GhOne TV, the last act
About two or three weeks ago, news emerged that GhOne Entertainment Television had been acquired by the Excellence In Broadcasting (EIB) Network. The news was that, if everything went through as planned, the new owners were likely to take over from November 1, this year.
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Depends on which corridor you play your games, this piece of news would be “passco” but regardless, it was a news item that shook the industry because many people least expected the station to change hands anytime soon.
If the calendar on my mobile device is right then that is just three days away from that change over from the Multiple Concepts Group to EIB. Three days for GhOne TV to cease to be the GhOne TV we have known it to be over the last five or six years. Three days of not seeing Miss Malaika every time you switch on the television again. Not exactly, but you know what I mean.
Talking about this Saturday, the grand final of the 2015 edition of Miss Malaika will take place and it will be the last live programme to be produced by GhOne TV as we know it to be. It will signal the end of an era and the taking over by the new management and owners.
I had thought that it being the last week of the station, the producers will be a tad more daring and exciting in their live productions. For example, what prevents the producers of Tales from the Powder Room, Pundits, E-Talk and the other live shows to go beyond what they usually do?
How about putting together a Pundits show that would bring together all the regular guests on the show over the years with a properly produced inserts and footages from previous shows and previous events to sing the swansong for the show and the station. Or same for Tales... or E- Talk.
Once new owners take over, you cannot be too sure that the same programmes would continue at the new station. It is their station and they would determine what shows from the past would remain and which would be chucked off. It is their call and they will be within their rights to pack every show and throw them away if they think it would not meet their house-style or production direction.
GhOne has been around as a television station for about half a decade. It was meant to be an entertainment station and it did live up to that as much of the content has been entertainment related all this while.
I think there was a lot that GhOne has done within the short time they have been around and as an extension of Charterhouse’s events and productions, it has had a good partner to fall on to get content for its operation.
The station, although it has been showing on the monthly diaries above some other stations in the country, it has not been able to beat the big boys like TV3, Viasat1, GTV and Metro TV in the area of viewers. Indeed even UTV came in late but left it behind.
That said, though it should also be noted that viewership maybe a catalyst for bigger budgets and spend by advertisers, but in reality, not all the time do such things on paper translate into real money for the business. Thus, although GhOne was not among the top stations we may have to look at their bank account to know how well they turned revenue.
As to why the owners decided to sell the station, we shall all grow grey and we still may never know. Also, as to how much the owners have made from this singular decision to sell the station too we shall never know.
Again, when a business changes hands, one element that becomes very difficult to manage is the employee situation. Who will stay at the new GhOne and who will leave? That we shall know in due course, except to say there are some people I see going back to Charterhouse to continue the content production from there.
Another thing that has become topical in the entertainment space is whether or not the name of the station would change. Indeed, some have even concluded that the name would change from the current GhOne to Starr TV. Some have said it on authority that this is what it would become.
I think there is a good argument to make for maintaining the name GhOne. The name is known and therefore identified with by viewers and the market. Thus maintaining it means little effort needed at selling something that already exists.
On the other hand, there is also something good to change to Starr TV. The Starr brand has been in the market for a year and people have identified with it as well. Hence naming the station same would link to the existing brand on radio and identified with as such.
The point, however, is that the new owners have their plans and their name to be used and from what I understand, the name GhOne will stay. The logo might be varied but the name would definitely remain. Think Live FM when EIB acquired it.
One more thing to note is this, as they very heavily tilted to entertainment, GhOne TV comes to the twilight of its operations, what will be the form in terms of content that the new station will take? Will they do news and current affairs, will there be politics, will there be other shows besides entertainment?
You and I won’t know much about this until the station goes to its new owners and then when they start broadcasting again, we shall see the new things they bring to the content table.
I also believe that the new owners are likely to invest in the business to make the signals of the station a lot better than it has been over the years. It was always difficult for me to get the best quality GhOne signal where I leave and I have heard a few people complain about same.
As the curtains come down on the operations of GhOne as we know it to be, it will be appropriate to thank some of the people who have entertained us on GhOne over the years. Amanda Jissih, Naa Ashorkor Mensah-Doku, George Quaye, Godfred Blackboi Laryea, Bella Mundi, Jason, Regina, Maria Nepembe, Jay Smoke, and many others.
Mention also has to be made of the producers, directors, camera crew, MCR guys, switchers and all the people who worked on the flip side such as Kissiwaa (or is it Kessiwaa), Apefa Nfodjoh, Nii Ayittey Hammond and the boss himself Iyiola Ayoade. Thanks for entertaining us for half a decade. See you in paradise!