Breakfast on TV: the good, the okay and not on my TV 1
The hottest news this past two weeks on radio, and pretty much every medium available, has to be the contempt hearing of the presenter, panelists and directors of Muntie 100.5FM. Their movement in and out of the Supreme Court has captured the attention of the nation.
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Host of a show on the station, Salifu Maase, alias Mugabe along with two panelists on the show, Alistair Tairo Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn were held in contempt by the Supreme Court (SC) for comments they made on air that suggested they would kill some Supreme Court judges if the SC ruled against the Electoral Commission.
Their fate of whether they’ll be jailed, fined or let go will be known next week.
A lot of commentary has been made about their action on air. Right thinking members of the society have criticised their brazen recklessness and the fact that such commentary shouldn’t be allowed to gain roots lest we plunge this nation into civil war.
It is good to know that all three contemnors apologised to the court for their unguarded statements and asked for clemency.
We shall know in due course if the judges will heed that plea and others from the public in making their decision.
My humble view is that this case should be used to serve notice to all political apparatchiks, foot soldiers and stooges, especially within the NPP and the NDC, who go on radio, TV, and sit on social media or write in print such silly and threatening comments to learn.
We have only one country and such clowns shouldn’t be allowed to make it impossible for us to live here with our families.
Anyway, the issue I want to talk about today really is what I promised a few weeks ago. I said I had one or two things to say about television morning shows and that I would watch them some more before making my view known. So here you have my breakfast served, hot!
First of all, it is important to note that opening up the digital television space has spurned a lot of television channels delivering different kinds of content.
Some are worth watching and others you would think were set up to occupy the space.
Many of the local channels on the digital platform have found it worth to put together a morning show that people who will be at home or those who will get to the office can watch.
Well, we even can watch TV while commuting these day, can’t we?
TV3 had an old morning show that was hosted by Eric Don Arthur and Moon Sangmor.
They decided at a certain stage to change things and that was when they introduced New Day with a collection of glitterati of presenters to bring some razzmatazz to the morning show.
Nana Aba Anamoah, Ama K. Abebrese, Sandra Ankobiah and Benny Blanco were members of the team that was put together to ensure that the show got to places. The impression I got was that the station wanted to give a celebrity feel to the show.
But it didn’t last long for “Oceans Four” to disintegrate. Sometime during that integration the content, which they wanted to be very non-political, changed. The set also changed.
The people kept changing. Nana Aba finally left when her issue came, Bridget Otoo got on, Moon came, Bright Nana Amfo came on, Martin Asiedu Dartey came on, Bridget is gone and what else?
It moved from a studio that had a beautiful sofa to one with a desk which both host and guest sit behind to do the show.
Content, is the usual newspaper review and a few others. I said when they started that four hours for morning show was a stretch and I still stand by that. End at 9am and make everyone happy.
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GTV Breakfast Show is the oldest we have and it has come with some of the leading presenters through the generations. Akusika Acquaye, Kate Addo, Jackie Ankrah, Earl Ankrah, Gifty Anti, Akuba Quarmyne, Nii Odartey Lamptey and many others.
I am always surprised to see Lamptey on my TV whenever I tune in to the show. He has stayed on and continue to present what he knows best.
The one thing I like about GTV breakfast show is that the set looks very brilliant when a long shot is taken. Beautiful Persian rugs, comfy sofa, nice backdrop and pretty much anything that looks good on the eyes.
The close up shots though brings out too many wood work in the background and makes it a tad busy.
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Content wise, we all know that GBC, as the state broadcaster, needs to satisfy many stakeholders in their programming and that does not leave out the breakfast show. The look and feel could be better, the content a bit more upbeat, but for a show that has ran for that long, GTV Breakfast show needs to be commended.
There is nothing not to love about the morning show of Viasat1 TV. Since the introduction of the show, it has been that one show that makes waking up to morning television very inviting.
From the camaraderie between hosts Patrice and Kokui to the content that goes into the show each weekday, there is more that show has given.
The set obvious looks awesome and having been in the studios a few times, I know the effort they put in to make it look what it looks.
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Watching on the TV, the long shot on that Viasat1 TV morning show is delectable. That décor at the back, the comfy sofa, the centre table and the carpet all add to bring out the best in this show.
I asked about whether Kafui Dey and Baisiwaa Dowuona-Hammond would gel, when it was announced the duo would host the morning show on GhOne.
Well, so far so good. Although anytime I watch, I feel there is something more they could do to bind better than they have so far.
Not sure if it is the sitting position or that Kafui seems a bit more dominant or whatever it is. Or could it be Kafui’s new moustache cum beard look?
The content is good and it touches on varied areas as much as possible. I think they also try as much as possible to balance the content structure with lifestyle, politics, entertainment, tech news and business.
However, you can’t help but notice that like some other morning shows, politics plays a significant role.
GhOne’s GH Today has an awesome look and feel. Everything in that studio looks pretty good on the eye. From the sofas for the guests and hosts, the carpet, the table in the middle, the back drop and the bare floor even.
My challenge is that there is so much space that is put to no use on those long shots. The space looks bare from where the camera starts to when the first object is.
My first impression of the studio of Angel TV for the morning show was that it look busy and lacked any good design.
I had to look again and pay close attention to see that there was a good thought that went into making the studio what it looks on TV.
If you look closely, you cannot miss the adinkra symbols creatively woven into the backdrop, nor can you not see those beautiful (even if a bit cheap) frescoes hanging at the back of the guests and even the host when the long shot is made.
The studio is small and when they have guest who is thrice my size, you realise that it becomes smaller.
However, the black leather sofas for the host and the guests look good enough to sit in and make your point.
Content wise, it is a political talk programme, Kumasi-style. It’s hot, it’s divided and there’s always guests representing NPP and NDC.
Sometimes the costume colour choice of the host vis-à-vis the look and feel of the studio give a contrast you won’t like.
To be continued…
@TheGHMediaGuru