The Manicou Report

Channel surfing this morning I came across a programme on C that sparked my interest. C (formerly CNMG) is broadcasting a breakfast show called First Up which is actually a radio/TV simulcast - a kind of Don Imus/Mike & Mike in the Morning type show which introduces C’s cameras into the Talk City 91.1 FM studio. I don’t think I’ve ever before seen something like that here in Trinbago on a regular basis. Of course the simulcast has always been around in the forms of sports and event coverage, but I don’t believe that any media house has every employed it as a regular gimmick.

First Up is competing against CNC3’s Early Morning Show and the more established Morning Edition on TV6 so trust me when I say that C will need all the help they can get - especially after coming off a two-year $20 million loss. Whether they can sustain interest in the show will be the real crux of the matter.

Obviously the format of the “First Up” sets it apart from the rest and in so doing attracts some gawkers. After all, don’t we all wish sometimes that we could see behind the scenes at our favourite radio programmes? Whether the personalities and antics of Fazeer Mohammed and Jessie May Ventour is enough to sustain that interest is what will make or break the show. A dull morning talk show is still a dull morning talk show even if the cameras are rolling. I’ve seen Fazeer sit in for Andy Johnson on occasion on the TV6 Morning Edition and while he’s an excellent sports commentator, he’s a little subdued and I can’t see him setting the town on fire. If I had a choice, I’d want to see antics of Anil, Chris and Sprangalang in the studio of Power 102.1 during their Powerdrive show. Now that would make for good TV. But that’s a different organization altogether.

Overall C is a nice looking channel with well-designed sets and attractive presenters. Everything from the newscast to the weather has a professional look to it mainly because the state has pumped and continues to pump millions of dollars into its operations. In fact I believe they may be outfitted better than any other news house in Trinidad and probably the Caribbean for that matter.

But C’s issues aren’t likely to be how cool their sets are or how hot their babes are. Their hurdles are going to be along the lines of “does anyone care to watch after all this time”. I have to admit that I don’t watch C at all. There’s really no reason for me to switch as C hasn’t given me one. Without a doubt advertisers know it too as a lot of C’s commercial breaks advertise their programme lineups. I applaud C on their First Up simulcast, but they are going to have to do some pretty radical stuff to spark viewers’ interest.