.
• One also has to wonder exactly what will happen to Sara now. She has had her ups and downs with anchoring the slot, but she wasn't too bad. Probably back to the field for her.
• It is nice to see John Defterios back hosting Global Exchange, though Global Exchange will be just a segment now.
• As a typical work week in the Middle East is not the typical length in the rest of the world, one has to wonder whether Connect the World will retain a Monday to Friday schedule, or adapt to the schedule of the show it is replacing: Sunday through Thursday. If it changes to Monday to Friday, it then displaces The Brief with Jim Clancy that typically airs in that slot on a Friday. 
• Becky now also vacates a piece of prime property during prime time (9pm London, 10pm South Africa). How this slot would be filled is yet to be announced. This is a typical example of CNN not making proper announcements or promoting a show properly because its old slot is one that is traditionally more competitive. 
• The CNN prime time schedule was last shuffled not too long ago (to allow for Quest Means Business to now broadcast from New York), so it would not make sense to have yet another shuffle so soon. However, I predict one of the current anchors would take over that slot (Either Richard Quest, Amanpour, which would put that back to an hour, or Hala Gorani.

Whatever happens, stay tuned...

Oscar Pistorius: Media Review, Week 1: ANN7

I  must say, I have been rather underwhelmed by the coverage provided by this channel. Up until now this channel has seemed like the go-to channel if you want in depth reportage and quality on location reports. But not this time. What do we get: Prime Time anchor Chantal Rutter Dros and one analyst on location. (Interestingly, Chantal is being billed as a 'reporter' and not a senior or chief anchor as she is).

I recognise the fact that Chantal is the best person on their team, but a prime time anchor belomgs somewhere else, in prime time, where they belong. With her providing coverage in the daytime when most people either do not have access to television or are watching one of the other channels, she is wasting away in the day time and not presenting her prime time show that is likely to receive a higher viewership and attract more channel surfers who are bored and are looking for something to watch.
I have nothing against the super talented fill-in anchor, Peter Stemmet (who I respect for being on tv from 7pm, sometimes earlier, to well after ten broadcasting the sports show he belongs on) but if the sports anchor is doing the news, it just seems like amateur hour to me

I have slowly started falling in love with the informativeness of their graphics, however.

Oscar Pistorius: Media Review, Week 1:SABC News

SABC News

From the SABC's flagship broadcast on SABC News and SABC 3

All the news channels are broadcasting the exact same feed. All the channels are providing rolling coverage. So why watch SABC News then? Because they actually have the decency to update their iPlate to reflect the hours of their Oscar coverage. If they did not, I would not have known about the ten pm show they have on recapping the show. If only the other channels like eNCA and ANN7 could follow suite and have the decency to inform viewers (who do not use the internet to find broadcast info) of when they will be providing coverage blocks.

I must say the website they have up and running for the trial is quite good, better than what we would usually expect from them. You can navigate to it from the SABC News main website.

They have had reporters on the ground from Day one and, with their experience of on location reporting, seem to have a smoother product on air (when it comes to live shots at least). Their coverage has been surprisingly good and informative, as we did not expect the rolling coverage they are currently providing.

I also admire their courage to back off from the case and broadcast things that might not interest the layman viewer as much as the courtcase but is still relevant to the nation. I am talking about their coverage of the rolling blackouts we are currently experiencing which inclluded not taking the Oscar feed for in excess of an hour on Friday. This is what I feel a public brooadcaster should be: show things that might not attract viewers but are still in the public interest (and more important).

Oscar Pistorius: Media Review, Week 1:eNCA

eNCA

eNCA really went all out with the trial. They have created a sub-website dedicated to the trial on their website and streams all court proceedings live from Pretoria for public viewing. One of their journalists mentioned on twitter that traffic to their website has more than tripled out of interest in the case. 

TV is no different. They have really gone with 'gavel-to-gavel' coverage of the trial even though there are other national stories that I feel deserve more attention like the power crisis that we are in (but for once the media aren't presenting it as a 'crisis' as they do not want our attention to be removed from the Oscar coverage, which will provide them with more eyeballs watching tv for a longer period of time, a prime example of how the media curate the news we see). Their 'main' shows, with the exception of the Cape Town-based News Day has gone with the format of a one anchor in studio one anchor outside court approach. Their 7pm hour, which is being called "Oscar Hour," is quite good and comprehensive (along with short weather bulletins at the top and bottom of the hour). The same hour is then rebroadcast at ten pm, barely 3 hours old, and at a time when they could show other news while a sizable audience is still watching. 

Their midmorning show with JoAnne Josephs and Gareth Edwards, is probably the best of their shows as they get to broadcast during court proceedings and get to provide analysis during breaks in court. They also broadcast this show off the set used for NewsNight as well. These two could be put in the prime time show and their quality will show why they would be worth those hours.

As expected, Karyn Maughan is the star of their coverage. During court proceedings, her Twitter feed gets to share time on the ticker. I am, however, surprised as to see how little tv time she gets as other journos like Cathy Mohlalhana seem to be getting more tv time.

One thing that I would see as a step up for eNCA is their decency to finally drop repetitive sports bulletins in favour of more sports coverage. If it was up to me, they would remove nearly all sport coverage. Think about it: All people that have access to eNCA have DStv and all DStv packages have the superb SuperSportBlitz channel for rolling sports coverage whenever they want. if viewers want sport news, they know where to find that channel and if they want news, they should go to eNCA.

Oscar Pistorius: Media Review, Week 1:CNNI CNN HLN

CNN

CNN South African Correspondent Robin Curnow. With Nelson Mandela's passing and now this trial, she is really getting to prove what she is worth.

CNN has been covering the event along with other 'big' news in the rest of the world. Between covering the Oscars, Oscar and the happenings in the Ukraine, CNN is spoilt for choice on what they get to cover. The trial has generally taken a back seat to the Ukraine coverage, but with the many added temporary bulletins that has been added to CNNI since the Ukraine events this trial is still getting sufficient coverage on the channel with Robin Curnow on the ground along with another CNN correspondent that was brought in to cover the trial, though he is seen more than Robin. One has to wonder where the likes of Errol Barnnett, one of CNN's other correspondents based in Africa are and do they too not deserve the chance to 'shine?' 

Chris Cuomo from CNNUS's morning show, New Day

Their US feed has also been covering the case quite extensively. Knowing that the US judicial system is different to the South African one, anchor Chris Cuomo is seen explaining the South African system to the US audience. This case is really allowing the world to know if South Africa's constitution is as good in practice as it is in writing.

Between covering the Ukraine coverage, Amanpour still had time for this court case

 CNN's sister channel HLN, the channel for social media (and court cases) has been covering the case extensively, as expected. Here South African socialite, Jen Su, is seen providing analysis on HLN primetime show Jane Velez-Mitchell. Thinus seems disgusted that this woman was chosen as she cannot be seen as 'credible.' I disagree with this stance because if you look at what other channels are providing (lawyers and the likes) it is refreshing to be informed by a non lawyer type on a channel that is not a 'news' channel but a 'social' channel all about trends and what people are talking about