Breakfast at Tiffany’s, tea at Papillion, supper at Gillieru; it seems that these days you can’t renege on a promise to count the calories without the paparazzi spilling the beans.
It is amazing how ‘any publicity is good publicity’ seems to be the driving force behind certain production houses- Tanja Cilia
And, anyway, it would be tough on Simon Busuttil if he had to invite the congregation from the Discalced Carmelites’ basilica up the road to Papillion after Sunday Mass.
So much for data protection; surely boasting you have ‘irrefutable proof’ by way of photos on your mobile phone is breaking the law.
It is a pity that some people have nothing to do but live the minutiae of other people’s lives vicariously. It would be better if they devoted their energies to fighting for the rights of people who are denied them.
For instance, a friend of mine, who shall be nameless, has Down’s syndrome. When she goes job-hunting she faces this discrimination spoken of in the TVM programme Dissett. Even when it is made clear that all she wants is to be part of a team, and that she would gladly forfeit payment against experience.
The KNPD needs a liaison officer within each ministry. Giving a person with impairment a job just to satisfy a quota is just not on; it smacks of Lesser Gods Syndrome.
Production companies know full well that a big share of the advertising market may belong to whoever owns the breakfast and after-lunch shows on TV, and the breakfast shows on radio, with the right mix of presenters, guests, music and topics.
When the combination fails, and the company pulls out, conspiracy theorists pull out their handlink and create their own Qunatum Leaps.
• Another week, another survey. The latest one covers November to February, in other words, before the new, ostensibly improved Magic.
So it may be expected that in the next survey the ‘revamped’ Magic will not be as well-acclaimed, given the radical changes made to the format of the system. For all that, I heard PBS CEO Anton Attard being interviewed; he said the changes will boost ratings. We shall wait and see.
Meanwhile, Attard confirmed something I have been harping about for ages. The fact that ‘someone’ arbitrarily selected items to be featured for the TV news for people with hearing impairments was undignified. Therefore, the whole bulleting on TVM2 will be signed – this is still discriminatory, but at least the management at the stations of the nation is making an effort in the right direction.
Another change is in order; it is silly to have a news bulletin on radio that has a section devoted to sports – which is then followed by a separate sports programme in which the same news items are repeated, often by the same sportscasters.
And why are more adverts’ jingles sounding like rip-offs from Friends?
Meanwhile, 89.7 Bay remains number one overall, with an impressive 22.6 per cent of the audience, and the most-listened to breakfast show is Bay Breakfast with Drew.
According to the survey by Media Warehouse, the listenership of this station is mostly aged between 13 and 49. Incidentally, this radio station is giving listeners the chance to win a trip to Florence to see superstar singer Madonna live in concert.
Incongruously, almost half those questioned between December 2011 and February preferred to listen to music rather than talk or news.
But this indicates that the people who tabulate the survey questions do not take into consideration all the probabilities obtaining. What about those who prefer a mix of music, platter chatter, news and phone-ins?
I noticed that this time, not as many stations were playing about with the statistics to show that they beat the competition in certain time bands or on certain days.
It is a pity that of the many websites I visited while researching this column, I found several were unacceptably outdated, unto containing bumphs for programmes that are no longer on air, and moreover, others that have presenters who are no longer employed with these particular station(s), and the times their programmes are broadcast.
If these things are not judged important by the top brass, it’s a sad sign of how much importance is given to the cult of personality when it comes to presenters. No wonder some of them feel comfortable mocking their listeners subtly or blatantly.
It is not that these sites have been abandoned, because the weather reports and the clocks are updated.
• It is amazing how ‘any publicity is good publicity’ seems to be the driving force behind certain production houses. I came across this bit of nonsense on a social site:
“dear friends Sakem Jibda (name of new series) Segwu (name of another series)! Jekk Intom Interesati Li Tithlu Ghal L Audition Ta Dejavu 2 Ibatu Email Fuq (one that leaves no doubt as to whom it belongs)...Jekk Ghantkom Il Fuq Min 16 Il-Sena U Tridu Turu It Talent Takom Fuq Don’t Stop Me Now...Mela Xintom Tistenew Qumu Min Fuq Dak Is Siggu U Morru igbru l-applikazzjoni min (name of television station where these programmes air). Titilfux Dan Ic Cans ..Ahtfu Lopportunita Kemm Ta (first series)! u (name of second series). Ejja Ejja Halikom Mil Listress Zejjed Qumuuu U Aplikawww Thank You Tal Feed Back Possitiv Li Dejjem Tajtuna Hanimisjaw Is Support U Comments Ta Kull Gimgha Grazzi Mil Qalb Min Ghana Kolla Cast And Crew
We Will Be Back F October Stay Tune xxxxxx”
Why has no one proof-read and edited this garbage, the cause of much hilarity across the ether? It is one thing to be appreciative of all that one’s fans do in order to keep up one’s momentum; yet totally another to allow them to make you the brunt of jokes.
television@timesofmalta.com