Primedia's EWN re-freshes as a fully omni-channel platform

EWN is an award-winning multi-platformed news and information service which has for years been at the forefront of telling the unfolding South African story. Its cutting-edge reporting on Primedia Broadcasting's four radio stations - 947, 702, CapeTalk, and Kfm, and through its highly interactive multi-media digital platform, has seen EWN become a credible and iconic news service.

EWN has won many awards during the years, including five awards in 2020 at the annual IAB Bookmarks Awards including Best Online Journalist, and a Gold Award in the Online News Video category.

The last decade has seen the decline of traditional print media and the rise of digital platforms. The downside of the fast and furious growth of digital offerings is a high risk of misinformation and disinformation. Primedia’s EWN fast and fastidious approach to news, and dedication to truthful, verified information, provides a beacon of truth in the era of fake information.

Sbu Ngalwa, editor in chief of EWN, says “At a time when news and information is becoming more and more disposable, we are going even deeper in uncovering not only truth but also in providing our audiences with meaningful analysis. This is about empowering people at a time when fake news and superficial analysis have become pervasive - and often obscure the truth. There is a rush, in the fast-paced days of contemporary media, to be first to break stories and deliver explosive exposes but too often this is at the expense of accuracy. Even the smallest dose of expediency by some journalists tarnishes the trustworthiness and credibility of the media sector as a whole. EWN’s promise to you is to provide truthful, credible, and relevant news which will allow you to make informed decisions about key issues in society and help empower your daily life.”

Alongside uncompromised integrity of reporting is a firm commitment to continual innovation and reinvention. EWN is investing in delivering seamless content integration, world class digitisation and brand-new content offerings which resonates well with its audience’s interests, media consumption patterns and lifestyles.

Ngalwa says, “We recognise that the days where audiences came looking for us are long gone. This means that as newsrooms we must go where the audiences are to be found. We are excited to be launching our daily mobile-friendly English and IsiZulu “TV News” bulletins, anchored by seasoned broadcasters Jane Dutton and Kwazi Kwaza respectively. Going forward, you will not only hear and read EWN content but can watch the work of our talented and hard-working journalists through easy-to-consume daily bulletins which will be broadcast every evening from Monday to Friday, on our EWN YouTube page”.

EWN audiences can look forward to a boosted digital content offering which will include awardwinning author and journalist, Mandy Wiener, and author and political commentator, Malaika Mahlatsi, as regular columnists. Some of the country’s most talented young journalists are also being actively recruited to join the EWN team.

EWN will continue to evolve and future-proos itself to optimise the audience and advertiser experience and value. “Our regular audiences will see a new look, and many added features. We are also upscaling audience contributions to the EWN platform as we are fully aware and appreciative of the fact that it is eye witness accounts of ordinary people across the nation that have often turned into the biggest and most important stories on the platform. The brand refresh and new offerings includes a colour change to the ever-distinctive EWN logo. Ngalwa says; “The new blue colour in the logo is associated with credibility and truthfulness - values that we align ourselves with as EWN. Our brand refresh and new offering signal a new era in the life of EWN”.

The new era EWN is well positioned to be at the leading edge of reputable journalism and true media accountability in South Africa during a time where the fast and furious of fake news has led to great uncertainly.