Wednesday, August 21, 2013

ANN7: Africa News Network 7's channel bumper looks like something dug up out of the Al Jazeera archives and slightly modified.


It swirls, it twirls, it ends with ANN7 - and reminds me of something dug up out of the Al Jazeera archives and slightly modified for the channel's main bumper.

Is the new on-screen main bumper of ANN7 (DStv 405), South Africa's third 24-hour TV news channel, complete with concave blades oscillating around a red micro globe (or is it a Pokemon egg?) really the best Infinity Media could come up with after months of planning and preparing?

Really?

If ANN7's primary colours seen in the studio are red, blue and white, why is the bumper a mad melange of not those colours if the news studio is the thing viewers will see directly after they see this 3D effort with an odd Middle Eastern or oriental influence?

The oddness of the ANN7 opener gives a kind of environmental or nature documentary feel to ANN7 ... which the channel is not. It's purports to be a new news channel.

Visually the bumper lifts out the Asian continent - especially with pronounced emphasis on China and India - with the same emphasis not given to other land masses as prominently.

Keep in mind that the politically connected Guptas and Indian investors are behind this TV news channel from Infinity Media.