SABC3 News
Weekdays SABC3 (*193) 21:00 News
News reader Francis Herd is a self-confessed night owl, so SABC3 moving its news bulletin from 18:00 to 21:00 on Thursday 15 February wasn’t that big a deal. “It shifted my work day a bit later, but at that time of night I’m still buzzing off the day’s stories,” says the 40-year-old. The “Joburg gal” adds that having been into writing from a young age, “I was naturally drawn to journalism.” She joined the SABC3 news team in 2013 and while she’s toughened up, human-interest stories still get to her.
How do you remain composed during those tragic stories? Some are heart-wrenching and I tried to hold back the tears earlier this year when reporting on a woman whose sister died in the Life Esidimeni health tragedy in 2015. Generally I can put my emotions aside and keep it professional and I draw on my own ideas and experience during interviews and discussions. I think viewers like that. So you have input into the stories? Yes, we do [Francis co-anchors with Peter Ndoro]. Where possible, I ask my own questions and determine the direction of interviews. What is your nightly preparation routine? I’m a member of the business team as well as the news team, so I work on both during the afternoon, then I rush to make-up. Peter and I are usually in our positions – standing or sitting – about 10 minutes before we go live. How do you stay up-to-date with developing stories? There’s a great production team and with breaking news, they bring us info or update the auto-cue. We also stay online so we are receiving continuous info across many platforms. And who chooses your outfits? I do, sometimes with a little input from the SABC wardrobe team.