The Media Online’s weekly round up of people, account and business moves in media.
This week’s BIG move: Maverick Insider rates in top 15 of member-funded newsrooms according to Press Gazette
In a new ranking of top brands of newsrooms that count on the support of their members compiled and published by the Press Gazette, the Maverick Insider was ranked at number 11. The report encompasses the years from 2017 and including 2019, and looked at the “size of the membership base as one of the measures of how successful a publication has been in creating a community of readers around its work”.
Creating communities around newsrooms is another way of building financial sustainability for news organisations. The report uses self reported numbers from members which include international brands like The Guardian and members from 37 countries.
The quest for a sustainable business model in an environment characterised by political flux, business uncertainty and drying advertising revenue were some of the reasons behind the Daily Maverick looking to its readers to create a partnership that went beyond revenue support.
“We went to our readers and told them that we wanted to build a model that allowed us to continue to defend truth, but told them that we could not and did not want to do it alone. We wanted to create a community that was beyond just getting money from them. We wanted the Maverick Insider to be about engaging with our readers on multiple levels, sharing with them a lot of insight about what it takes to run Daily Maverick,“ said Styli Charalambous, CEO of the Daily Maverick.
The Maverick Insider was launched in 2018 and has since grown to the current 17 000 valued members with some of them financially contributing to support the Daily Maverick deliver on its promise to Defend Truth and making its newsroom accessible to as many people as possible without the limitations of a paywall. Maverick Insiders choose how much money they would like to contribute either as a once off amount or a recurring monthly contribution, with the minimum amount at R200.
For Fran Beighton, the Maverick Insider Manager, the Maverick Insider is about more than just supporting quality, independent journalism financially and keeping it accessible for all readers. “It’s also about building a community with our loyal readers who want to share unique experiences and help us write this new chapter of Daily Maverick,” said Beighton. “It has infiltrated almost every part of the Daily Maverick and is making us better at doing what we do. When we have events we invite the Insiders, and some of them have helped out as volunteers at these events. Our Insiders can also enjoy our member-only webinars with our journalists and editors.”
People moves
Investec appoints Abey Mokgwatsane as group chief marketing officer
Investec has appointed Abey Mokgwatsane as chief marketing officer. Mokgwatsane joins the global executive team and will have overall responsibility for the group’s marketing function across all its operations. Mokgwatsane has enjoyed an illustrious career, holding leadership positions at some of South Africa’s leading companies and advertising agencies. Most recently, he was the managing executive responsible for brand marketing and communications at Vodacom.
Commenting on the appointment, Investec Group Chief Executive Fani Titi said: “At Investec, we have a strong organisational culture, which we believe is our strategic differentiator. We look to employ inspirational and entrepreneurial thinkers with a strong social conscience. We are thrilled to welcome Abey, who not only embodies these values but is also passionate about extracting the very best from purpose-led organisations.”
This sentiment is shared by Mokgwatsane who added: “Investec has always been the blueprint of entrepreneurial flair, extraordinary client experience and innovation in its sector. Being part of the team that will continue to set this benchmark into its next chapter is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me.”
Jabulani Sigege joins Machine_’s creative leadership in Cape Town
Creative solutions agency Machine_ adds fresh creative blood to their growing Cape Town team as they welcome industry mover and shaker Jabulani Sigege. Sigege will take over from PJ Eales as executive creative director as of 1 November. After almost seven years at the agency, Eales moves onto a new challenge at fintech start-up Ozow.
With more than 16 years of hands-on experience, Sigege comes well equipped to lead the Machine_ creative team. Having held the creative reigns at some of South Africa’s most successful and recognised agencies, including M&C Saatchi Abel, Hero and Wunderman Thompson, Sigege has helped shape and grow homegrown and international brands alike. Big names like Nando’s, Capitec, Takealot.com, Old Mutual, Yardley London and Heineken are just a few of the brands on his impressive list. And his work hasn’t gone unnoticed, Sigege has multiple award accolades under his belt, including Cannes, One Show, Loeries, Bookmarks and Pendorings.
“For years I’ve watched as Machine_ created and led with smart, head turning work that made consumers and clients pay attention,” explains Sigege, “and it’s this and more that attracted me to this admirable agency who have not only been able to deliver exceptional work but also still managed to retain their identity and culture. I can’t wait to lead the agency into its next creative chapter, working with this talented team to develop rich and meaningful work.”
Professor Christopher Paul Szabo’s new podcast series maps the journey and purpose of modern psychiatry and mental wellness
Johannesburg: A new podcast series that maps not only the practical aspects of psychiatry, but also its purpose and shares a broader view on the service and outcomes that the discipline provides to society. The podcast series Beyond Madness, hosted by founder and editor in chief of South African Psychiatry Professor Christopher Paul Szabo, intends to share the narrative of the discipline and in the process demystify both psychiatry and the plight of those afflicted with mental illness.
“The idea of a podcast came as a natural extension of the work related to South African Psychiatry, which provides a platform for content that is not only for the discipline of psychiatry but importantly about the discipline,” said Professor Szabo. “The written word is one thing, the spoken word another. Moreover, the interactive nature of the podcast medium allows for the emergence of thoughts and ideas beyond a published piece.”
He hopes that the podcasts will reach clinical professionals as well as resonate with the general public.
“If patient care is at the centre of our efforts, then information impacting on such care should be accessible. Patients have families, friends, colleagues – all of whom are impacted by patient well-being. In this sense, patients impact communities and society at large,” Professor Szabo adds. And October is Mental Health awareness month.
Beyond Madness is available on //cliffcentral.com/podcasts/beyond-madness/
Business moves
News24 launches index that tracks municipalities’ performance
As South Africa prepares for the municipal elections, the state of local government is once again in the spotlight. A new data portal built by News24 shows the crisis in the frontline of service delivery is likely to deepen.
In a first for South Africa, the Out of Order index lets readers track how good (or bad) their municipality is performing according to an informed range of factors, like financial sustainability, clean audits, poverty and service delivery.
Calculated from a set of data painstakingly collated over the last two months by a News24 team, the index gives a detailed view of every municipality in the country, with interactive elements that allow readers to see how important changes might impact the index score of their municipality.
“This project comes just in time as South Africans prepare to vote in this year’s municipal elections. It is an extremely valuable tool to help voters decide if their municipalities are worth trusting with their ballots or not,” said News24 editor-in-chief Adriaan Basson.
“It is the first data journalism project of its nature and I am very proud of our colleagues for bringing tons of data, research, statistics and analysis together in such an accessible and visually appealing way.”
Based on the Out of Order index, News24 has identified 49 municipalities which have not featured on previously published Auditor General or Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) lists, and which score lower than the average of those known problematic municipalities, suggesting that they too might soon feature on the roll call of shame.
They include municipalities across six provinces. They are dominated by KwaZulu-Natal (23) followed by the Eastern Cape (11), Limpopo (9), Northern Cape (3), North West (2) and Mpumalanga with one.
The project is sponsored by Truth First, a non-profit organisation for investigative journalism within Media24.
OFM proudly partners with Dragons 14 October 2021
The Dragons are currently preparing for their first debut tournament in the new CSA Division 1. In 2022, the Dragons will compete in the Mzansi Super League as well as numerous one day matches.
As media partner, OFM will cover the Dragons’ 2021/2022 season with team news, results, information on upcoming matches and interviews with team players.
“Dragons cricket has a rich history of success in generating many excellent players. We are excited to be part of this history for years to come. Cricket is loved in Potchefstroom, and we can not wait to watch the loved Dragons from the grass embankments of South Africa’s favourite stadium,” said Nick Efstathiou, the CEO of Central Media Group.
2021 Absa Cape Epic broadcasts globally with Dimension Data infrastructure
Dimension Data, IT solutions and technology provider and official technology partner for the 2021 Absa Cape Epic, has assisted in putting the rugged and challenging event on the digital map. The event is widely regarded as one of the most demanding mountain bike stage races in the world and spans more than 600 kilometres into remote and rugged locations with limited connectivity and visibility.
Logistical challenges and a focus on preserving the environment and rider experience has made it important that this event be broadcast globally. Dimension Data built a dedicated digital platform designed specifically to overcome the logistical challenges of the remote landscape and stream the event live to a global audience.
“The limited data infrastructure in this remote landscape was a challenge for the Absa Cape Epic and its audience,” said Nompumelelo Mokou, Dimension Data managing director, Southern Africa. “As the official technology partner for the event, we are connecting the world to The Race That Measures All. We are connecting medical services, media broadcasts, riders, fans and so much more. Through this sponsorship, we have enabled the Absa Cape Epic to deliver an engaging fan, media and rider experience while showcasing the transformative power of technology.”
NTT Ltd. announced as the official technology partner to the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift
NTT Ltd., a global technology and business solutions provider, has announced its role as A.S.O’s Official Technology Partner to Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. The new race, which will launch in 2022, will promote the development of women’s cycling and inspire the next generation of female riders.
The inaugural race will start on the Champs-Élysées on 24 July, prior to the conclusion of the men’s race. The race will feature 20 teams of six riders and will conclude on 31 July 2022. The event adopts the same codes, values, and symbols as the men’s race; helping to encourage diversity and equality within the sport.
As the event’s official technology partner, NTT will work with A.S.O. to implement a technology roadmap to provide a rich digital experience for fans. This will include Race Center, which brings together social media, and commentary and LeTourData, which will provide fans with data-driven insights and AI predictions across Twitter, Instagram, and TV broadcast to bring them closer to the action.
OPPO is proud to be the global partner of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 2016
As the global partner of ICC, global technology brand, OPPO, is a proud partner of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup taking place in the UAE and Oman from 17 October 2021 to 14 November 2021.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 is the largest cricket event to be held in the region and will see sixteen of the world’s top cricket teams that will compete for the ultimate prize at the tournament, which begins on October 17th.
Ethan Xue, president of OPPO MEA said, “OPPO has always believed in promoting and celebrating the spirit of sports as evidenced by our partnership with sporting events related to tennis, football, athletics. Our association with cricket is corollary to that spirit and dates back to 2016 when we entered into a long-term partnership with ICC. Billions of people around the globe will be watching the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. We want to leverage this opportunity to forge deeper bonds with consumers worldwide.”
World Out of Home Organization gears up for first Asia Forum
The World Out of Home Organization (WOO) will hold its inaugural Asia Forum on 28 October with a full line-up of senior executives from the region, headed by Dentsu APAC CEO and India Chairman Ashish Bhasin. Bhasin currently a key player in Dentsu’s transformation into six key brands worldwide, will open the Forum by discussing the need for more media owner consolidation and better audience measurement. He will be interviewed by WOO President Tom Goddard.
The Forum, a virtual event, follows the success of WOO’s Europe Forum earlier this year which featured WPP CEO Mark Read. The Asia Forum, which is free for WOO members and also open to non-members, commences at 13.00 Beijing time (06.00 UK time.)
It will be followed early in 2022 by WOO’s first Africa Forum and then by a full WOO Global Congress from May 25 to 27 in Toronto, the first opportunity the global OOH industry has had to meet in person since the WOO Congress in Dubai in 2019.
Making moves
MIP partners with TEARS Foundation
TEARS Foundation provides access to crisis intervention, advocacy, counselling, and prevention education services for those impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault and child sexual abuse. Confidential services are provided to all victims at no charge nationwide, with a 24-hour free SMS service to anyone who has access to a cellphone. The NPO connects victims to facilities that offer the assistance they need, ranging from counselling and support groups to medical attention, as well as following up with the police on behalf of victims who have case numbers and providing advice on how to apply for a protection order.
TEARS Foundation fChanneounder, Mara Glennie, said due to the fact that there are still no accurate statistics on the reality of GBV in South Africa, TEARS decided to pursue a digital platform that would enable them to have more accurate data, at the click of a button. However, TEARS wanted something more than just a means to collate facts and figures. The NPO was looking for a digital platform that would also enable its intervention team to regularly follow-up with clients in their journey to healing.
Specialist software solution provider MIP Holdings was only too happy to assist. Using the CRM module in MIP’s insurance system, the company built, deployed and are maintaining a digital platform for TEARS Foundation. The platform assists the NPO in capturing cases, recording victim and perpetrator details, as well as things like case numbers provided by the police and court order numbers.
All of this information is stored in a database that the TEARS team can easily access. The solution not only captures updated case information, it allows emails to be sent and received within the platform and follow-up calls to be scheduled. With drop down menus for all the data that statistics are needed on, the platform has a Live Dashboard, updating as information is captured.
Channel O brings fresh energy to a new season of My Top 5, the interview show with a twist
Channel O’s candid interview show, My Top 5, is back for season two with a fresh new look and an exciting new host – content creator and influencer Naledi Mallela, who has over 200 000 social media followers and over 7 million YouTube views.
The new season of My Top 5 features a guest line-up that will keep viewers intrigued, entertained and will also tug at their heartstrings.
“We love providing our viewers with content that is unique, fresh, honest and heartfelt. A show like My Top 5 is testament to this, and our aim is to keep evolving and growing the range of content we have to offer,” says Nomsa Philiso, Director of Local Entertainment Channels at M-Net.
A fresh take on the classic interview format, My Top 5’s guests share a handful of tracks that they hold dear to their hearts. Featured this season are Miss South Africa 2020 Shudufhadzo Musida, chart-topping musician Makhadzi, award-winning rapper Kwesta and multitalented actor and dancer Bontle Modiselle, to name a few.
Tune in for great music and top tier conversation when My Top 5 starts airing on Channel O (DStv 320) on 20 October at 17h00.
Diary
INMA 2nd Annual Africa News Media Summit set for 17-18 November
The International News Media Association (INMA) will host its second annual Africa News Media Summit from 17-18 November with a focus on surfacing the continent’s fast-evolving news industry around themes of integrity, trust, and digital transformation in turbulent times.
The five-hour virtual summit across two modules in two days is free.
Click here to register now for the Africa News Media Summit
“The INMA summit aims to snapshot what is happening in the business of journalism in Africa,” said Doreen Mbaya, INMA’s Africa division manager based in Nairobi. “The free event for media professionals will have an authentic and direct African voice. We want to tell the African media story in this second annual summit.”
The INMA Summit will be moderated by South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) News Anchor Peter Ndoro and feature sessions of importance to African publishers:
- Profitable digital transformation of Africa media by Anderson Emegebo, professor of the Lagos Business School in Nigeria.
- How Nation.Africa transformed from a legacy publisher to a regional leader in digital content by Max Okeyo, head of strategy and innovation for Nation Media Group in Kenya.
- New African revenue models will be covered by Jared Kidambi, head of reader revenue for The Standard Group in Kenya; Denis Msacky, group managing editor of New Hbari in Tanzania; Eze Onyinyechi, head of digital services for Business Day in Nigeria; and Lance Witten, chief audience officer of Independent Media in South Africa.
- Big Tech and African news publishers and the opportunities and threats ahead will be the focus of a panel discussion among top media companies.
- How loss of trust can erode business value for African media will be the focus of a presentation by Robert Kabushenga, former CEO of New Vision Media Group in Uganda.
- Fake news and how Standard Media created Fact Checker to assure audiences by Carole Kimutai, digital editor of Standard Media in Kenya.
- How Media 24 Lifestyle chases new audiences with a multi-platform strategy by Amos Mananyetso, acting editor and digital chief of Daily Sun (Media24) in South Africa.
- How to plug the skills gap with recruiting and retaining talent in Africa media will be addressed by Peter Burdin, a BBC Africa advisor based in the United Kingdom.
- INMA CEO Earl J. Wilkinson will provide an opening keynote address looking at the global news media outlook for 2022 and beyond, while INMA Digital Platform Initiative Lead Robert Whitehead will lead discussions on what’s next with Big Tech.
Last year’s inaugural INMA Africa News Media Summit drew 567 delegates from 51 countries. The interactive summit allows participants to engage with speakers via questions and chat.
