text:
What To Do With Your Life
YouTube: https://youtube.com/watch?v=3lkn8MS3n8Q
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In which John answers the oft-asked question, "How do I figure out what to do with my life?" Along the way, he discusses adulthood, careers, movies, and the meaning of life and stuff.
Good morning, Hank; it's Tuesday.
What do I have in common with a Catholic Priest? I'd just feel naked without my collar!
It's question Tuesday, the day that I answer real questions from real Nerdfighters! Just the one question today: I'm a college freshman. How do I figure out what the hell to do with my life?
Hank, we get some version of this question almost every day, but to answer the question I have to begin by disagreeing with it. The whole "what do I do with my life" question implies that adulthood is this monolithic creature that, like, you acquire your job and your spouse and then you just ride it out until time's winged chariot shows up. I thought this when I was younger too and it's not our fault because how does every single "happily ever after" movie end?
With finding your one true love and kissing them! Occasionally marrying them - at the very latest having a child with them. Ninety-five percent of romantic stories end with partners committing to each other because everything after that is just the blank, terrifying morass of adulthood, this monotonous grind in which the only real excitement in your life is occasionally finding a truly ripe avocado at the grocery store. (Now listen Hank, I'm not gonna lie to you: I get very excited when I find a truly ripe avocado at the grocery store, but it's not the only excitement in my life!) And let me submit that one of the reasons you're so terrified about figuring out what you're going to do with your life, is that you think you're only going to be able to do one thing!
Like, if someone told you that in four years you were going to have to pick one musical note to listen to for the rest of your life, you would spend a lot of time being super anxious about which note to pick and the various tonal qualities of different notes! But that's not what life is like! You will always be figuring out what to do with your life, and you'll get to do lots of different things, and your decisions will be unmade by circumstance.
Like your wife gets a job in Kuala Lumpur, or you're staring at the night sky one night and decide to get a Ph. D in astrophysics, or your uncle dies and there's no one to take over his junkyard, or your little brother starts a frickin' video conference. Just like your life now, adulthood will have all this tension between idealism and practicality, and you'll have to balance competing desires.
I mean give yourself some credit! Even if you're fourteen or fifteen, you're already kind of doing adulthood! But I think what actually scared me about choosing whether to go to school and what to study was that each time I made a decision, my options narrowed.
Right, like if you're pre-med you're probably not going to be a software designer, if you study archaeology you're probably not going to become an electrical engineer. And there is something a little terrifying about the narrowing of those possibilities because you become aware that they will continue to narrow until you are dead (and that sucks). But here's the other thing: if you don't make decisions, the options still narrow!
And you don't have to do just one thing - you can be an electrical engineer who volunteers on archaeological digs. William Carlos Williams was both a poet and a doctor, Julia Child, aside from being an extraordinary chef was also a freaking spy for the United States! I mean, Hank, if you told my college self that I'd one day be a novelist with a side gig putting my mustachioed face on the torsos of strangers I would have been duly surprised.
And you studied organic fracking chemistry before writing songs about Harry Potter. So here's my advice: study broadly and without fear. Learn a language if you can because that will make your life more interesting.
Read a little bit every day. But most importantly, try to surround yourself with people you like and make cool stuff with them. In the end (at least in my experience), what you do isn't going to be nearly as interesting or important as who you do it with.
And Hank, that's why I always say that the best decision we made as video bloggers was also the first decision: to collaborate with each other. (Under his breath) Oh that sounds perilously close to me saying that I love my brother, so I need to cut the sentiment a little bit. I need to think of something, like maybe I'll just be like "he has, you have a stupid face, or something". Yeah, that's good. (Aloud) Hank, you have a stupid face.
I'll see you on Friday.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Student vigil marks Roe anniversary
by Amy Hackbarth
Abortion opponents assembled for a candlelight vigil on Northrop Mall on Tuesday night to remember the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision.
"In apathy, you're as guilty as the murderers themselves," said Joel Forsberg, a Pro-Life Action Ministries representative who spoke at the event. "Just like in Germany when the Germans were like Nazis because they let the trains go by and they didn't do anything."
More than 30 people – mostly students – gathered to march, pray and bolster the movement opposed to abortion. Abortion opponents urged students to counsel women who want abortions while they wait on the abortion clinic sidewalks.
"I don't think a fetus is just a fetus," said Erin Robinson, a Normandale College junior who has done sidewalk counseling at abortion clinics. "I know it's a person, and as a Christian I want to stand up for that."
The Minnesota Young Americans for Freedom group organized the vigil.
"We thought we'd commemorate all of the children who have been murdered," said Jed Ipsen, organization chairman and University junior.
Representatives from the abortion opponents group Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life marched at the State Capitol on Tuesday afternoon in recognition of the Supreme Court decision's 29th anniversary.
Abortion rights advocates also remembered the Roe vs. Wade decision.
Stephanie Johnson, development director for the nonprofit Minneapolis organization Pro-Choice Resources, said it was an occasion to reflect on the freedoms upheld by the landmark decision.
"It's an opportunity for people who had mothers and sisters who died in back-street abortions to reflect," she said.
Jane Miscavage, communications director for Planned Parenthood of Minnesota and South Dakota, said the historic debate between the abortion rights and abortion opponent movements is discouraging.
"It's sad that 30 years after the decision, we're still protesting," Miscavage said. "Women are smart enough to make these decisions on their own."
In recognition of the day, Pro-Choice Resources distributed more than $3,000 in loans to women interested in receiving abortions.
Johnson said the organization provides up to $250 in financial assistance to approximately 450 women per year. The procedure generally costs approximately $450, she said.
The Reproduction Rights Coalition of Minnesota, a combination of four nonprofit abortion rights organizations, held a prayer breakfast at the Kelly Inn in St. Paul on Tuesday morning in remembrance of the decision.
In addition to praying, Miscavage said, the more than 300 attendees discussed strategies to counter legislative threats to abortion rights.
Miscavage said one bill, known as the Woman's Right to Know, requires abortion staff to inform women interested in having abortions about the details, side effects and alternatives to abortion.
Most abortion clinics already cover those issues, Miscavage said.
"This bill is redundant," she said. "It would legislate things that already happen."
Abortion opponents announced their support of the bill, which is sponsored by Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, at the Capitol march.
Amy Hackbarth welcomes comments at [email protected]


In honor of our first episode of Hometown, we invite you to learn more about "The Archangel Gabriel" by Sheila Diemert. This piece was used as part of our social media graphics to promote Hometown.
Sheila has painted several versions of "The Archangel Gabriel" painting. The first one was commissioned as gift. Sheila used a variety of bold colours and textures to give a sense of light, life and power to the image. The textured background contrasts with the smooth lines (signifying peace and a calming effect) of the angel. Prints of this painting can be ordered at https://sheila-diemert.pixels.com/featured/the-archangel-gabriel-sheila-diemert.html or an original painting can be commissioned by contacting Sheila through her website, sheila-diemert.pixels.com.


Saarang Public School which believes in universe centered and competency based education goes beyond the boundaries of class rooms and text books to inculcate value education, competencies and cognitive abilities through a comprehensive academic curriculum. The management is dedicated to the cause of making the institution a quality learning centre where relationship building with and among the stake holders will be our highest priority.
Copyright ©2019 Saarang Public School. Powered by Alp Turnkey Solutions Pvt.Ltd.


The Wow Factor Lives Here!!!! This one will not last long and the men will love all it has to offer. This lovely home features 3 or 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, family room w/fireplace, formal dining room, living room or office, kitchen w/breakfast area, laundry room, and a 4 car garage. Amenities galore are featured in this brick home which feature gleaming hardwood floors, arch windows, split bedroom floor plan, crown molding, stainless appliances, pantry, tile backsplash, vaulted & trey ceilings, walk-in closets, tiled shower, jetted tub, security system, ceramic tile, granite counter tops and so much more. Just in time for the holidays and still time to take advantage of the low interest rates. Call today for your private tour of this rare find in Oxford. A one year home warranty is being offered.


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A Blissful Experience with Cannabliss: Our Review of GT's New CBD Kombucha
Background: Who is GT's?
GT's Cannabliss CBD-infused Kombucha Drink Review
Where to find GT's Cannabliss
This isn't our first rodeo with GT's, we reviewed GT's Dream Catcher Sparkling Waters a few months ago, which quickly became a favorite of the RJ crew. But the thing is, this is GT's we're talking about: they're kombucha makers, and we wanted a legit CBD-infused kombucha from them. With Cannabliss, we've got one.
Unfortunately, Cannabliss is not available in retail: it can only be found on tap at certain locations (we found it in Lewisville, Texas of all places: see the "where to buy GT's Cannabliss" section below). But that makes this special drink even more of a rare bird, and finding it was that much more exciting. Here's our report card for Cannabliss.
But first, a brief background on GT's. Before GT's, the kombucha market essentially didn't exist. Then, a fella named Dave (aka "GT's Dave") started brewing this obscure ancient Asian drink for his mother sick with cancer. She got better, Dave started brewing kombucha commercially, GT's took off, and now fast-forward: there's 10 kombucha brands at every grocery store you go to (and none more prominent than GT's).
Make no mistake, though, they're a brand committed to quality: GT's is one of the few brands that doesn't pasteurize their kombucha (because of nutrient loss), and they make their kombucha the classic way with natural carbonation (whereas other brands have to add artificial carbonation in at the end of the process). There's a reason GT's is one of the most respected names in the industry: they do it right.
Now, let's see if they did this CBD-infused kombucha right.
Taste Score: 8.5/10
Does the drink taste bueno or no bueno?
This is one of the most unique and flavorful Kombuchas that we've ever tried, and when you look at the ingredients you can see why: Pineapple, Turmeric, Black Pepper, and Lime. Yeah, it pretty much tastes like that, but don't let the strong flavor profile scare you! I personally am not a big fan of turmeric, and when I saw this was a Pineapple-Turmeric kombucha I was skeptical, but there's just enough Turmeric to give it a little kick without overpowering you.
The peppery taste goes great with turmeric, there's underlying sweetness from the pineapple, and it's rounded out with a citrusy tang. The flavor profile overall is somewhat strong so Cannabliss is not necessarily for the faint of heart, and you WILL probably be sipping on it for a while, but it's definitely a one-of-a-kind kombucha.
Value Score: 7.5/10
How much CBD bang are you getting for your buck?
Keep in mind Cannabliss is ONLY on tap, not yet sold in retail: we found it for $5.99 a pint, and with 16-mg of CBD per pint it's not a bad value.
Health score: 8.5/10
How committed is this brand to health and wellness? We look at all the ingredients.
Though we don't have access to the specific Cannabliss nutrition facts because there's no bottle, as we noted above, GT's has an excellent reputation and an established commitment to quality. The combination of CBD's anti-inflammatory properties and kombucha's ability to soothe the gut make CBD booch a powerful tonic (we dive into the science behind it in this article).
Besides the inherent awesomeness of infusing kombucha with CBD, the other Cannabliss kombucha ingredients hold up well: you get curcumin from turmeric, and black pepper actually greatly enhances the absorption of curcumin, so combining the two was a good call healthwise.
Relief Score: 9/10
Many of us consume CBD to relieve ailments. Does this product provide effective relief?
I primarily consume CBD for anxiety, and maybe it's the small amount of naturally occurring alcohol in this kombucha, but I found this drink to be a very effective anxiety reliever. The potent relief may also be related to the curcumin (and the fact that it's more bioavailable w/ the black pepper), which has known antidepressant properties. The drink gave me a certain warm, reassuring feeling in my belly that potentiated the relaxation from the CBD.
Overall, very powerful relief.
X-Factor: 8.5/10
What makes this drink special? Does it promote productivity or focus? Does it get one "lit"?
Other CBD drinks commonly include adaptogens (stress fighting herbs) and other herbal compounds, but with Cannabliss what you see is what you get: it's CBD + Kombucha.
That being said, the small amount of naturally occurring alcohol and caffeine give this drink a real energetic, positive buzz. While it doesn't have a list of magical herb infusions as long as your arm like some other CBD drinks, the simplicity and bountiful health benefits of CBD booch still makes this a score for us.
Final Verdict: 8.9/10
Let's put it all together: what's our overall take on this drink?
Very flavorful, unique, hard to find, and health-promoting, this drink would certainly be one of our daily favorites if it was widely accessible (if you see this, GT's, hook us up). But this tasty drink actually edged out it's GT's cousin, the Dream Catcher sparkling waters, so make sure to keep a close eye out for kegs near you because it's a real find.
We've heard of Cannabliss on tap at the following locations:
First Draft Taproom and Kitchen, Address: 324 N 6th Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55401
Flying Boat Brewing Company, Address: 1776 11th Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33713
Austins, Address: 120 Country Club Dr #24, Incline Village, NV 89451
Lone Star Taps and Caps, Address: 4740 TX-121 #500, Lewisville, TX 75056
For big time Cannabliss fans there is another option: King Keg sells Cannabliss kegs for $139 a pop.
Lagunitas Hi Fi Hops Review: A Tasty, Hoppy CBD-infused Sparkling Water
CBD Donuts, Chocolate, Smoothies, and More: the Best CBD Restaurants in the USA
CBD Monthly Roundup: November
The Hemp Division: Our Review of the New CBD-Infused Tea
My elderly mother was growing hostile and abusive. Then we tried CBD.
Standard Dose: America's Flagship CBD Wellness Boutique
Are authorities persecuting CBD users with fraudulent lab tests?
Daytrip Sparkling Water Review: Our Trip with Daytrip [Overall Score: 7.3/10]
CBD Legality
Remedy Journey


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Q: How to calculate mean value in a dictionary? I'm trying to compute the mean value of a dictionary which have lot of lists
My dictionary looks like:
{0:[0,1,3,6,1,-5,....],1:[0,3,7,3,-5,2,...],...}

with a total of k entries and lists of lenght N.
However, I am NOT trying to compute the mean value of each list, what I need is to compute the mean value bewteen elements of the lists such (a,b)=mean, i.e. looking at the dictionary above (0,0)=0, (1,3)=2, (3,7)=5,....
Is there a way to compute something like this?
Thanks.

A: You can unwrap the values and use zip to correlate matching indexes:
from numpy import mean
result = [mean(x) for x in zip(*(d.values()))]

A: Given that all lists are of the same length:
var k = Object.keys(json).length; // k, number of lists
var n = json[0].length;           // N, elements in lists

for (var i = 0; i < n; i++) {
    var sum = 0;
    for (var j = 0; j < k; j++) {
        sum += json[j][i];
    }
    var mean = sum / k;

    console.log(mean);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Hobbies: Music, drawing, writing, reading, etc.
"So, I decided to write the story down as a romance, and add a few illustrations to make it a little visual also. This is when I had the idea of having the book online, so that other people that might be interested can have access to it. I also want to add that the stories (very well) written by L.E. Bryce included at the Granamyr's Lair site have been a great influence for this book. As a final note, I would like to state that English is not my first language and that I have no studying in literature, so please forgive me for any mistakes along the way, and e-mail me to let me know about them. Thank you for visiting this page, and LET THE POWER RETURN!!!"


Este complemento adicional proporciona nuevas características y servicios web que actualmente solamente están disponibles en la más reciente versión de Moodle.
Once installed the plugin creates a new service "Moodle Mobile additional features".
The Mobile app checks if this service is enabled. If not, the Mobile app falls backs to the standard core Mobile app service.
NOTA MUY IMPORTANTE: Usted necesita deshabilitar la opción para "Auto ingresar invitados (Auto login guest )" autologinguests". Esta configuración no es compatible con el sistema SSO (Single Sign On) mediante App.
If you want to enable Push notifications in Moodle sites prior to version 2.6 this plugin must be installed.
1. Unpack the zip file into the local/ directory. A new directory will be created called local/mobile.
4. Go to Site administration > Plugins > Web services > External services, edit "Moodle Mobile additional features" and check the "Enabled" field, then save changes.
5. Go to Site administration > Users > Define roles, edit the Authenticated user role and allow the capability moodle/webservice:createtoken.
This can be solved easily, administrators must create a token manually in Moodle (Plugins > Web Services > Manage tokens) for the local_mobile service.


The targeted analysis of components for your application provides us with valuable data that we use for the material-development or to create application recommendations. We are at your disposal as a service provider for analysis of your particular components.
electron microscope analysis of worn tools and components. You will receive an analysis of wear patterns and thus notes on optimum choice of carbide grades or operating parameters.
Analysis of the surface quality of new tools. With this service we particularly support the tool development of our customers and can already make qualified statements about the performance of the tool used, and possible optimizations in advance.
Chemical analysis of workpieces and materials. These include the X-ray-fluorescence-analysis, microscopy and the determination of mechanical properties.
New machining tasks on the one hand and the development of the available raw materials on the other hand require a constant updating of our carbide range. Existing carbide grades are optimized and entirely new ones developed. The base for this development work are feedback and suggestions from the application of our carbide products, its own research projects and our cooperation with research institutions such as the Technical University of Berlin and the Fraunhofer Institute "IKB" in Dresden. We are always up to date and state of the art.
The endeavor to provide our customers with best service, highest quality at a reasonable price results in particular from our methods development. The constant improvement of our manufacturing process ensures that you get the current and future quality products at the best possible price-performance ratio and short delivery times.


Commercial Projects Construction Detail Architectural Drawings.
Miller Enterprises gets the details.
New Orleans Convention Center expansion details.
This drawing shows a bit of the New Orleans Convention Center column cover construction details. We handled a large amount of the interior details of the third expansion of the convention center complex on the Mississippi River in downtown New Orleans.
This drawing shows some of the exterior wall details we made for the new international terminal. A complex design with many details which had to continue consistently throughout.
Another commercial project where, under the guidance of the engineers, we handled all of the roofing construction details.


This Crankshaft Position Sensor is a direct replacement part from Crown Automotive and is designed to fit 07-10 Jeep Grand Cherokee WK , WH & Jeep Commander XH with 3.0L Diesel Engine.
Direct Replacement: Crankshaft Position Sensor is a direct replacement part and will fit your Jeep 07-10 Jeep Grand Cherokee WK , WH & Jeep Commander XH with 3.0L Diesel Engine.
Hardware: Use Existing Hardware for installation.
Warranty: Crown Supports It's Entire Line With A 12-Month Warranty.


Wireless cups, adjustable front straps, and an easy front closure provide blissful all day comfort. Made of nylon and spandex.
Wireless, multi-part, lined, unpadded stretch cup.
Side support panels help coax breasts toward center.
Sewn-on elastic underband provides added support.
Tall center front has hook-and-eye closure. See Size Chart for hook count.
Tall, smoothing sides and back for a sleek look under clothing.
Sewn-on elastic at cup edges, sides and back for a custom fit.
Center-pull elastic straps adjust near front with plastic hardware.
Leotard back has semi-close straps to help prevent slipping. .
3-part wireless cups are lined and have side Support Panels. Free of padding.
4-hook, 1-column hook and eye front closure is 3-1/2" tall. Hook count increases with larger cup sizes.
Center back is 2-1/4" tall.
Seamless sides are 4" tall, without Boning.
Elastic straps are 1" wide and adjust in the front with plastic hardware.
Measurement is taken from size 34C and may vary slightly by size.
Care: Machine wash cold, gentle cycle, use only non-chlorine bleach, line dry, do not iron.


text:
Oxygen Games  was a developer and publisher of video gaming entertainment for major console platforms including the Nintendo DS, Wii, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable, as well as for the PC. The company was incorporated in 2004 and is headquartered in Northamptonshire UK with North American operations based in Twain Harte, California.

Administration
On 12 October 2009 it was announced that Oxygen Games had gone into administration, appointing FA Simms & Partners Ltd as administrators. FA Simms & Partners said they would be "writing to creditors as soon as possible" to inform them of the situation.

Games by Oxygen Games
 8Ball Allstars (2008, Nintendo DS)
 Alan Hansen's Sports Challenge (2007, Wii/PC/PlayStation 2)
 C.I.D 925: An Ordinary Life (2009, Wii)
Cheggers' Party Quiz (2007, Wii/PC/PlayStation 2)
 King of Clubs (2007-2008, Nintendo DS/PC/PlayStation 2/Wii)
 PDC World Championship Darts 2008 (2008, Wii)
  (2005, PC Windows)
 Pirates: The Key of Dreams (2008, WiiWare)
 Pirates: Duels on the High Seas (2008, Nintendo DS)
 Powershot Pinball Constructor (2008, Nintendo DS)
 PDC World Championship Darts 2009 (2009, Wii/Nintendo DS)
My Friends (2008, Nintendo DS)

Games published by Oxygen Games
 Chronos Twin (2007, Nintendo DS)
 CID The Dummy (2008, Wii)
 Cate West: The Vanishing Files (2009, Wii and Nintendo DS)
Euro Rally Champion (2004, PS2)
 Robin Hood's Quest (2007, PC/PS2)
 Vietnam: The Tet Offensive (2005, PC/PS2)

See also
 List of Wii games
 List of Nintendo DS games
 List of PlayStation 2 games
 List of PlayStation Portable games

External links
  Oxygen Games (official website)
 http://www.mcvuk.com/news/36089/Oxygen-Games-collapses

References

Video game companies established in 2004
Defunct video game companies of the United Kingdom

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


As the new kids on the block—no, not the boy band of "I'll Be Loving You" fame, we're talking about Hyundai here—it took the Korean automaker a few years to get a solid reputation going. The company's incredible 100,000 mile warranty helped a lot as did the quality and affordability of its cars. You can bring a whole new level of style and function to yours with competition-ready Hyundai automotive gauges. Take the time to install performance driving Hyundai gauges and you can monitor all your car's vital statistics with one glance.
Not actually easy to install but that's caused by the vehicle manufacturing not B&M.
At the same time, you may want to upgrade the look of your Hyundai gauges. AutoAnything stocks a great assortment of aftermarket automotive faces for your Hyundai automotive gauges. Dump your boring stock look and pump in some color and style with one of our precision manufactured Hyundai automotive gauge face kits. Cut using a high-tech computer controlled system, our Hyundai gauge face kits fit seamlessly and look fantastic with styles like modern stainless steel and classic chrome. Finally, no matter which custom parts or accessories you select to jazz up your Hyundai automotive gauges, we always give you our 1-year lower price guarantee.
Reference # 758-484-643 © 2000-2019 AutoAnything, Inc.


This past Memorial Day weekend, Mark Peterson visited Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to document the pilgrimage of tourists and self-professed patriots to the site of the 1863 Civil War conflict that killed or wounded over 51,000 people. In some ways, that war still isn't over.
OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, the United States has seen fierce, sometimes violent debates over the existence of Confederate flags and monuments across the South, proving that history can be hard to get past … if one can deem it "history" at all.
The site where President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address.
A Gettysburg Battlefield Tours bus passes through the national military park.
"Everyone has to try and get along and understand other opinions," says Eddy Roberts of Bridgeport, Texas.
A sign in a store window in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Members of the 10th Virginia Infantry, "The Southern Grays," demonstrate firing muskets to visitors at Gettysburg.
Janet Arone, in black, and other members of the Dixie Rose Relief Society pose in period costume during Memorial Day weekend.
Reenactors stop for breakfast at the McDonald's in Gettysburg.
Member of the Black Pistons Motorcycle Club stand at the foot of the stairs of the Pennsylvania State Memorial that commemorates the more than 34,000 soldiers from Pennsylvania who fought in the battle.
The Soldiers' National Cemetery was officially dedicated on November 19, 1863.
Abraham Lincoln statue at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center.
Tim Hodge of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as Major Martin Robinson Delany, who served in the 52nd Regiment of the U.S. Colored Infantry.
Abrigail Jozefowicz, 10, as Corporal Joseph Pierce of the 14th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, who is thought to have been brought to the U.S. as a slave before being later freed and fighting at Gettysburg.
The Battery D, 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery reenactors conduct an artillery display on the Gettysburg Battlefield. The battery lost more men to disease than battle.
Robin Jackson, of Altoona, Pennsylvania.


text:
Want to pay for just the TV channels YOU want to watch? Get ready to pay thousands more - and see at least 124 TV channels disappear.
Further to the debate under consumers and pay-TV subscribers who "demand" to only pay for the TV channels they individually would watch under a so-called "a la carte" system, an interesting study done in 2013 has found that pay-TV subscribers in America would end up paying thousands of rands more and that at least 124 TV channels would completely shut down and disappear.
Consumers and pay-TV subscribers who don't understand how the pay-TV model work and the delicate ecosystem of content creation, distribution and cross-pollination of programming, keep demanding the somewhat utopian option of only wanting to choose the individual TV channels from a pay-TV operator they might want - instead of paying a single fee for packages of channels and grouped television content made possible through
Much more education and awareness needs to be done under ordinary consumers and pay-TV subscribers of the back-end business of how pay-TV works.
A lot of pay-TV subscribers don't understand that it functions like your gym and country club, and offers aggregated benefits to all subscribers or members: there's a pool and a bar area and a Stairmaster and dumbbells in every weight increment whether you use it or not (or only once a year) because of the collective value everyone's contribution unlocks.
And if you only use the pool and "overuse" it, that's fine too. In the end it evens out in everyone's benefit.
The results of the research applicable to the American pay-TV market cannot be generalised, but keep in mind that by far the majority of TV content, TV channels, and TV programming seen and channeled to South Africa comes from the United States.
The study therefore give a good indication of what will happen with the TV channels and content seen in South Africa should "a la carte" be enforced in America or in South Africa.
Needham & Co. which conducted the research, also looked at the impact on consumers and pay-TV subscribers economically, as opposed to from the perspective of pay-TV operators.
Needham & Co. found that if an American pay-TV subscriber switched to an "a la carte system" where a subscriber has to pay per TV channel, that the price of 180 TV channels would rise from $720 per year for the 180 TV channels as part of a bouquet, to $1 260 per year for the exact 180 TV channels if you still wanted them all and picked them one by one - 75% more expensive.
Because less pay-TV households will get or choose a specific TV channel - lets say for instance The Sunshine Channel which isn't appreciated and watched by so many but which has colourful well-produced and critical acclaimed movies on a rainy day - that channel becomes less valuable to place commercials on.
Because advertisers want a large reach and because The Sunshine Channel doesn't have a large reach, the pay-TV operator has to increase the price a single pay-TV subscriber must pay to make up for the deficit due to the drop in TV households.
The opposite is also true. While The Knitting Channel's viewers are fewer, because the channel is in a bouquet, those pay-TV viewers and subscribers currently actually contribute to the much more expensive to run and distribute Quidditch Channel.
Take The Knitting Channel away, and those who want The Quidditch Channel will have to pay outright for it - and sports rights are extremely expensive and keeps rising above inflation.
Sports TV channels will become the most expensive individual TV channels to subscribe to under an "a la carte" pay-TV order.
Sadly also - although it might be someone's favourite TV channel, or though a TV channel might carry or produce a subscriber's favourite TV show - a lot of less generally watched, niche TV channels, will simply disappear because not enough people choose it.
According to Needham & Co. at least 124 TV networks would disappear - and with that the programming it offered, because it would simply no longer be economically viable.
Goodbye kids channels which don't have commercials, goodbye news and documentary channels.
If its virtually impossible to get a niche channel like Syfy on MultiChoice's DStv even under the current grouped dispensation, it's a veritable fact that the bulk of niche TV channels currently offered on that operator's channel line-up would disappear and simply not be offered - although it might be your favourite TV channel.
Not in the report but also worth noting: South African viewers and pay-TV subscribers don't necessarily see TV shows and programming on the same channels which are making it and showing those programmes in America, since its sold to various different TV channels through different international content distributors.
If 124 TV channels - even 10 American TV channels disappear - with it will go a lot of TV shows originally produced for those TV channels which will simply no longer be available, and which won't be made.
If the AMC TV channel in America goes away ... goodbye The Walking Dead on FOX, Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Killing on M-Net - all in one go. And that's just one channel.
The true impact and intricate, yet massive (and devastating) erasure of TV content becomes unimaginable when you go and sit and really think of what all is affected and how if 124 TV channels were to cease.
Don't believe Needham & Co., don't believe me.
Next time your in a hotel, ask yourself why everyone gets a little shampoo in their room, why everyone can use the swimming pool, why anyone can call for an iron, why you can have your air-con on 5 at full blast the whole time while someone else don't have it on at all. Why you can ask house keeping for 50 towels if you want, even if someone else uses none.
Then ask yourself if you'd pay less and get more value if the hotel, instead of a price for an overall value offering of amenities, made you pay individually for every little thing just you wanted or used.
Then ask yourself what kind of a hotel if would be, and if you'd even like to stay there.
Labels: pay-TV, unbundling
Leah Thabisile Khumalo rubber-stamped as the latest SABC board member to join the beleagued South African public broadcaster.
Leah Thabisile Khumalo has been rubber-stamped by president Jacob Zuma as the latest politically appointed SABC board member to join the board of the beleaguered South African public broadcaster as a non-executive director.
Leah Khumalo was one of the five names shortlisted in February to fill the new gap on the SABC board.
In 2010 Leah Khumalo was appointed as the acting chairperson of the floundering parastatal broadcasting signal distributor, Sentech.
Leah Khumalo's name appears in the recently released, scathing report from South Africa's Public Protector as one of the people who got "irregular salary increments" from the SABC.
The Public Protector recommendation that "any fruitless and wasteful expenditure incurred as the result of irregular salary increments to Hlaudi Motsoeneng and Leah Khumalo and freelancers be recovered from the appropriate persons".
"We wish her all the best in this critical task of executing the country's public broadcasting mandate," says president Jacob Zuma in a statement.
Leah Khumalo replaces the hole left when Noluthando Gosa resigned from the SABC board for the third time.
Parliament's portfolio committee on communications chooses the SABC board and then sends the "recommendation" to the general assembly and then to the president.
The portfolio committee has an ANC political party majority, meaning only ANC "approved" people are steamrolled through to be on the SABC board through a majority voting block.
Leah Khumalo joins the fourth fracturous SABC board since 2009, constantly in upheaval due to undue political influence and personal infighting.
Labels: Leah Khumalo, Leah Thabisile Khumalo, SABC, SABC board
DStv websites go down for reasons unexplained; MultiChoice apologises and says it is 'taking necessary steps' to prevent it happening again.
Websites from the pay-TV operator MultiChoice went down on Wednesday morning for unexplained reasons.
Internet users and DStv subscribers were unable to use websites such as DStv, SuperSport or to rent movies through DStv BoxOffice or watching DStv Catch Up on-demand content.
Later on Wednesday access and functionality of the websites were restored.
MultiChoice declined to explain why the various MultiChoice run websites like DStv BoxOffice went down on Wednesday, but said in answer to a media enquiry made that MultiChoice "apologise to our customers for the inconvenience and are taking the necessary steps to ensure this does not happen again".
MultiChoice says "there was an outage on the DStv and SuperSport websites for a brief period on Wednesday but all services have been fully restored".
Labels: DStv, DStv BoxOffice, MultiChoice
Sky News adds a new half hour entertainment news show, Entertainment Week, on Fridays at 21:30.
Sky News (DStv 402) has added a new entertainment news show, Entertainment Week, on Fridays at 21:30 (South African time) presented by Lucy Cotter.
In the new half hour weekly show Sky News' media, arts and entertainment correspondent rounds up the week's showbiz and arts news.
Labels: Entertainment Week, Lucy Cotter, Sky News
BBC World News changes: Jon Sopel ditches Global and moves to North America for BBC; Yalda Hakim the new main anchor of Impact.
On-air changes at BBC World News (DStv 400 / StarSat 400): Jon Sopel is done with Global becoming the BBC's new North America editor, and Yalda Hakim is becoming the new face of the current affairs show Impact.
Yalda Hakim (left) who joined BBC World News in January 2013 as lead reporter on the Our World current affairs strand says she loves being out in the field "and I want to bring the Impact viewers with me".
"I am delighted that Yalda has agreed to become the main presenter of Impact," says James Stephenson, the head of news for BBC Word News in a statement.
"She has made an enormous contribution to the channel since she joined last year with her investigative reporting from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and elsewhere. She will continue to combine that work in the field with her new role".
Meanwhile Jon Sopel (right) is ditching Global to move to North America and will be reporting on North American stories for both the BBC's global and international output.
"This was the only opportunity that could have pulled me away from presenting on BBC World News, of which I have nothing but fond memories," says Jon Sopel.
"He will be a big loss to Global, which he has presented since its launch," says James Stephenson.
"I'd like to thank Jon for playing such an important part in the relaunch of BBC World News from our new studios, and I'm delighted that he will continue his association with us in his new role in Washington," says Richard Porter, the controller of English for the World Service Group in the statement.
"He and Yalda have been at the forefront of the changes which have been welcomed by viewers around the world. Yalda will be taking on a more prominent role as the main anchor of Impact, but she will still find time to continue her outstanding work as a film-maker and investigative journalist".
Labels: BBC World News, Impact, Jon Sopel, Yalda Hakim
CONGRATULATIONS. The vivacious Vabakshnee Chetty, SABC news anchor, engaged.
Congratulations is in order for Vabakshnee Chetty: the journalist and SABC News reporter just got engaged.
Vabakshnee Chetty is seen on SABC News (DStv 404), anchors SABC3's primetime flagship daily news bulletin and is a well-known voice as news reader on radio on SAfm.
Vabakshnee Chetty was off for a few days during which a big engagement ring got slipped on her finger.
Vabakshnee Chetty, whose name means "come wish", returned on Tuesday evening to SABC television news again for the first time - now newly engaged.
But the usually chatty Chetty didn't say a word about it.
Neither did her co-anchor Peter Ndoro or any of the other presenters during the usual small talk moments of the hour long news bulletin (she did however quip in a quick joke that she was away for just a few days and Peter Ndoro already forgot her name after he struggled to pronounce it correctly).
SABC star reporter Chriselda Lewis was the first SABC newser to publicly congratulate Vabakshnee Chetty on her engagement, saying "the rock is gorgeous".
Labels: SABC, SABC News, Vabakshnee Chetty
Off-again, on-again Dr. Phil suddenly back on SABC2 again - although it's anybody's guess whether viewers even care anymore.
The then-there, then-pulled, then-back, then gone-without-a trace Dr. Phil is back again (for now) on SABC2 although it's anybody's guess whether SABC2 still has any audience left bothering, or knowing to tune in again to watch Phil McGraw dispense pop psychology in his talk show.
The SABC and SABC2's deplorable handling and scheduling disruption of Dr. Phil the past year and a half during which it actually completely lost the rights to the show and the lack of continuous - or any - communication about it to keep viewers informed has seen interest and the audience who knew and who tuned in on weekdays at 12:00 completely evaporate.
Since Monday this week Dr. Phil is back in the 12:00 timeslot on SABC2 but viewers haven't returned.
After the long, yet again absence of the American weekday talk show which is now suddenly back at a random date, nobody cares anymore.
It is as much a result of viewers no longer willing to invest in a show that might again just suddenly disappear, as well as the erosion legacy in viewer loyalty the SABC and SABC2 caused by constantly starting and stopping the show without saying what's going on.
"SABC2 is pleased to announce to our viewers that after a lengthy absence from the TV screens, Dr. Phil returns on Monday 28 April," SABC2 said in a statement. "The show retains its longtime slot of 12:00 from Mondays to Thursdays," the channel said.
SABC2 however didn't explain why Dr. Phil is back now, why it erratically comes and goes, and no promises that Dr. Phil won't just disappear without any notice or explanation again. SABC2 didn't give any clear reason in response to a media enquiry asking why the show is back and why it was gone "for a lengthy absence".
Dr. Phil saw another two fake starts - a fake late 2013 schedule insertion which didn't pan out, as well as again empty promises in 2014 which then also came and went.
The SABC and SABC2's problems with Dr. Phil stems from contractual problems which the SABC caused and remained the cause of, according to insiders.
Payment issues delayed new episodes and a new season, and the SABC also didn't keep records of episodes played and failed to provide detailed records to the international distributor regarding playout of episodes, making them reluctant to continue offering the show to the SABC - at least not until the SABC got its shoddy books in order.
Labels: Dr Phil, SABC2
BREAKING. SABC says the Democratic Alliance's 2nd 'Ayisafani' political TV ad is not banned.
The SABC tells TV with Thinus rumours are unfounded that the South African public broadcaster allegedly banned the 2nd "Ayisafani" political TV commercial from the Democratic Alliance (DA) party.
Unconfirmed stories suddenly started swirling on Wednesday morning that the 2nd TV advert from the political party had been banned by the SABC.
"It is not true. The SABC is playing the advert," Kaizer Kganyago, SABC spokesperson just told me over the phone. He also responded to an emailed media enquiry, also stating that "the answer is no! The ad will be played".
Earlier on Wednesday morning, the Democratic Alliance (DA) suddenly claimed that the SABC had refused to play its second "Ayisafani" TV commercial, saying in a statement that "the DA has just learnt that the SABC will not allow our second Ayisafani television advert to air in this crucial final week of the campaign".
The SABC banned the Democratic Alliance political party's first "Ayisafani" TV commercial on 8 April claiming that it "incites violence" and followed it up by banning a political advert from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party two weeks later.
Labels: Ayisafani, Democratic Alliance, Kaizer Kganyago, SABC
BET gives talk show to Keke Palmer; renews Real Husbands of Hollywood, The Game, Being Mary Jane, launches new shows.
BET (StarSat 151) has renewed Real Husbands of Hollywood (also seen in South Africa on Sony Entertainment Television, DStv 127) for a third season, Being Mary Jane for a second season, The Game for a 8th season and 106 & Park.
BET is also starting a new comedy series, The Start Up, a music competition series, Gone Gospel, as well as a dating show, Got Game. The Book of Negroes is a new 6 part historical drama series with Cuba Gooding Jr., Louis Gossett Jr. and Aunjanue Ellis.
It's not yet clear which of these new shows Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) will play out on BET as a TV channel, and which shows will be sold to other TV channels seen in South Africa.
BET which already has The Wendy Williams Show is also launching a brand-new daily talk show with Keke Palmer (photo) which Telepictures will produce.
Keke Palmer who played the title role in the movie Akeelah and The Bee in 2006 is just 20, which means her talk show debut will make her the youngest ever American TV talk show host with a daily talk show. Keke Palmer's talk show will cover fashion, pop culture, social issues, sex and feature celebrity interviews.
If her talk show is a success following four weeks of daily episodes as a try-out starting on BET in July, its not yet clear if Keke Palmer's talk show would be added to BET International's schedule for the United Kingdom and Africa/South Africa, or would be sold elsewhere to channels like M-Net Series Reality (DStv 114) for instance.
Labels: Being Mary Jane, Real Husbands of Hollywood, The Game
Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon quietly gone from ANN7's morning show, Vuka Africa; breakfast show dumped for straight news broadcast timeslot.
Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon had quietly quit ANN7 (DStv 405) and the Infinity Media produced 24-hour TV news channel's morning show Vuka Africa she hosted, barely months after ANN7 launched her as the new face of its morning television slot.
After hiring Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon and hyping her as one of its high profile gets, with Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon trumpeting her return to South African television, and ANN7 positioning Vuka Africa as its big new morning show, Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon suddenly found herself right in the centre and the face of the inept, cringe-worthy and highly embarrassing ANN7 launch event in August 2013, fronting the shockingly amateur spectacle.
Now Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon, a former M-Net continuity presenter, quietly slipped away under the radar following her high-profile hire, with no replacement hire by ANN7 for the timeslot. Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon already dumped ANN7 in February this year, after only six months.
Vuka Africa, like other ANN7 shows and timeslots, was beset with problems and littered with live mistakes on television in the timeslot over which Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon presided.
With Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon gone, ANN7 dumped the entire morning breakfast show show idea centred around her seated on a red couch as well.
ANN7 kept the name of Vuka Africa, but changing the logo and has dumped the softer breakfast show format, reverting it to a normal newscast with an anchor reading the news from behind the news desk and some short newsmaker interviews.
Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon left ANN7 "to do other things", says ANN7 spokesperson Gary Naidoo.
"Gerry had a contract with ANN7 which ran until February 21. Gerry indicated to the management team that she will not be renewing the contract for the morning show. Gerry has confirmed that she is open to discussing a continued relationship with the channel".
ANN7's Vuka Africa timeslot continues to serve up highly embarrassing and cringe-worthy mistakes.
Earlier this week for instance telenality Tomy Titus was interviewed. She will soon be going to the United States of America on a study scholarship.
During the ANN7 interview in the Vuka Africa timeslot, the TV news channel embarrassingly (since a USA ambassador was present in studio which made it worse) kept displaying and rolling unrelated footage of NSA surveillance and B-roll from archive stories from "America is spying on the world" stories.
While Romy Titus talked about how wonderful it's going to be to go to America, ANN7 kept showing incongruous American cyber spying images on the background TV monitors and screens behind the newsdesk, as well as full screen.
Nobody stopped it or changed it - obviously pulling up the first "lets show America and Washington" footage for background they could find, without checking or noticing that it is inappropriate for a "South African going to Washington on scholarship" story.
Labels: ANN7, Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon, Infinity Media, Vuka Africa
Five new possible pay-TV services for South Africa, as the broadcasting regulator hands out 5 new provisional licences to pay-TV operators.
Possible new pay-TV competition is coming to South Africa with South Africa's broadcasting regulator which has granted five provisional licences for individual commercial subscription television services.
Pay for gay television, education television, local content for the lower and middle market, and club soccer matches from Southern Africa could be coming to South African pay-TV subscribers with provisional pay-TV licences granted by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) to Close-T Broadcast Networks Holdings (CloseTV), Mindset Media Enterprises, Kagiso Media (Kagiso TV), Siyaya Free to Air and Mobile TV.
It remains to be seen whether any of the companies granted licences would be able to bring a successful pay-TV service to market in South Africa's second attempt to open up the country's pay-TV sector to more players since 2007.
Out of the previous round of pay-TV licences granted by Icasa to Telkom Media, On Digital Media (ODM), e.Sat and Walking on Water TV (WowTV), only the struggling On Digital Media (ODM) actually launched the TopTV, now StarSat, service which is in business rescue.
e.tv decided not to start a service, Telkom Media which became Super 5 Media collapsed and WowTV never got off the ground.
The five companies who got provisional licences to start subscription television services in South Africa have three months to respond to the regulator with various documents and proof that they're able to start pay-TV services before permanent licences will be granted.
The new companies all want in on South Africa's lucrative pay-TV market dominated by MultiChoice's DStv, M-Net's analogue subscription TV service, and ODM's StarSat while TV viewers and the industry are hamstrung by the government's ongoing shambolic delay to start digital terrestrial television (DTT) and the promise of more TV channels.
Close-T Broadcasting Network wants to show South African viewers pay for gay TV content in a service its calling CloseTV which includes a pay-per-view on-demand service.
Kagiso Media wants to start Kagiso TV with around 70 TV channels for a subscription fee of R240 per month and with channels heavily focused on local content driven by entertainment and news.
Siyaya TV with talk show host Dali Thambo as one of the investment backers, want to start its own local soccer league and broadcast those matches for a monhtly subscription fee of R70 with a PVR.
Mindset Media wants to broadcast educational content to public schools around the country. Mindset wants provinces to pay TV subscription fees per school. Mobile TV wants to start eight TV channels and four radio stations for mobile devices such as cellphones and tablets.
"Although the conditions imposed are specific to each of the five applicants, they generally relate to, among others, confirmation of equity ownership; funding requirements; further research; confirmation of local content; and programming content agreements," Icasa says in a statement announcing the provisional pay-TV licences.
The provisional licences are the result of a new set of hearings which the broadcasting regulator held in July 2013, following the new invitation to apply for subscription television licences in February 2012.
In February the broadcasting regulator announced that it is launching an investigation into subscription television in South Africa and the massive failure rate of licensed companies to start successful pay-TV operations in the country.
Labels: Close-T Broadcast Network Holdings, CloseTV, Icasa, Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, Kagiso Media, Kagiso TV, Mindset Media Enterprises, Siyaya Free to Air, Siyaya TV
BREAKING. SABC's matricless Hlaudi Motsoeneng warned he will be 'thrown out like a used condom' by president Jacob Zuma.
Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) political party warned the SABC's famously matricless acting chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng today that he will be "thrown out like a used condom" by South African president Jacob Zuma once he has outlived his usefulness.
The EFF marched to the South African public broadcaster's Auckland Park headquarters today with shouts of "voetsek" and handed over a memorandum of grievances to the matricless Hlaudi Motsoeneng and the SABC's acting chief executive officer (CEO) Tian Olivier.
"I must warn you that he is going to throw you out like a used condom," Julius Malema told Hlaudi Motsoeneng.
"You and the SABC undermine the intelligence of our people," Julius Malema told Hlaudi Motsoeneng.
"I must warn you. I must warn you that Zuma is going to flush you like used toilet paper. You must ask me," Julius Malema told Hlaudi Motsoeneng.
"Ask [Zwelinzima] Vavi and [Fikile] Mbalula. When it was time to dump us he did not think twice".
"If you don't change your conduct, we will come here, put a truck outside and celebrate your dumping," said Julius Malema. "I was once in the same position, supporting and protecting Zuma. I was like you, I used to protect him".
Thousands of EFF supporters held a public protest to the SABC following the banning of an EFF political party TV commercial by the SABC, a decision shockingly upheld on Friday evening by South Africa's broadcasting regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa).
In February the Public Protector Thuli Madonsela - now on the latest list of TIME magazine's 100 most influential people in the world but not yet congratulated by South Africa's ruling ANC government - released a damning report on corruption and maladministration at the SABC.
The Public Protector found that Hlaudi Motsoeneng "should never have been appointed at the SABC", and implicated him in maladministration, abuse of power, and misconduct like being directly involved in the firing of all the people who testified against him in a disciplinary hearing, as well as astronomical salary hikes for himself.
The SABC board under chairperson Ellen Zandile Tshabalala who supports Jacob Zuma, and SABC top management has done nothing since the release of the scathing report in which Hlaudi Motsoeneng in a recorded interview with the Public Protector admitted that he lied about having matric, and admitted that he "made up symbols" for a fake matric certificate he knew he couldn't produce.
South African TV news covered today's EFF protest march to the SABC. Everyone's coverage contained mistakes.
■ The eNCA (DStv 403) anchor Jeremy Maggs on Tuesday erroneously kept referring to Hlaudi Motsoeneng as "the SABC's CEO".
The eNCA reporter Lenyaro Sello likewise also erroneously kept referring to Hlaudi Motsoeneng as "SABC CEO Hlaudi Motsoeneng" in the taped piece played several times (at 21:05 it was fixed). The eNCA story included audio and video of Julius Malema's criticism of and warning to Hlaudi Motsoeneng.
By 21:05 eNCA had fixed the autocue link as well as in the taped story, now correctly referring to Hlaudi Motsoeneng as the SABC's "acting COO".
■ The SABC (DStv 404) covered today's EFF protest march to the SABC.
The SABC's reporter Chriselda Lewis covered the story for the SABC and channels like SABC News (DStv 404). The SABC spelled their own acting CEO, Tian Olivier's name wrong in English language bulletins and on SABC News as "Tiaan Olivier" in the on-screen bottom third identifier.
Chriselda Lewis' story contained nothing - no mention, and no audio or video clip - of Julius Malema's warning to and criticism of the SABC itself and Hlaudi Motsoeneng.
In the SABC's Afrikaans news bulletin "Tian Olivier" was spelled correctly. The Afrikaans news bulletin however likewise contained no mention or inclusion - neither audio nor video - of Julius Malema's warning to and criticism of Hlaudi Motsoeneng, although it was slightly more balanced and a better edited story for broadcast.
Labels: Chriselda Lewis, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, Julius Malema, SABC, Tian Olivier
BREAKING. In a brilliant programming move M-Net adds the brand-new late night Sunday talker, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
In a scintillating and simply brilliant programming and scheduling move, M-Net just added the exceptionally funny and well-produced brand-new show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver to the M-Net (DStv 101) line-up on Sundays at 22:40 starting Sunday 4 May.
Comedian John Oliver sat in for Jon Stewart on Comedy Central (DStv 122) in 2013 on The Daily Show when he was off making a movie where John Oliver got rave reviews.
His new show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver which just started in America, likewise got rave reviews.
It is fantastic that M-Net jumped extremely quickly to secure the HBO show and hasn't been afraid to quickly rework the pay-TV broadcaster's schedule to accomodate it.
A Sunday night late night timeslot would also be the most perfect place on the M-Net schedule to place Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
Even more spectacular is how recent the episodes will be for South African viewers on M-Net, with relevant, current jokes, topics and people on his show.
"M-Net, channel 101 on DStv, carries the very best entertainment from around the world and we added Last Week Tonight with John Oliver to its schedule as soon as the deal with HBO had been concluded, Lani Lombard, M-Net's head of publicity, tells TV with Thinus about the major programming acquisition coup.
"We're thrilled to bring out viewers this hot, topical show in the same week as the United States and believe that it complements our super strong Sunday night line-up on M-Net, with Carte Blanche at 19:00 and the movie at 20:00," says Lani Lombard.
Labels: Last Week with John Oliver, M-Net
Russia Today launches new half hour news commentary, In the Now, with Anissa Naouai.
Russia Today (RT) (DStv 407) is launching a new weekday half hour news commentary show, In the Now, today (Monday) at 20:00 (South African time) anchored by Anissa Naouai.
RT says in a press statement that In the Now will focus on providing in-depth analysis of the biggest socio-political issues on the global agenda.
In the Now will be broadcast on RT from today, from Mondays to Thursdays at 20:00. Anissa Naouai joined RT in 2006 as a reporter.
"In the Now will cover stories you won't see on mainstream networks, or even in RT's news bulletins," says Anissa Naouai.
"I'm very excited about this opportunity to jumpstart a show and engage in open, honest discussions while highlighting key events in Russia and abroad in a fresh way, right here, live from our newsroom in Moscow," says Anissa Naouai.
Labels: Anissa Naouai, Russia Today
Crime & Investigation Network (CI) launches on DStv in Mozambique and Angola in Portuguese.
The Crime & Investigation Network (CI) has launched on MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV platform in two further African countries, Mozambique and Angola, this time in Portuguese.
CI has been running for a number of years in South Africa and other African countries on DStv in English, as well as also a French language channel and is supplied by A+E Networks.
The new Portuguese language CI is operated by History in Iberia, a joint venture between A+E Networks and ChelloMulticanal.
"We're pleased to expand our relationship with MultiChoice through the launch of CI in Portuguese for the growing audiences of Angola and Mozambique," says Dean Possenniskie, the managing director, Europe for A+E Networks in a statement.
Labels: A+E Networks UK, Crime and Investigation Network, Dean Possenniskie, DStv, MultiChoice
Joan Rivers slams Oscar Pistorius again in another joke for a second time this month on Fashion Police on E! Entertainment.
For the second time this month the American comedienne Joan Rivers is trashing the South African killer Oscar Pistorius in a joke on her weekly Fashion Police show on E! Entertainment (DStv 124).
In the latest episode of Fashion Police Joan Rivers critiques the outfit of singer and dancer Cat Graham, saying "Cat's outfit is so terrible on the scale of really bad ideas, it falls between marrying Charlie Sheen and using Oscar Pistorius' bathroom".
The Fashion Police studio audience let out an audible gasp. Co-host Kelly Osbourne screamed, "Jooooan!"
Earlier in April on Fashion Police Joan Rivers also trashed Oscar Pistorius, saying that she hadn't seen such bad leg wear on a Hollywood celebrity "since Oscar Pistorius wobbled to the witness stand".
Oscar Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentines Day, 14 February 2013. The former paralympic athlete is currently standing trial in the North Gauteng High Court on a charge of premeditated murder.
Labels: E Entertainment, Fashion Police, Joan Rivers, Oscar Pistorius
Jenny Morris Cooks the Riviera as South Africa's Giggling Gourmet goes on a culinary tour of the French and Italian Riviera.
South Africa's Giggling Gourmet, the Cape Town based celebrity chef Jenny Morris is cooking her way along the spectacular French and Italian Riviera in a second season of her TV show Jenny Morris Cooks starting today (Monday) on Food Network (DStv 175) at 12:15 and 16:25 on weekdays.
Jenny Morris Cooks the Riviera follows on the successful Jenny Morris Cooks Morocco.
first season of her show on the Food Network - the first South African commissioned TV production for the channel - debuted to boffo ratings when Jenny Morris Cooks Morocco started.
In Jenny Morris Cooks the Riviera, Food Network viewers will see the beloved and effervescent South African chef share more of her own food preparation secrets for delicious meals during her Mediterranean adventure.
In easy to follow instructions for viewers when making mouthwatering meals, Jenny Morris journeys from the olive groves of Liguria to the crystalline waters of Monaco and St Tropez.
As she did with Jenny Morris Cooks Morocco, Jenny Morris will use and infuse signature ingredients in the dishes prepared in Jenny Morris Cooks the Riviera.
Labels: DStv, Jenny Morris, Jenny Morris Cooks The Riviera, The Food Network
BREAKING. eNCA back up; anchor Andrew Barnes: 'Good to be back on-air after some gremlins have been weeded out of the system'.
eNCA (DStv 403) is back on-air with live news programming and reporting at 11:56 after suffering a shocking system failure at its Hyde Park headquarters on Monday morning which cause a blackout of the South African 24-hour TV news channel on MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV platform.
A power surge crashed the eNCA's news system on Monday eNCA told TV with Thinus.
A very good morning to you, this is NewsDay on eNCA, I'm Andrew Barnes. Good to be back on-air after some gremlins have been weeded out of the system," the veteran Cape Town based anchor told viewers at 11:56.
The TV news channel decided not to wait until 12:00 to start NewsDay but to immediately show DStv subscribers that eNCA is back up and running with live news coverage.
eNCA is the most watched in South Africa of all of the available 24-hour TV news channels, local and international channels included.
The loss on Monday morning of eNCA marks the second major broadcasting interruption of the eNews service, co-incidentally again on a Monday.
On Monday 24 October 2011 the eNews Channel - the former name of eNCA- froze and cut out on DStv leaving viewers and DStv subscribers clueless as to what happened to the channel.
The loss of eNCA on Monday morning also marks the second major TV channel loss and interruption incident occuring on MultiChoice's operated satellite pay-TV system this month.
Earlier in April DStv subscribers lost SABC1, SABC2, SABC3 and SABC News (DStv 404) due to a "complete failure of MultiChoice head-end equipment" with the back-up which failed too.
Labels: Andrew Barnes, DStv, ENCA, NewsDay
BREAKING. eNCA knocked out by a power surge; TV news channel on DStv hopes to be back on-air by noon on Monday with live programming.
eNCA (DStv 403) which experienced a channel blackout on MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV platform on Monday morning tells TV with Thinus that the news operation was knocked out and off air by a power surge in its Hyde Park headquarters but that the South African 24-hour TV news channel hopes to be back on air with live news programming and reporting by noon on Monday.
"It was a power surge which knocked out some of the services at eNCA in Johannesburg," Ben Said, eNCA group news editor told TV with Thinus on Monday morning.
"We've been working to get everybody in and to get Cape Town [eNCA's Cape Town bureau] to take over with news bulletins and we're now running current affairs programmes," said Ben Said.
He said he doesn't know the exact technical details as to how the power surge affected eNCA's systems but said "we hope to be back on-air by noon".
UPDATE: At 11:56 eNCA NewsDay anchor Andrew Barnes welcomed DStv subscribers and viewers back to the channel saying "Good to be back on-air after some gremlins have been weeded from the system".
Labels: Ben Said, ENCA
BREAKING. eNCA goes off the air on DStv; cause of the blackout of 24-hour TV news channel is unknown.
eNCA (DStv 403) is off the air; the 24-hour TV channel from Sabido Investment Limited went dark and experienced a blackout on Monday morning on MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV platform.
The reason of the blackout is unknown; eNCA didn't say why the news channel disappeared, and e.tv and eNCA didn't immediately respond to a media enquiry made asking about the channel. No press release was issued.
eNCA's screen is completely black and blank, with only an eNCA channel logo displayed in the bottom left corner of DStv subscribers' TV screens.
eNCA came back on at 10:32 on Monday for about one minute, after being off air for 20 minutes, and then went back to black - this time with no eNCA channel logo displayed.
At 10:37 eNCA went to blue screen, displaying the static "Cape Town Studio 201 NewsDay/UEFA".
At 10:38 eNCA started displaying the static message: "NOTE: APOLOGIES ALL. We're experiencing technical difficulties which we are working to solve".
At 10:42 the on-screen note apologising and telling DStv subscribers that the channel is having technical difficulties disappeared, showing just a static eNCA channel logo. The note reappeared from 10:47.
At 11:08 eNCA started with a repeat of Judge for Yourself after trying for several times to start the episode and viewers hearing the theme song playing several times unsuccessfully over another sound track with no visual.
eNCA gave no live anchor made apology when the news channel resumed, nor explained what happened and Judge for Yourself played out with no bumpers, promos or commercials - indicative of the ongoing systemic problems behind the scenes at the channel.
At 11:25 eNCA tells TV with Thinus that a power surge knocked eNCA's news system at its Hyde Park headquarters causing the channel blackout. eNCA said it hoped to be back on-air with live news programming and reporting by noon on Monday.
At 11:56 eNCA NewsDay anchor Andrew Barnes welcomes DStv subscribers and viewers back to the channel saying "Good to be back on-air after some gremlins have been weeded from the system".
Labels: Andrew Barnes, DStv, ENCA, Sabido Investment Limited
Former SABC cameraman Mbuyiselo 'Mbuyi' Ramncwana laid to rest in East London, died after a short illness.
The former SABC cameraman Mbuyiselo "Mbuyi" Ramncwana has been laid to rest in East London, the SABC reports.
Mbuyiselo "Mbuyi" Ramncwana worked for 32 years in Johannesburg and in the Eastern Cape until his retirement in May 2012.
Mbuyiselo "Mbuyi" Ramncwana died two weeks ago following a short illness.
He was a veteran journalist who started working for the SABC in 1980 and was among one of the first cameramen on the murder scene of the late Chris Hani.
Labels: cameraman, Mbuyiselo "Mbuyi" Ramncwana, SABC
Sky News has hour long special, 'William, Kate & George Down Under', Sunday at 21:00.
Sky News (DStv 402) has an hour long TV special, William, Kate & George: Down Under, today (Sunday) at 21:00 (South African time), looking back at the young royals' visit to Australia and New Zealand.
The hour long news special is compiled of highlights from the British Royal couple's tour of Australia and New Zealand, with poignant reminders of William's own visit with Charles and Diana as a baby - as well as Prince George's first public appearances.
Labels: Sky News, William Kate and George Down Under
BREAKING. Former SABC CEO Dali Mpofu: 'The SABC is a slave of the ANC', says 'his master's voice' is muzzling freedom of speech.
A former CEO of the SABC, Dali Mpofu, is lashing out at the South African public broadcaster, saying "the SABC is a slave of the ANC".
Advocate Dali Mpofu who was the CEO of the SABC between 2005 and 2009, trashed the SABC in front of the Compliance and Complaints Committee of South Africa's broadcasting regulator during a late Friday public hearing.
Dali Mpofu said "other neutral broadcasters, not slaves to the ruling party, have aired the advert".
Dali Mpofu, a former card-carrying ANC member, was referring to the shocking way in which the SABC banned the Democratic Alliance party's "Ayisafani" TV commercial, followed two weeks later by also banning the Economic Freedom Front (EFF) political party TV commercial just before the upcoming elections.
Dali Mpofu said "his master's voice" - a reference to the ANC stemming from the apartheid -era days when the SABC was a National Party mouth piece - is "muzzling" freedom of speech in South Africa.
"The fear expressed by the SABC [of banning political TV adverts' amounts to censorship, it is a citizen's right to choose or reject," Dali Mpofu told the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa).
Labels: Dali Mpofu, Icasa, Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, SABC
BREAKING. eNCA after its reporter is harassed by South African Police: 'Outrageous bullying tactics unacceptable' in South Africa.
Photo: Beeld
The eNCA (DStv 403) 24-hour TV news channel tells TV with Thinus it is "outrageous" that the South African police harassed one of its TV reporters and forcibly removed images off of his cellphone and that eNCA find these "bullying tactics" of journalists in South Africa unacceptable.
Ben Said, group news editor of eNCA tells me that eNCA will be taking up the matter with the South African Police as well as the ANC political party.
Yesterday a member of the South African Police's VIP unit, dressed in plain clothes, forcibly removed images from the cellphone of eNCA reporter Nickolaus Bauer.
Nickolaus Bauer was at an ANC election rally in Duduza.
The incident occured after Nickolaus Bauer took photos of an Ekurhuleni government vehicle transporting and handing out ANC T-shirts to ANC supporters at one of the political party's election rallies.
This is a transgression and abuse of state resources to use a government vehicle for a specific political party's electioneering.
"We think it is outrageous and it is just another example of these sort of incidents where the police are willing to abuse their power; intimidating and harassing journalists," says Ben Said.
"It goes against SANEF's code of conduct signed with the South African Police," says Ben Said.
"These bullying tactics by the South African Police are unacceptable in a democratic South Africa".
"We are going to be taking the matter up with the head of the South African Police's VIP unit and I've also asked the ANC to look into the matter," says Ben Said.
ALSO READ: eNCA reporter Nickolaus Bauer harassed by ANC; reporter has cellphone forcibly taken and images deleted.
Labels: Ben Said, ENCA, Nickolaus Bauer
BREAKING. M-Net in Friday scheduling chaos - viewers upset about MasterChef Australia, Arrow, Game of Thrones - and sudden Sound Check.
A major scheduling and technical play-out mess at M-Net left M-Net terrestrial viewers confused and fuming on Friday evening and well into the night as the South African pay-TV broadcaster experienced play-out problems and had scheduling chaos not communicated to viewers.
Even during and after the scheduling problems, M-Net failed and couldn't be bothered to communicate to subscribers.
Terrestrial viewers waiting for Game of Thrones inexplicably got shown an episode of Arrow on Friday night.
Viewers who wanted to watch MasterChef Australia - which only started for a few minutes after which M-Net suddenly ended MasterChef Australia - saw the channel suddenly cut to filler of Sound Check for over half an hour of random music videos.
During it all there was no explanation from M-Net to subscribers or the press, or on social media, as to what is going on and why the scheduling mess and programming disruption is happening.
By late Friday night there was no apology or explanation from M-Net as to what went wrong or how M-Net will be dealing with broadcasts and repeats of the messed-up Friday evening line-up.
"What the hell is going on M-Net? MasterChef just stopped as it started and now Sound Check," said Ralien van Eeden on Twitter.
"For some reason M-Net thinks its MTV and playing music videos.Your supposed to be showing MasterChef Australia," said Tejal Jessa.
"M-Net what happened to Game of Thrones tonight? Switched on at 21:30 and got The Arrow?" asked Steve Wattleworth.
"Can I expect M-Net will refund me at the end of this month? I paid for a service which you are not delivering. Shame on you fat cats of M-Net," wrote Jacques van Schalkwyk on Facebook.
"M-Net sucks!" wrote Esme Hoch. "After waiting more than one year for Game of Thrones season 4 to premier worldwide, M-net won't show the most crucial episode ever. This is not what I pay for".
M-Net viewers are also outraged over the heavy rotation of Game of Thrones promos and their anger boiled over when the episode didn't actually start.
"If you insist on advertising Game of Thrones every two minutes the least you could do is air the bloody thing when you say you will," wrote Sean Van Zijl.
"Do you people just sit around playing Candy Crush all day? Because you're clearly not working on your schedule and airing shows correctly!" wrote Corien Lombard.
"M-Net could have the courtesy to announce or advise of these programming changes," wrote Lorraine Tait Faul. " Or at least change the on-screen TV guide. It's not April Fools day today, so stop messing your viewers around".
Labels: Arrow, Game of Thrones, M-Net, MasterChef Australia, Sound Check
SHOCKER. SA BROADCASTING REGULATOR BANS POLITICAL TV ADVERT BANNED BY SABC, THEN ALLOWED, NOW BANNED AGAIN.
Freedom of speech in South Africa is under threat whether citizens of the Republic of South Africa realise it or not: the South African broadcasting regulator in a late announced meeting on Friday of its Complaints and Compliance committee, banned a political party's TV commercial which the public broadcaster banned, was then forced to show, and is now banned again.
In a shocking about turn, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) on Friday evening - shortly after announcing at 15:04 that a "public hearing" would take place at 17:00 on the Friday preceding a long weekend - banned the political TV advert of the Democratic Alliance (DA).
Nothing of the so-called "public hearing" was public where Icasa suddenly bulldozed through a ban of the TV commercial as it is in its current form, reversing its decision of a week ago to unban the commercial after Icasa was threatened with legal action.
The shocking about turn from South Africa's broadcasting regulator a week later, now publicly shows that the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) has become as politically infected and its independence as severely politically compromised as the South African Broadcasting Corporation.
Icasa has now become complicit in silently, dutifully, kowtowing to the ruling political party.
The "Ayisafani" TV commercial was banned by the SABC which also banned a political TV advert of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) political party, although other broadcasters had no problem playing and showing it.
Last week the South African broadcasting regulator ordered the SABC to start broadcasting the banned DA commercial immediately. While the SABC then banned the EFF commercial, Icasa dragged its feet this entire week in holding a Complaints and Compliance hearing.
On Friday evening Icasa quietly suddenly did an about turn and banned the DA election advert at the public hearing which had no closing arguments - meaning that the EFF advert will also be - and effectively remain - banned.
By Friday night Icasa has not issued any public statement about the broadcasting regulator banning the TV commercial, explaining why.
The DA now plans to take the matter to court for a high court ruling.
The shocking about turn of Icasa comes after the South African Police - which today abused a South African TV reporter, physically grabbed his cellphone and deleted photos off of it at an ANC election rally - told Icasa that the DA and EFF adverts "incites violence" and makes the police look bad.
"The police should not be seen as a threat to the community," Wandile Tutani, chairperson of Icasa's Complaints and Compliance committee said.
Labels: Ayisafani, DA, Democratic Alliance, EFF, Icasa, Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, SABC, Wandile Tutani
BREAKING. eNCA reporter Nickolaus Bauer harassed by ANC; TV reporter has cellphone forcibly taken and images deleted.
The eNCA (DStv 403) reporter Nickolaus Bauer was harassed today by the South African Police who forcibly took his cellphone and deleted images off of the TV journalist's cellphone at an ANC election rally in Duduza that the 24-hour TV news channel was covering.
Nickolaus Bauer was harassed by a South African Police member, dressed in plain clothes, as other journalists and cameramen looked on.
Nickolaus Bauer's phone was forcibly taken and photos he took deleted by the South African policeman who apparently works for the VIP division.
The police man didn't want Nickolaus Bauer to take and have photos of a Gauteng government vehicle used to transport ANC T-shirts for the election rally - a state vehicle which means it is an abuse of state resources to do this for a specific political party.
e.tv and eNCA didn't respond to a media enquiry made before close of day on Friday seeking comment,a response or a statement from the 24-hour TV news channel on Friday's incident.
ALSO READ: eNCA after its reporter Nickolaus Bauer is harassed by South African Police: "Outrageous bullying tactics unacceptable in South Africa".
Labels: ANC, ENCA, Nickolaus Bauer
WALK-ON ROLE. E! News on E! Entertainment's perfect opener as Terrence Jenkins and Giuliana Rancic do an off-side walk on.
Now this is perfection.
The opener intro of the daily E! News Thursday night at 20:00 on E! Entertainment (DStv 124) was faultless as co-anchors Terrence Jenkins and Giuliana Rancic tried something new: an off-side walk-on, talk intro which they did brilliantly and flawlessly.
Television, like a symphony orchestra, has many different parts which all has to come together.
You might hear one symphony but when its perfect, it's because a lot of different sounds come together correctly at just the right time.
E! News more than pleasantly surprised Thursday night with a terrific off-set, walk on intro, immediately upping the dynamic energy and visual feel of the entire day's broadcast.
Thursday's edition of E! News literally kicked off by bringing the viewer in from the "outside" so to speak, to the inside (making the viewer feel like "the insider").
Notice the perfect backstage studio start to on-set transition. The perfect and constantly adjusting overhead camera angle and the perfect tracking and panning with the jimmy jib.
Notice the anchors placing their hands on the desk at the same time without looking at each other like faultless, synchronised swimmers in a team, the measured, yet natural looking pace of their walking and talking.
Notice the welcoming, complementing to the viewer arm movements and hand gestures which are extroverted, yet not wildly over-the-top as most South African TV presenters over do, and those perfect smiles.
A whole group of people worked together, and their work to make this piece of television was perfect - for all of 9 seconds.
But those 9 seconds are the intro.
Because such a powerful opener manages to "wow" the viewer subconsciously on a visual level, and because the viewer is visually drawn to the dynamic perfection of the scene setting opener, it's my guess that a viewer will most likely will also stay watching.
Labels: E Entertainment, E News, Giuliana Rancic, Terrence Jenkins
Nik Gowing done as news anchor for BBC World News; to step down in May; will do ad-hoc presenting in future.
Nik Gowing is ending his daily work as a news anchor and presenter of BBC World News (DStv 400 / StarSat 400).
Nik Gowing is stepping down as BBC World News anchor and presenter in May and will continue with some ad-hoc presenting work for the BBC in the future.
He says he has chosen to "step back with a great sense of having contributed to achieving so much" over 18 years at BBC World News.
Nik Gowing joined BBC World News in 1996 and anchored programmes ranging from NewsDesk and World News Today to The Hub and Dateline London.
"Nik always recognised the potential for BBC World News to become a successful global channel and has played a key role in building its success," says James Stephenson, the head of news at BBC World News. "We hugely appreciate his distinguished contribution to the channel both on and off air".
"Nik has been a mainstay of BBC World News for most of its existence," says Peter Horrocks, the director of World Service Group. "His gravitas, his energy and his unrivalled contacts book have been essential parts of the channel's booming success".
"Like a few other colleagues back in the mid-nineties, I took the professional risk of joining a fledgling channel with great global potential and ambitions," says Nik Gowing.
"It was, though, one that the BBC took a long time to work out how to embrace both commercially and editorially. Now BBC World News is where I always visualised it would get to eventually. It is flying high as one of the ever more successful BBC global news platforms," says Nik Gowing.
Labels: BBC World News, Nik Gowing
Prophet named Angel is suing SuperSport for predicting that Liverpool will win the English Premier League.
A prophet named Angel is suing sports broadcaster SuperSport for predicting a soccer score.
The Zimbabwean Prophet Uebert Angel is suing SuperSport for US$1,5 million for quoting him as saying that Liverpool would win the English Premier League soccer title, according to a report in Zimbabwe's The Herald.
Prophet Angel, the leader of the Spirit Embassy Church in Zimbabwe, is suing SuperSport International (Pty) Ltd. because he says he never made a prophecy regarding the outcome of the EPL and that Liverpool Football Club would win.
Prophet Angel says that the prophecy attributed to him is false, malicious and defamatory and that if Liverpool loses, his followers would lose confidence in him.
SuperSport International argued that it cannot be defamation because the premiership was still on and that defamation can only be proven if Liverpool fails to win.
In the defendant's plea filed earlier this month, SuperSport's lawyer Eric Morris said the "defendants admit that the words quoted were published, but continue to deny that they were defamatory and point out that the event predicted has not as yet transpired so as to make it impossible to state whether or not such words are false."
In the article published on www.supersort.com at the end of December 2013 under the heading "Zimbabwean prophet predicts Liverpool to win title", Prophet Angel was quoted as saying: "Liverpool, I am with you this year and God has shown me he is returning you to your glory days."
Labels: Prophet Angel, SuperSport
eNCA's NewsNight anchors, Jeremy Maggs and Iman Rappetti in an on-air 'quicky' which derails the broadcast.
eNCA's flagship nightly newscast, NewsNight, with co-anchors Jeremy Maggs and Iman Rappetti on Wednesday night was inappropriate and ill-suited when Jeremy Maggs' weird joke about "a quicky" derailed the broadcast just before a break when Iman Rappetti burst out laughing and couldn't properly speak anymore.
It's possibly the first off-key misstep ever of South African television news' premier anchoring duo.
Their usually unflappable style which cleverly sees them smooth over technical mistakes and cover for each other, their warm co-anchoring demeanour, professional real-time presence, and their subdued humour which always strikes just the right tone, went slightly off kilter on Wednesday night's NewsNight.
"Well, time now for a quicky ... a market update that is," said Jeremy Maggs.
Co-anchor Iman Rappetti's eyes went wide, followed by a gasp and then laughter which she tried to hold in - but also making her swallow her words which became almost inaudible to viewers.
NewsNight cut to a break on eNCA, leaving viewers feeling oddly, strange, uncertain as to what to make of the live on-air oops.
As a side-note, the NewsNight's business anchor Andile Gumede was simply terrible on Wednesday night - either completely unprepared, struggling with a broken autocue, or the victim of his own doing or some other form of technical difficulties.
Andile Gumede's delivery on Wednesday night, repetitive mistakes, staccato non-sensical sentences and blabbering business mumbo-jumbo made for cringe-worthy television - not the tape to take with your CV as an example of your work to your next job interview.
Labels: ENCA, Iman Rappetti, Jeremy Maggs, NewsNight
Comedy Central to simulcast radio DJ Gareth Cliff's internet radio show on the TV channel on weekday mornings from 1 May.
After abruptly severing ties with the SABC radio station 5FM, the South African radio DJ Gareth Cliff who promised a new type of show will now, ironically, be simulcasting his new internet streamed show, The Gareth Cliff Show Live, on a traditional media platform - Comedy Central (DStv 122) from 1 May.
Terms of the deal was not disclosed, but Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) which runs Comedy Central Africa, will show The Gareth Cliff Show Live on weekdays between 07:35 to 08:50 from 1 May.
The studio based internet radio show will feature telephone calls and interviews which will be seen on television.
Its not clear whether The Gareth Cliff Show Live will be heard outside of South Africa's borders on Comedy Central on DStv in the rest of Africa and whether VIMN Africa will stay with the repeats of American sitcoms for other African countries.
By simulcasting The Gareth Cliff Show Live on television on DStv, Gareth Cliff, Comedy Central and VIMN Africa, and MultiChoice will have to adhere to the regulations of the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) not applicable of the internet radio venture remained strictly on cliffcentral.com.
Gareth Cliff's solo TV try-out, the late night The Gareth Cliff Show on M-Net in 2009 lasted only one season, but he has remained a judge on the South African pay-TV broadcaster's reality singing competition show, Idols.
Although the timeslot for such a simulcast on television is odd and unusual - television viewership on weekday mornings fall since people don't remain stationary - the addition of The Gareth Cliff Show Live does replace one of the multiple Comedy Central repeat slot with new content to help increase the channel's minutes of daily first-run programming.
In a statement Gareth Cliff admits to the traditional media of the new venture. "The partnership with Comedy Central not only gives our audience a traditional platform to join us as they're getting ready to start the day, but is an opportunity to uncover fresh local content".
"This is Comedy Central's first daily live show in the African market and we are thrilled to be partnering with a host of Gareth Cliff's calibre, polish and experience to bring this new comedy concept to these shores," says Evert van der Veer, Comedy Central Africa channel head about the dualistic internet radio and TV talk show.
"The addition of a localised editorial voice to put things in perspective for South African viewers adds a broad new dimension to our comedy portfolio".
Strangely, MultiChoice is weighing in on the Comedy Central programming venture.
In the Comedy Central statement, Aletta Alberts, MultiChoice's head of content, said MultiChoice - and using past perfect tense - "had great expectations of the show".
"We have always supported new ideas and this exciting and fresh addition to the Comedy Central line-up will make the channel ever stronger, reinforced by this local flavour. Gareth gives our viewers a voice to interact with this strong global brand".
Labels: Aletta Alberts, Comedy Central, Gareth Cliff, Viacom International Media Networks Africa, VIMN Africa


The state Medical Examining Board disciplined three doctors on Tuesday, including fining a Norwich doctor $7,500 for failing to keep his prescription pad secure.
The board also reprimanded the doctor, John Paggioli, who specializes in pain management. In addition to not providing adequate security of his prescription pad, Paggioli had pre-signed a blank prescription for a patient and held controlled substances in his office for various patients, a consent order he agreed to said.
Though he denied any wrongdoing, Paggioli chose not to contest the allegations, the order said.
The discipline grew out of a 2016 investigation by the Drug Control Division of the state Department of Consumer Protection that began when a pharmacist reported a possible forged prescription in Paggioli's name, records show. He has since passed three unannounced state inspections, records show.In 2016, the medical board had fined Paggioli $4,000 for failing to secure his prescription pads, leading to several fraudulent prescriptions being taken to local pharmacies.
On Tuesday, the board also fined a Stamford doctor $7,500 for coming to work in 2017 impaired by alcohol or opiates ingested to alleviate post-surgical pain, state records show.
The Stamford Hospital doctor, Kim Zeh, who was also reprimanded, came to work at an urgent care center impaired, a consent order she signed said. Zeh was sent home and saw no patients that day, the order said. She has undergone a chemical dependency evaluation that was negative and that found she was safe to practice medicine, the order said. Zeh did not admit wrongdoing but chose not to contest the allegations, the order said.
The board also reprimanded Dr. Stephen Harris, an internal medicine doctor from Cheshire, for discarding patient files in a Dumpster when closing his medical practice in Waterbury in January, state records show. Tipped off by an anonymous call, officials from the state Department of Public Works went to the office that day and were able to retrieve the records.Harris, who did not contest the allegation, will also have his license suspended for six months, the order said. He was ordered to take courses in ethics and patient confidentiality during the probation.
Also on Tuesday, the board rejected a consent order that would have imposed a $25,000 fine against a Weston psychiatrist who let his secretary sign prescriptions for controlled substances for herself and for patients he had not examined.The psychiatrist, Dr. Harry Brown, would also have been reprimanded and had his license placed on probation for two years under the order. Brown has surrendered his state registration to prescribe controlled substances.
Board members said the proposed discipline was not stringent enough.
From 2014 to 2017, Brown prescribed opioids without documenting an exam or diagnosis for various patients, the order said. Brown also failed to take required medical education courses from 2013 to 2016 and lied about the courses on his license renewal application, the order said.
If the order had been approved, it would have been the fourth time that Brown had been disciplined by the medical board, including for practicing medicine for four years without malpractice insurance and breach of patient confidentiality, state records show.
The case now returns to the state Department of Public Health, which is expected to file charges against Brown and hold a hearing on the allegations.


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This unhappiness becomes the root of your day. It seeps into everything that you do; everything that you say, feel, and think about. It's the lens in how you now see the world.
All of the negative self talk, sudden overreactions, short tempers, worrying about trivial things, the story we tell ourselves — unhappiness — stems from the ego.
The reality is, it's not you.
Painful experiences from the past may cause you to be unhappy today, maybe it's from resentment, but it's through the ego that they still exist. The ego keeps that negative energy burning.
To release yourself from the shackles of the ego and your unhappiness, you need to find out whether it is possible for you to allow those feelings to even be there. In other words, as Eckhart Tolle puts it, if you don't mind being unhappy, what happens to the unhappiness?
This is part of being awakened.
When you accept those feelings a space creates around your unhappiness. This space derives from accepting whatever you are experiencing in the present moment.
You still feel unhappy, but it doesn't matter as much. The space you've created is awareness, the very thing that's needed to weaken the ego.
As this space widens and grows your awareness muscle begins to strengthen. You begin to see how you were attaching yourself to the emotions stemming from the ego.
The moment you stop identifying yourself with the feeling and stop resisting unhappiness, the ego struggles to control your thinking. Suffering begins to dissipate.
The story about yourself begins to shift from The Unhappy Me to Me.
As I've been traveling this journey of intentional self growth for over a year I've learned to recognize this pattern, or process, of the ego. Sometimes it lingers on for weeks while other times it's a matter of minutes.
Committing to this journey instills the habits of exercising the muscles that creates this space. Knowing what it feels like, and having the awareness within this space when the ego shows it's face again, you can step back, acknowledge what's taking place and accept the feelings for as they are, and detach yourself from them.
You are now equipped to know what the truth and reality feels like. This is such a beautiful and profound experience.
This acceptance initiates the creation into awareness. The fire, or pain, deep inside of you that ignited that reaction begins to loosen. It's no longer trapped feeding the ego. There's space to breathe and feel lighter.
It's space to just Be.
Posted in Self-Improvement. Tagged A New Earth, Accept What Is, Eckhart Tolle, Ego, Preset Moment, Unhappiness, Unless You Care Project.