Issues here and there
A LOT of things have happened over the last few days generating a lot of news online and in the entertainment media. Some are good news and yet some are bad news but in show business we say there is no such a thing as bad news. Well, until it happens to you.
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My task today is to touch on some of the issues that have made it to the entertainment and or broadcasting radar, some of which have been thoroughly discussed and some of which have been touched upon but not delved into. There will be no sacred cow in this exercise.
CIMG FALLOUT: #JOYSMS OR CITICBS?
A couple of weeks or so ago, the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana (CIMG) held its annual award.
Even for the uninitiated, this awards scheme ranks among the most credible awards schemes in the country and has been so over two decades and counting.
In view of this, individuals and organisations that get honoured every year when the awards are held tend to cherish them a lot on the night of the annual Marketing Performance Awards.
Most importantly, in our industry, being named by the CIMG as having the radio programme of the year means a lot and it points to the fact that you must have worked very hard in the year being reviewed to get such a recognition.
Given this little background, the management and staff of Accra-based radio station, Citi FM must be on cloud nine as they picked two awards at the 2014 Marketing Performance Awards held last Saturday.
Last year, Citi FM’s flagship programme The Citi Breakfast Show was named as the Radio Programme of the Year. At the event this year, the leading programme on the station’s bitterest rival was named Radio Programme of the Year.
Some people, especially on social media, have disputed this award to Joy FM’s Super Morning Show as in their view, Bernard Avle and his team on the CBS were better than Kojo Yankson and his team on the Super Morning Show.
The extent of the rivalry between these two stations makes it difficult to take sides in these kinds of arguments even if it is coming from listeners and not the station itself and so I have tried to steer clear of it. But we are not fattening any sacred cow so let’s go for it.
In my view, Citi FM did a lot in the year being reviewed. Scratch that. They did an amazing job of bringing up very important issues to be discussed and got social media very well integrated into their programming and in view of that had instant feedback. But they were awarded with the same award plus the Media Organization of the Year last year.
The Super Morning Show on the other hand had suffered. It was squeaky bum time for the show when Kojo Oppong Nkrumah left. Kojo Yankson, in spite of the fact that could not make it into the world beater that it was since taking over, stabilised the vessel or if you like stopped the hemorrhaging.
Does that warrant the award it got? I don’t know. In fact, I don’t know what criteria was used, but I am thinking that it could be the reason why the awards committee of the CIMG chose the show over that of Citi FM. Or maybe not!
DKB AT RTP
I have said on other platforms that I was impressed with the organisation of the 2015 Radio and Television Personality (RTP) Awards. There were but a few technical issues that, hampered the event and for that Prince Mackay and his team deserve commendation.
There have however been a few post event issues, some of which are brewing little storms in a few tea cups. One of them is the issue some people have with DKB wiping the shoes of Bola Ray when the latter came up on stage to pick his award.
DKB was the compere for the night. When Bola Ray was mentioned as the Drive Time Show of the year, he mounted the stage with his retinue to pick the award. At some stage of that exercise, DKB took out a handkerchief and started cleaning the shoes of Bola Ray.
Some people thought that was a low thing to do and took the comedian on. But he hit back that he did not see what their problem was if he decided to clean the shoes of anybody he so desired.
Well, I don’t know, but I would think he was on stage to host a show. Then again, he chose whose shoes he wanted to clean. Maybe we all clean shoes one way or another.
If I have any issues with DKB’s emceeing on the night, it has to do with his continued banter with some very unruly people in the audience. Time and again, he tried to shut the two or so gentlemen who had put on the whole amour of unruliness on the night.
For the very first few times, it was good enough banter, but it became boring each time he had to engage them and ask them to shut up or throw some choice words at them in Ga.
I thought an orderly or steward should have done what he was trying to do so he would be left to do his job as the host for the night.
These little foibles aside, I think he was good on the night. He opened the show well and indeed picked his jokes very well throughout. A little bit of scripting or sequence would have been great for him and the show, however, it was good nonetheless.
HAS EIB AQUIRED GHONE?
When he picked up one of his three awards at the RTP Bola Ray, the CEO of EIB Network, the company that owns Starr FM, Live FM, Ultimate FM, Empire FM and others, mentioned that we should watch out for a new television station from November 1.
The following morning, an exclusive story broke on www.enewsgh.com that said that EIB has completed the purchase of GhOne TV from the Multiple Concepts Group.
“This website is also able to report that the deal comes into effect November 1, 2015, making GHOne an official addition to a group that owns other properties in radio, print and online.
“A successful takeover, it brings to an end months of discussion, enewsgh.com gather from official sources, and would see EIB hand GHOne a complete makeover,” the story mentioned.
Thus those who were wondering which station Bola Ray had referred to at the RTP, this story put paid to whatever speculations they may have.
The question some have asked me, as if I am supposed to know, is why are Mr. Iyiola Ayoade and his team selling this station so quickly? That, my dear friends is a question I have no answer to and so we can all speculate. Perhaps, they were made an offer they couldn’t refuse.
Let’s wait to see how this story will play out and how the new GhOne Television will become.
Let me end here and pick the editor’s call before she strangulates me via Whatsapp.