[PARTNER CONTENT] In the time of Covid-19, news has become a vital part of our daily lives. eNCA has changed, adapted and innovated during this period to bring viewers credible and relevant news content that has made it South Africa’s leading news channel.
Over the past year, eNCA has introduced a strong senior management team, with Norman Munzhelele heading the channel as managing director; Vimla Frank, deputy managing director overseeing operations and marketing; John Bailey, managing editor in charge of editorial; Nisa Allie as regional manager of eNCA in the Western Cape and broadcasting manager Jody Jacobs, who manages broadcast and logistics.
This management team is a diverse one, comprising various age groups, ethnic backgrounds and work experience, that collectively make up a substantial and combined leadership skill set within eNCA.
Quality news has become eNCA’s standard and since the new management team took office, viewers have flocked to the channel: from April 2020 to March 2021, eNCA holds the leading edge in news viewership, reaching over 80% market share across the board.
“eNCA has proudly lived up to its positioning statement ‘no fear no favour’ and remains free of bias in all news coverage. The channel has moved from strength to strength and has become a harmonious, dynamic environment. Our team is passionate, committed and dedicated to delivering superior news content. We have a critical role to play in empowering our nation with fair and balanced news,” says Munzhelele.
eNCA journalists are at the forefront of every breaking news story and ensure authentic news is brought to viewers in real time. Reporters relentlessly chase stories that are insightful and relevant to the viewer. Anchors dive deep into the heart of what matters to viewers and are not afraid to ask tough questions and demand honest answers.
“It is no mean feat to have retained 80% of news viewership since the start of the pandemic and this bears testament to the quality of our team and the credibility of our news content. I work with a strong editorial team and we do not compromise on excellence in what we do. Communication and accountability are important to us and engaging with our viewers ensures that we remain focused on bringing them news that matters,” adds Bailey.
eNCA has attracted the lion’s share of viewership, both on the channel and on its digital platforms, especially in its coverage of the presidential addresses, Covid-19 updates, ministerial briefings and live streams of funerals of high-profile people like King Goodwill Zwelithini and Minister Jackson Mthembu. The channel also introduced a revised weekday anchor line-up and the addition of powerful and popular current affairs shows like ‘Power to Truth’ with Dr J.J. Tabane and ‘Crime Watch’ with Yusuf Abramjee
“During Covid-19, journalism has come into sharp focus as viewers are challenged to differentiate fact from fake news. Having regional news hubs has helped provide on-the-spot coverage and our teams are diligent about ensuring that they report factually and without bias in all instances,’ Allie says.
eNCA embraced innovation and technology in a big way this year. The channel invested in the largest video wall screen in the southern hemisphere and introduced ARTI, an award-winning augmented reality broadcast tool.
Broadcast manager Jacobs explains: “Covid-19 was indeed a key catalyst that resulted in us being more agile and streamlined. Television news is largely about the visual experience and we are constantly looking at ways to improve our product. The introduction of the video wall and ARTI allows us to use technology in an innovative way to enhance our viewers’ experience. We look forward to moving into our new world class studios in June 2021.”
eNCA also refreshed its on-air presence with updated programme titles, logos and promos as well as reclaimed it’s original ‘No Fear. No Favour’ positioning and it’s nationwide ‘anti-corruption’ marketing campaign was very much in line with this.
“We thought long and hard about what we stand for as a channel and realised that the ‘No Fear. No Favour’ positioning that we are known for remains the perfect fit. It resonates both with our viewers and our team and is integrated into everything we say and do,” says Frank. “We’ve also had to find new ways of working to safeguard our team during Covid-19 while continuing to deliver quality news content. Our technical and editorial teams were brilliant in how they adapted to change. We have a lot of exciting plans for the channel but viewers will have to stay tuned to find out more.”
About eNCA
eNCA is South Africa’s most trusted independent TV channel and online news brand. It launched on June 1st, 2008 on DStv channel 403 as the country’s first 24-hour television news service. Since then, the channel’s signature live reports, breaking news, sport, weather, entertainment and business updates have become an indispensable source of local and international news for millions of South Africans. The news brand prides itself on being the voice of all South Africans, producing all news with No Fear No Favour.
