Loeries Print Crafts, Experiential judging panels
Two more 2008 Loeries judging panels have been announced this week: Print Crafts and Experiential Judging. And if you want to impress these judges, get your entries in pronto as tomorrow, Saturday, 31 May 2008, is the very last day to do so!

More Loeries judging panels
The Student and Digital & Digital Crafts judging panels were announced by the organisers of the 2008 The Loerie Awards in the past week.

African business leaders must challenge ideas, boundaries, polarisation - De Bono
Edward de Bono, the world's foremost creative thinker, has urged South Africans to “challenge dominant ideas, challenge boundaries, and challenge polarisation” in order to improve themselves, their organisations and their communities. De Bono was speaking prior to this week's exclusive one-day event in Johannesburg, organised by Global Leaders.


Do more with less during a recession
Over the years, hundreds of studies have been conducted to prove you should maintain your advertising during an economic downturn. “Research on the recession of the early ‘80s showed a steady growth in businesses who maintained their marketing spend. In fact, by 1985, sales of companies that were aggressive recession advertisers had risen 256% more than those that didn't keep up their marketing,” notes Michael Gullan, MD of Guerrilla Marketing.

SA desperately needs a moral compass - Luhabe
“As we did prior to 1994, we are given the honour again to transform on behalf of the human race incidents of extreme human violation which were part of our political history in the '70s and '80s towards achieving levels of consciousness of ONENESS because we are ONE expressing in many dimensions.” So says Wendy Luhabe, chairman of the International Marketing Council, the custodian of Brand South Africa, calling on South Africans to unite in their humanity and make a stand against the ongoing xenophobic violence.

Marketing lessons from govt reaction to violence
[Chris Moerdyk] The reaction by Government to the wave of violence that has swept the country for the past two weeks has emphasised and confirmed a marketing trend that many big companies in this country have tended to ignore. Quite simply, for some time, marketing analysts have been insisting that talk without action does nothing to promote brands or sell products.

MTN 2010 campaign kicks off
MTN's worldwide advertising campaign to attract football lovers to 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa begins today, Friday, 30 May 2008. It aims to bolster MTN's position as the first and only African company ever to be the global sponsor of the FIFA World Cup.

2010 magazine show for SABC1
SABC1 is launching a prime-time magazine show, Countdown 2010, in June 2008 which aims to keep mzansi viewers fully informed and involved in the preparation for the largest sports event ever held in the African continent.

Leo Burnett launches R10 million anti-xenophobia campaign
Concerned about the current tragic xenophobic movement, the Leo Burnett Group has pooled its resources and secured numerous partners to create an advertising campaign with the view to curtailing the xenophobic violence impacting across the country. The TV ad features a variety of local celebrities spreading a simple message: “Together! South Africa is a part of Africa's family. Let's not turn our backs on our African brothers and sisters.”

Saatchi hits the mark with Pendoring campaign
“Afrikaans is a lucrative language - in the business world, the entertainment industry and the advertising world. Just look at successful Afrikaans super stars like Patricia Lewis and Steve Hofmeyr. That is why the theme of this year's Pendoring campaign is: ‘Praat die taal - dit betaal!' [Speak the language, it pays!]” Speaking are Hanlie Kriel and Katherine Botes of Saatchi & Saatchi in Cape Town, the agency that is responsible for this year's Pendoring advertising campaign.

CNBC Africa donates airtime for advertising fighting xenophobia
CNBC Africa has taken an official stand against xenophobia by donating R250 000 worth of commercial airtime to companies and organisations wishing to place advertising fighting xenophobia or promoting peaceful co-existence in Africa and South Africa.

Record number of Cannes Lions entries
LONDON: More than 28 000 entries from 85 countries will be competing at the Cannes Lions 55th International Advertising Festival, an increase of 10.2% versus last year. Without taking into account the new Design Lions category, the increase is 5.8%.

Creative Circle results for April 2008
The Creative Circle results for April 2008 are out and according to chairman Wingwing Mdlulwa, typical of April, there was a lot of Pre-Loeries work.

Ogilvy group goes Human
The new chief creative officer of Ogilvy South Africa is Gerry Human, it was announced yesterday, Tuesday, 27 May 2008. Formerly executive creative director of Ogilvy Johannesburg, this new role will see him managing the creative product and talent for the entire Ogilvy Group.


Cleaning up the international ad awards shows
The Jupiter Drawing Room (SA) & Partners, South Africa's largest independent agency group, has set a blistering pace in three of the world's premier international advertising shows, the Clios and the One Show in the US and the D&AD awards in the UK.

Getty Images Ultimate Pitch winner is... - Gallo Images
Andrew Tinning of Market Force Australia will be taking Bob Scarpelli's place at Cannes this year for his powerful entry "Green Unltd" which the judges felt has the power to galvanise people into really making a difference around the big problem of global warming.


Red Cherry's 2008 MNet Show is the best yet! - Red Cherry Media
For the ninth year running, Red Cherry produced the hugely popular MNet Show (formerly known as M Connection/On the Move) between February - April 2008.


AMASA presents 'Five things your kids can tell you about media and advertising today.. and tomorrow' - AMASA
The Advertising Media Association of South Africa (AMASA), will host media, marketing and communications guru Lev David next week Wednesday, 4 June 2008.

Promise creates turnkey brand experiences - Promise
Promise is proficient in delivering a broad output of branding expertise - the agency is not confined to above-, through- or below-the-line communications. Creative marketing solutions form a significant part of the agency's services. In addition to this, the agency has a strong ability to deliver turnkey brand experiences that are tactile and add significantly to the profitability of clients' businesses over the medium to long term.


singh&sons and KIA take an exhilarating ride - singh&sons
In 2005 The KIA RIO was a SA Car of the Year finalist. So, when KIA recently announced that it was launching a RIO facelift with a new 1.6 litre engine, Cape Town-based ad agency, singh&sons jumped at the opportunity to do some great advertising.

Makeover for brand stalwart Chappies
Did you know? South African bubblegum icon Chappies has had its first makeover in 50 years in preparation for a major consumer relaunch in 2008. The Cadbury South Africa brand, which was created specifically for the SA market in the late 1940s, has been updated to boost its appeal to the current generation of the country's children.


Don't let your IP slip through the net
[Warren Weertman] Cybersquatting - the practice of registering domain names incorporating trademarks of third party companies and then trying to sell the domain name back (for a handsome profit) to the trade mark proprietor - is not going away. On the contrary, it is growing, in the process remaining a huge problem for trademark proprietors.


The museums of branding
[Naseem Javed] All over the world, with so many different meanings and perceptions of the word "branding", it appears that it has lost its true meaning; the terminology is more like a walk through a museum with a glorious past.

Volkswagen, SAB and Clicks all choose Brand Alive - Brand Alive
Volkswagen South Africa, South African Breweries and New Clicks have all chosen Brand Alive, the brand relationship company, to develop and express their employment brands. Brand Alive completed and delivered the VW and SAB projects during May 2008, and will be finalising the Clicks project during June 2008.

Zendome is quality made in Germany; now represented in South Africa - Zendome
Offering quick and easy construction and perfect event safety, the Zendome is designed to withstand hurricane force winds and last years of regular use.

Encounters celebrates 10 years
To celebrate 10 years of the Encounters South African International Documentary Festival, a colourful and exciting bouquet of movies has been assembled that mixes local creations with some of the world's best new documentary films.

CRM drives perceived value
[Glen Ansell] Where exactly is value created for a customer or consumer? Particularly in competitive commodity markets, there are at least two centres of value - the first is the simple, quantitative value which is linked to the price paid and the goods received. The second is linked to the perceived value, which is a more nebulous notion which is linked to how that customer feels about his service provider or supplier.

Prezence becomes involved with the future of Concept Interactive's students - Concept Interactive
Prezence is proud to be involved with the development of future industry players and leaders through its association with Concept Interactive.

Greenside Design Center College of Design Open Day - Greenside Design Center
Every year the Greenside Design center has an Open Day where prospective students can come and view the work of the students and see first-hand what the Design Center is like as a higher education institution offering BA Degrees and BA (hons) Degrees in Interior, Graphic and Multimedia Design.

SAT-3 reinforces market monopolies in Africa - study
A study examining the impact the SAT-3 fibre optic submarine cable has had on telecommunications in four African countries has found that the potential of the cable has not been properly exploited.

Cashing in on digital success at this year's Beyond the Printed Word
DARMSTADT, GERMANY: Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is the host of IFRA's 16th World Digital Publishing Conference “Beyond the Printed Word”, 20 - 21 November 2008. Digital revenue, relevance and reach are this year's hot topics - under the motto “Cashing in on digital success”, the key point on the agenda is to take maximum advantage of digital technology.

Faster broadband from Vodacom
Vodacom has launched its High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) service today, Wednesday, 28 May 2008. The service will be commercially available countrywide with immediate effect, and is the first of its kind in South Africa.

Woolies joins world of podcasts
Woolworths Financial Services has launched a podcast designed to help customers manage their money better, making it one of the first South African brands to explore the benefits of new media in this way.

Getting to grips with online marketing - Acceleration
South African marketers need to look towards packaged applications and specialist service and solutions providers to help them make the most of the new opportunities emerging from digital marketing.

Post office wins National Business of the Year
The South African Post Office was announced as the National Business of the Year for 2008 at the National Business Awards in Johannesburg earlier this week. According to the panel of judges, the post office has taken giant steps towards achieving its vision: to be recognised amongst the leading providers of postal and related services in the world. Comments group CEO Motshoanetsi Lefoka, “All employees have been working tirelessly to position the company in the commercial business environment. Through our initiatives that embrace innovation and technology, we intend to continue to improve on our sterling performance. I would like to thank our shareholder, employees, partners and most importantly our customers! Without their commitment, dedication and support, this would not have been possible.”

Community TV training produces results
Last year, Urban Brew Studios, in line with the ICASA community television licence provisions, formulated a community training programme based upon the Soweto TV channel platform. The training of the students was such a success that four of the community station's employees have already moved into the commercial sector.

Calendar of events publication for SA
Festival Calendar Publishing has launched eventsNOW!, a quarterly which offers the South African consumer a calendar of events countrywide. Says Lindsay Owen, MD of Festival Calendar, “There is a wealth of events taking place in the country. This publication, for the first time ever, draws all of these together comprehensively and accurately for the public.”


Mobile screen technology makes outdoor display a breeze - Gearhouse SA
LEDVision, part of the Gearhouse group of Companies, recently acquired two 10m² mobile LED-screens. The purchase comes hot on the heels of the success of the purchase and introduction of its 40m² mobile LED-screen in 2007.


Hbar and Pilansberg - LiquidChefs
In celebration of the finale of the UEFA Cup 2008, Heineken brought the spirit of the game to South Africa. As the official sponsor, Heineken offered fans, both locally and globally, a chance to celebrate the finals in exclusive bar settings.

Sony celebrates ‘A Night of Champions' with the UEFA Finals in High Definition (HD) - Volcano Advertising
Sony achieved another High Definition milestone when, in co-operation with SuperSport, it recently showed the UEFA Champions League finals between Manchester United and Chelsea live from the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

Tee-rific news for Durbanites! BJ and Baby Bop to join Barney at The Baby Expo Durban - The Baby Expo
The Baby Expo will be in Durban, 29 - 31 August 2008, at the International Convention Centre Durban, and this year Durbanites are in for a very special treat. BJ and Baby Bop will be joining Barney on the Baby City stage for the first time ever in Durban.


Kagiso Exhibitions & Events awarded Expo Zaragoza '08 - Kagiso Exhibitions & Events
Kagiso Exhibitions & Events has been appointed by the Department of Water Affairs & Forestry to facilitate the Department and South Africa's participation at Expo Zaragoza 2008 in the city of Zaragoza, Spain, 14 June - 14 September 2008.

Scan stand wins award at Indaba - Scan Display
Scan Display recently designed and built an award-winning stand for the Three Cities Group at the Indaba travel and tourism show in Durban. Kagiso Exhibitions, the show organisers, gave the Three Cities stand a Platinum award, based on its aesthetics, messaging, branding and its capacity for interaction with delegates.


Kagiso Exhibitions & Events appoints new Chief Financial Officer - Kagiso Exhibitions & Events
Kagiso Exhibitions & Events (KEE) has appointed Angeline Muzamhindo as its chief financial officer. Muzhamhindo will be responsible for the overall financial reporting and the strategic financial affairs for Kagiso Exhibitions & Events.

Name change for fleet mag
Autonews has recently been rebranded to Fleet. “We felt there was a need to more clearly identify our content,” explains editor Colin Windell. “For a shade over 10 years Autonews has provided essential news and information to the corporate and fleet vehicle buyers who are responsible for the purchase of more than 85% of all new vehicles sold locally each year.”

No more Reader's Digest for Media24
Media24 Magazines and Reader's Digest have terminated their licence agreement, it was announced yesterday, Thursday, 29 May 2008. “We have made tremendous progress with the title in the last 18 months. However, we've also realised that the subscription-based Reader's Digest business is not a perfect fit with our business model, which is predominantly retail,” said Media24 Magazines CEO John Relihan.

International journal launch for Brewster
The International Journal of Transitional Justice (IJTJ), which serves as an inter-disciplinary forum for publishing peer-reviewed articles on a wide range of transitional justice issues, is being launched today, Thursday, 29 May 2008, at the BMW Pavilion, Cape Town. The launch is being handled by Marcus Brewster Publicity (MBP).

New comic strip for The Big Issue
The Big Issue will soon be introducing a new comic strip to its pages, The Biggish Five, penned by Jeremy Nell. The South African cartoonist is also brains behind Ditwits, a socio-political cartoon strip, which appears exclusively in The Times.

SL magazine returns
After a two-month break from production, SL (Student Life) magazine has returned under the reins of a new, independent publisher and relaunches with its June 2008 issue. The youth title was previously published by Intelligence Publishing, which sold off most of its titles to Panorama earlier this year.

Infiltrating the female lines
Whether it's because they're not getting what they need from the male magazine sector, that they're looking for insider tips on the female psyche, or just that it's all they can find to read at home, men form a large proportion of the readership bases of some of South Africa's biggest women's magazines. While they may lie to their friends about reading women's mags, South Africa's adult males haven't hidden their true reading habits from SAARF.

Property industry honours property title

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The Property Magazine recently won Publication of the Year Award at the 40th annual SAPOA Convention held in Cape Town this year. “It is a tremendous honour to win this award from SAPOA and to complete the double in being formally recognised by our peers in the publishing world with two PICA awards and now from the very industry that inspired us to create the title in the first place. Niche titles are the future of publishing worldwide, for the increasingly busy consumer who wants to focus specifically in their area of interest and also for the advertisers who want to ensure that their brand cost effectively reaches their desired market," says Tony Vaughan, MD of Media Nova, publishers of The Property Magazine.


Journ award for health mag deputy editor

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Once again, a Shape deputy editor has been awarded the Novo Nordisk Media Prize for her journalistic contribution in raising awareness of diabetes and diabetes management and treatment. In 2005 it was Justine Joseph; this year it's Joanne Lillie's turn. “We are tremendously proud of Joanne's achievement. She is a highly valued member of the Shape team," comments editor Toni Younghusband. This initiative is supported by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), and Novo Nordisk has invited Lillie to compete in the international round of the competition in Rome later this year, where she will represent Shape and South Africa.


Elle launches men's supplement
In its June 2008 issue, Elle zeroes in on the return of the real man in its augural issue of Elle Man. “As an authority on all things stylish, spirited and sexy it was only a matter of time before Elle came out with a supplement for men,” says Elle editor Jackie Burger. “We've taken a holistic approach to style and included a few clues to make shopping easier for men and grooming effortless.”

Déjà vu: SABC suspends Mpofu, court overrules... again
NEWSWATCH: The circus continues at the SABC... The Johannesburg High Court has today, Monday 2 June 2008, denied the SABC board's leave to appeal against the recent court ruling reinstating SABC group CEO Dali Mpofu, reports various media. The board suspended Mpofu for the second time yesterday but he defied it by coming in to work today.

Vodacom journ awards introduces online category
Entries for the seventh annual Vodacom Journalist of the Year Awards have opened, which this year introduces Online Journalism. This new category is aimed at Internet and MP3-based media which produce podcasts, blogs, photography and web-based newsletters and columns (on a free access basis) that are not carried in print, radio and television.

Taxes holding back Africa's mobile industry
If governments removed taxes that treat mobile phones and services as luxury goods, the mobile industry would generate even more than US$71 billion in tax revenues in sub-Saharan Africa between 2000 and 2012. This is according to research commissioned by the GSM Association (GSMA).

MobiBlitz launches mobile portal
Mobile media company MobiBlitz used the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Computer Faire last week to unveil its latest offering, mobile portal www.mobizone.co.za. With the addition of the Mobizone portal, MobiBlitz is positioning itself as both a content aggregator and a mobile platform.

Blueworld launches mobile platform
Youth social networking site Blueworld.co.za, which revamped its website in March 2008 with additional functionality, officially launched its mobile channel for its growing user base yesterday, Tuesday, 27 May 2008.


Summit to unlocking the potential of mobile technology for social impact
SANGONeT and MobileActive.org will be hosting the MobileActive08 Summit, 13 -15 October 2008 in Johannesburg, the theme of which is “Unlocking the Potential of Mobile Technology for Social Impact”. The summit will convene more than 300 international civil society, development and technology experts interested in the use and application of mobile technology in support of social impact.

For the sake of our future - Cell C
Cell C has created that rare phenomenon in CSI, a project that has been embraced nationwide, becoming one of South Africa's biggest acts of corporate volunteerism. Over the six years since its inception, the Take a Girl Child to Work Day has not only grabbed the imagination of corporates, government departments, NGOs and communities, but rammed home the reality of the uncertain future that some of the millions of female children face if we don't all assume responsibility to make a difference.

Daily Sun in the ‘dock' - accused by MMP
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] Fed-up with Daily Sun's continued use of the term ‘aliens', which is said to be discriminatory and the newspaper's type of reporting which is allegedly perpetuating stereotypes and fomenting violence against foreigners, the Media Monitoring Project (MMP), in collaboration with its partner Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in SA (CoRMSA) yesterday, Thursday 29 May 2008, submitted an official complaint with press ombudsman Joe Thloloe and the South African Human Rights Commission.

Sportingweb adds Business of Sport
Sports betting information website Sportingweb has launched a new section called the Business of Sport. It focuses on sports-related business news, from brand management, advertising and sponsorship to running a large sports company profitably, and from player management to the economic effects of large sporting events.

Take part in South Africa's first Freelance Survey - Freelancentral
There are a lot of perceptions about freelancers and freelancing, but which reflect reality? Well, we're about to find out. Clients and freelancers in the communications and advertising industry are being invited to voice their opinions in a survey.


SA businesses offered dynamic new development in content management - iLogic
After two years of intensive product development, online agency iLogic and content management gurus GigaCMS have partnered to offer South Africa a new, ultimately flexible environment for local businesses seeking scaleable, affoardable content management.

Expand your brand, win big and share the love! - Expand a Sign International
Tired of dull, ordinary marketing material? Advertising budget showing signs of strain? Looking for something to help you surpass your competitors? Then we have just the news to liven up your day!


Tetmosol medicated soap taps ComutaNet to build sales - ComutaNet
Launching a new product, or racking up awareness of an existing one, is an issue marketing executives face on an ongoing basis. Many media agencies, brand managers and marketing managers have identified that when their product's consumers are commuters, they can rely on effective promotions by leading commuter marketing company, ComutaNet. Many of these solutions are concentrated under the banners of experiential, or ‘activational'.


BTI brands the world - BTI Branding Solutions
BTI Branding Solutions is a world leader in indoor and outdoor promotion with a global portfolio of clients including the likes of Mercedes Benz, Sasol, Brand House, General Motors, Toyota and Volkswagen.


The guarantee you need - BTI Branding Solutions
In 2001 BTI Branding Solutions originated the Bowhead banner - a robust promotional tool now used by many of the world's leading brands, including Mercedes Benz, Sasol, Brand House, General Motors and Toyota.


The largest site available... - Zmanga Media
The West Rand of Gauteng is not only for Magaliesburg and Cradle of Humankind getaways and the botanical gardens, it's also a thriving metropolis that is growing on a minute-by-minute basis, now even with its own casino.


High tech media for taxis
Mobile branding specialists Graffiti recently equipped more than 100 vehicles for taxi management companies SACAB, Rikkis and Mozzis with high res LCD screens with sophisticated backend systems and 3G cards that will screen ad and content such as market updates, news and weather. According to Graffiti MD John Rice, the taxi industry is playing an increasingly important role in reshaping the South African urban landscape. "The lifestyles of the commuting public are changing and advertising in the interior of a taxi provides the perfect format to display informative messages to a highly relevant audience. These cabs are currently processing a huge number of corporate transfers, which allows advertisers with access to a high LSM audience, who do not have time to consume traditional media."

Sticking out a challenge

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DDB SA recently rose to the challenge of demonstrating to the consumer in a glance that there's six feet of gum in a pack with an idea that uses outdoor to target the youth: an enormous poster for Hubba Bubba chewing gum stuck to the billboard with big wads of purple gum on the corner of Cedar and Witkoppen roads in Fourways, Johannesburg.

Precious survivor of apartheid era for feature film
Precious, a feature film based on the extraordinary life story of South African-born coloured Olympian Precious McKenzie MBE, is scheduled to begin shooting on location in South Africa later this year.

Ireland/Davenport and Frieze Films take TV Ad of the Month - Frieze Films
Ireland/Davenport and Frieze Films have won the Creative Circle's ‘Ad of the Month' for April 2008 in the television category. Aimed at heightening awareness for the Soweto Rugby Club (SRC) and entitled ‘Practice', the ad was directed by Steve Tanchel.


Giant Films grows its roster - Giant Films
In addition to Ian Gabriel and Bruno Bossi, the company now represents newcomer Richard Wall.

Andre Liebenberg of Bouffant directs Nashua and News Café - Bouffant
Having two careers of which you dedicate the same amount of intensity, drive and passion to is what Andre Liebenberg of Bouffant does with verve. He went straight from the intense process of harvesting on his wine farm Romond to directing two commercials back-to-back.


Bioscope shoots Steers ‘Nachoburger' for King James JHB - Bioscope Films
Director Hylton Tannenbaum has recently completed the latest Steers TV commercial promoting the new Nachoburger.


MTN 'Clap' wins two Clios - Velocity Films
MTN ‘Clap' recently won two Bronze Clio Awards in the television category for Cinematography and Direction.


“Make your mother proud” - Velocity Films
That's the message to creatives in this year's Loeries call-for-entries campaign. Conceptualised by the clever kids at Net#work BBDO, the television and viral commercials were finished thanks to the generosity of Velocity Films, Left Post Production and Freq'ncy Audio.

Advertising for a smile: winner found
The quest to find South Africa's winning smile is over. During May 2008, Kaymari Jansen from Durbanville, Cape Town, was announced as the winner of the Aquafresh White and Shine “Don't just Smile, Shine” Competition out of over 1000 entrants. Apart from prizes including R50 000 in cash, she will appear in the next Aquafresh White andShine ad in Men's Health, Glamour and Clicks Club Card magazines. “I am very excited to be part of the photo shoot,” she said. A panel of celebrity judges selected 10 entrants that they thought depicted a “true shining smile”. These pictures were then posted on www.whiteandshine.co.za for public voting in April.

Check, check and double-check
[Tiffany Markman] How do you ensure that you never look stupid in your haste to get messages out? Regardless of your personal beliefs about the world, humanity, religion or politics, the bottom line of all business communication is that God is in the details. In other words, if you're operating inside the corporate arena and you're writing stuff (no matter how short, informal or irregular) that other people read, perfect accuracy is part of your job.


Case Study 4: Nationwide Airlines and the case of pathetic employee communication - Crisis Communications Consultancy
The recent and sudden closure of Nationwide Airlines (Nationwide), without warning, provides a classic case study of how not to communicate to your staff in times of crisis. The airline closed shop on 29 April 2008 and left over 1000 staff members in the dark - literally.

Gareth's Girls are Alerting the Media! - Alerting the Media
Gareth's Girls, the fabulous five that serve as the official ambassadors to breakfast DJ and television personality Gareth Cliff, have joined the Celebrity Division of Alerting the Media!


Stevie Awards deadline looms
The final entry deadline for The 2008 International Business Awards (IBA), which were created to honor and generate public recognition of the achievements and positive contributions of companies and business people worldwide, is 6 June 2008. PR agencies are invited to nominate themselves in the Best Public Relations Agency category free of charge by simply supplying the promotion code “agency” when agency's entries are submitted. The official entry kit is available at http://thestevies.com/EntryKits/IBA08EntryKit.html.

Radio station goes reality programming route
[Tshepiso Seopa] While there have been plenty of reality programmes on TV, there haven't been any on South African radio stations. The first is Kaya FM's ‘2 Strangers and a Wedding' reality social experiment programme. For the past eight weeks, the station searched for two strangers who met for the first time at on, Friday, 30 May 2008, at the alter to say “I do.”

Community Media Awards 2008 winners
Sanelisiwe Fortunate Cele of Radio Khwezi has been crowned Best Overall Winner in the inaugural 2008 Community Media Awards which took place over the weekend. These awards are an initiative by SABC News, in partnership with the Media Development Diversity Agency (MDDA), National Community Radio Forum (NCRF), National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), Association of Christian Broadcasters (ACB) and the Independent Forum for Religious Broadcasting (IFRB).

SABC News introduces Community Media Awards
SABC News is launching the annual Community Media Awards to reward and recognise the excellent work achieved by South African journalists in community radio. The inaugural awards ceremony takes place on Friday, 30 May 2008, at the Theatre on the Track in Kyalami, Johannesburg.

O'Connor for Kfm breakfast show
Ryan O'Connor is the new breakfast show host for 94.5 Kfm, the radio station announced yesterday, Tuesday, 27 May 2008. O'Connor will take up the top slot from Monday 30 June, following Nic Marais' departure to further his studies in the US.


Ukhozi FM changes identity
[Tshepiso Seopa] One of South Africa's biggest radio stations, Ukhozi FM, will be revealing its new identity following a recent makeover session. This weekend, the eagle of the airwaves, known as a traditional Zulu radio station, has planned events where it will be sporting its new look and feel.

MPower FM finds the treasure! - United Stations
Hunt the Loot is MPower FM's latest offering to the people of Mpumalanga, and is bringing them a chance to win fantastic prizes every week day, every day-time channel during June 2008.

Be a 21st century media star with East Coast Radio - East Coast Radio
Why settle for being an old-fashioned liner jock when you can be a part of the reinvention of radio? Are you a smart, creative storyteller? Are you passionate about radio, but eager to be a part of the new world of new media? Durban is the city that is taking it to the next level.

Global consumer confidence falls to record low - SA's Consumer Confidence Index falls by 14% - Nielsen
Fifty six percent of global online consumers think their country is currently in recession and consumer confidence worldwide has fallen to its lowest level in several years, according to the Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Index, which measures the confidence, major concerns and spending habits of online consumers in 51 countries.

Is your business ready for the new consumer protection bill?
[Tshepiso Seopa] When parliament adopts the new Consumer Protection Bill aimed at protecting consumers from harmful practises, South Africans will be amongst the best protected in the world.

NCR does it for the consumer
The National Credit Regulator (NCR) lived up to its billing as a consumer watchdog by achieving an impressive 92% success rate resolving 1380 complaints out of 1495 that were logged in the last 12 months.

PnP wins Top award
Pick n Pay has been declared the Number One Company in the Food Retailers Sector in the Top 500: South Africa's Best Companies publication.


How digital marketing boosts retail sales
Speaking at the recent Marketing-at-Retail Workshop in Johannesburg, One Digital Media CEO Mike Bosman illustrated why digital media at retail is becoming a force to be reckoned with in South Africa's retail marketing arena. According to independent research conducted recently on 22 brands, brands stand out 33% more when the particular brand advertises on screen.

Ten questions to ask advisers before volatility sets in
Retail investors can become jittery when volatility sets in, but a thorough briefing before your investment portfolio takes shape goes a long way to preventing a later panic attack, says Stanlib.

Pointeq welcomes Eastern Cape partner - Pointeq Teqnologies
Pointeq has announced the appointment of its Eastern Cape partner, EMS Solutions, a service-driven company based in Port Elizabeth specialising in hardware and software for retail and commercial applications in forms of stock control and IT support.

Critical need to bridge sales, marketing divide
A new global survey of more than 500 sales and marketing professionals by the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council shows many companies still lag in their ability to integrate and align sales goals with marketing activities, thus reducing the overall business performance of their organisations.

Strategetic appointment at Momentum McCann
Momentum McCann South Africa has appointed Sandile Phumlani Mkhasibe as joint executive creative director of its sponsorship, event, promotional and retail marketing network, it announced earlier this week.

Business Day/BASA Awards winners
At the 11th Business Day/BASA Awards held earlier this week, Nando's SA walked off with the Chairman's Premier Award for sustained and extraordinary commitment to the arts in South Africa. These annual awards recognise companies making innovative and effective use of arts sponsorship.


Newspaper partners with wine show
The Joburg Wine Show's recently announced media partnership with The Star daily newspaper will target a daily audience of more that one million Gauteng readers. Says Hilly Camacho, marketing and promotions manager for Independent Newspapers Gauteng, "We feel that there is a real synergy between our publication and the show as both aim to educate and inform. We feel that The Joburg Wine show is worthy of our brand endorsement and that covering this event would create added value for our readers, which in turn translates into loyalty." For more information, go to www.wineshow.co.za.

e.tv's 24-hour news service is slick and welcome
[Chris Moerdyk] The launch of e.tv's 24-hour news channel on the DSTv bouquet last night, Sunday, 1 June 2008, was slick, professional and long overdue.

eNews 24-hour channel takes to the airwaves
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] History was made last night at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg when e.tv launched eNews Channel, South Africa's first independent round-the-clock news service, on Channel 403 on DStv Premium and DStv Compact. At exactly 7pm, the fantastic duo of Jeremy Maggs and Redi Direko went on air to signal the beginning of a brand new and innovative phase in local news. “Today is a historic day not only for e.tv, but for the whole of South Africa,” group editor-in-chief Debra Patta told the audience.


SA's first 24-hour news channel launches Sunday
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] e.tv launches South Africa's first independent 24-hour TV news service, eNews Channel, on Sunday, 1 June 2008 on the DStv platform, channel 403. The historic event is due to take place at the Melrose Arch venue in Johannesburg on Sunday night. “This is very exciting for everyone at the eNews Channel and e.tv,” group editor-in-chief Debra Patta has told Bizcommunity.com.

First milestone for CNBC Africa
In celebration of its first birthday on 1 June 2008, CNBC Africa has minted 250 fine silver coins. “Being a business and markets network and following Africa's precious metals every day, it was a perfect fit for us to commemorate our first birthday with something that encapsulates our areas of focus,” explains Peter Ndoro, one of the network's anchors and its head of corporate communications.


Africa's Olympic win
The African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) has concluded an agreement with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to acquire the free-to-air broadcast rights for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. The broadcast rights relate to 41 sub-Saharan territories excluding South Africa.

Actors injured in helicopter crash
Three actors from the popular SABC2 show 7de Laan, Amalia Uys, Sekoati Tsubane and Hazel Hinda, were involved in a helicopter accident on their way to an SABC2 event on the weekend when the accident occurred in Kroonstad. The actors were taken to a nearby hospital where they were treated for minor injuries and shock. Uys sustained a fracture to her left wrist and was kept overnight for observation.

ICASA rejects SABC's must carry, must pay proposal
NEWSWATCH: ICASA's draft "must carry" regulations, published earlier this week, rejects the SABC's proposal that pay-TV providers should pay to screen the national broadcaster's content, reports Business Report.

ICASA invites comment on Must Carry Obligations
ICASA is calling for members of the public to submit comments on the notice of intention to prescribe regulations regarding Must Carry Obligations in terms of the Electronic Communications Act. For more information, go to www.icasa.org.za to download the position paper and notice of intention.