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‘ZA News’ brings political satire to za box - Tonight TV & Radio on Astini News

19 sep 11 iol tonight ZA News pic

South Africa's political climate has provided much fodder for za funny to flourish and ZA News takes full advantage of zat.

Okay, maybe we've gone too far with the play on this show's title, but it's really fun to say. Go ahead, try it again. No? Alright, we'll leave the humour to the professionals. For the first time on a TV screen, ZA News is now on Top TV's flagship channel, Top One, every Sunday.

For three Web seasons, the show gave us an alternative to watching regular talking heads deliver doom and gloom on our TV screens.

The political caricatures that have become infamous for being in publications that carry the work of celebrated (and controversial) artist, Zapiro first come to life in the form of puppets.

For years, their strings were pulled from all directions to give this funny show a new platform, our screen.

But TV channels just weren't buying into the puppetry. So the ZA News team continued to produce thought-provoking and funny work, on their website (www.zanews.co.za), until they hit a financial hump.

In April, managing director and executive producer of ZANews, Thierry Cassuto, told Tonight's Munyaradzi Vomo: "We are now sitting at R28 000 through crowd funding. It is an incredible figure, but we will need more to complete the whole season." But things began to look up after the announcement that ZA News would air the fourth season on television.

Cassuto said they received quite a lot from crowd funding, but "it wasn't enough to fund the entire production, so we turned to more traditional sponsors, people who care about satire as a tool in democracy and Top TV came on board".

"So far, the reception from viewers on the weekly show has been 'overwhelmingly positive' and there are still daily webisodes being aired on the site."

Cassuto says "it's a step up from last year and we even have new characters like Barack Obama, Lady Gaga and, from this week, even rugby players."

lZA News, Top One (Top TV Channel 150), Sundays at 9pm.

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