Ninni, la tibkix izjed... odd words with which to begin a March column. However, this carol was an integral part of the radio-play broadcast on Radju Malta last Sunday evening.

Old drama tapes are being dug up and broadcast. One assumes this is not only for old times' sake, but also to save the hassle of recording new ones and, perhaps, paying the 'voices'. I doubt whether the second matter would be an issue anyway, if penny-pinching is still the order of the day at the station of the nation.

Even Norman Hamilton appears to have been bitten by the Christmas bug; the backdrop of Bla Agenda is a twinkling night sky of no discernable constellation, as behoves the name of the programme, after all.

Something else that happens at the wrong time, most days, is the cut-off on Radju Malta between the BBC relays and the start of local transmission. Sometimes, the former is cut-off mid-word.

• It was probably the station of the nation that began the downward spiral by using the adjective 'familjari' as a noun in the obituaries, sports and news bulletins. Since then, most stations have picked it up to the point of exasperation.

We have a perfectly coherent, usable word, i.e. 'qraba'; why is this being ignored? Apart from the fact that 'familjari' is an adjective and not a noun, it just happens to mean 'something habitual, to which one is accustomed', and not 'members of the family'.

• As several of his fans pointed out to me through e-mail, Jean Claude Micallef was back on Net Television last Wednesday. However, I must say that I watched aghast as something very weird unfolded on that station during his absence, specifically during the programme La Qomna Qomna, which he co-presents with Louise Tedesco.

Remember that Mr Micallef also presents Shuffle with Morena - and she said that she would be going it alone because Mr Micallef was not well enough to conduct a television programme.

We would be forgiven for thinking that the people on the production and presentation of La Qomna Qomna had received specific instructions not to mention his name on air. It was only when callers asked about him that he was acknowledged; so much for esprit de corps.

Of course, the gossip-mongers and conspiracy theorists had a field day placing him in discussions with PBS/at death's door/abroad/taking up a different career. These reached a head when he was a guest on Bondi+ and on Pauline Agius's Take 15, where he concocted a finger-licking dish, practically confirming the first 'confusion' drawn, but belying the second and third ones, and questioning the final one.

A scarce week passed, and the body language of the guests on the breakfast show indicated that they never expected a call from the absent presenter. For reasons best known to the administration at Net, they did not follow the lead of other stations. I caught it at least on One TV, TVM, Favourite Channel, and radio stations Super One, XFM, and probably others too.

• Last Friday, Joe Tanti presented his final breakfast show on Super One radio. When asked for a comment, Mr Tanti said he may well have something up his sleeve.

• Parents of 'tweens' have been watching the lovely Francesca grow up on television. Jacob then joined her in presenting Iz-Zona on TVM.

The programme now has wider appeal, a much stronger identity, and a larger audience base. The scriptwriters are now focusing on edutainment, the research is thorough and child-friendly, and it is never condescending as sometimes happens in certain (local) children's programmes.

• For some reason, the Parthian shot of the outgoing PBS manager was to reschedule the much-loved Radju Malta children's programme Cama-Cama to 4 p.m. This is an extremely bad slot for young listeners. The previous time, 3 p.m., meant they could watch it straight after school, while enjoying their meal, before they broke into the routine of homework, family time, bath and bed.

• My granny called them 'gwienah' (wings) and my grandpa called them 'qlugh' (sails); some call them 'dewwiema'; I have always called them 'pali' (paddles). What is certain is that the arms of a windmill are not called 'antenni' as PBS reported in the news item about the damage wrought to the Mithna tax-Xarolla.

• The MEP elections are sending some radio and television stations into a tizzy and candidates have been jockeying for airtime for quite some time now. I am told there will be some changes in schedules in the forthcoming weeks.

• Deo Grech and Ray Falzon are presenting the second series of Celebrity Sundays on One TV at 5.45 p.m. The Malta Hit Song Contest is now an international event, and the finals night will be held on May 1. One notes that Mr Grech is a member of the new Maltasong Board, under the aegis of PBS.

Another member, Frederick Zammit, has done an interview on the TVM show John, Charles... u bilhaqq Janice - which will probably clinch the 'Sexist Programme Title Award' in the forthcoming Malta Television Awards. The presenters, especially Janice, appear to like the name, however.

It's nice to see television stations collaborating, at least in something 'national', for a change.

television@timesofmalta.com