Thursday 17 January 2008

How 2007 ended on the airwaves


News & Features

Downside to countdown

THE recent 2008 New Year celebrations might have witnessed larger countdown crowds than usual at special events across the nation. But how was it like on radio, especially for home listeners who didn’t join the throngs at outdoor parties?

Picking out the best radio station for its “New Year feel” on the last day of the outgoing 2007 was frankly not difficult. Regrettably, not many radio stations went all out to make the occasion memorable for the audience.

The station that did its best to get listeners excited about sending off the old year and embracing the new was the all-news channel Radio24 run by Bernama in Kuala Lumpur.

Throughout the day the network had detailed some of the defining moments of 2007. These ranged from groundbreaking stories such as the space mission of Malaysia’s first angkasawan Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor in October to the first ever appointment of a disabled person as senator in December.

The top stories were highlighted right up to the midnight countdown. Additional anchors were put on duty to provide for an interesting live chat with listeners.

Good or largely unmatched though it was with its features, there were somewhat weaknesses in Radio24’s presentation.

I found it difficult, for example, to continuously stay focused. Two reasons, perhaps: the weak delivery by anchors who were reading from prepared scripts, or as the night show demonstrated, the indiscriminate mix of serious stuff and unfunny jokes.

In hindsight, for the daytime and night features, I think it would have worked better if Radio24 had pre-recorded the show, say, a day or two earlier, before airing it. Then the irrelevant bits could have been edited out.

Sound clips of historic events, too, would have made the show more interesting.

The four-month-old broadcaster should realise that, as an all news channel, it probably has the toughest job on the airwaves to keep its listeners locked on to its frequency.

TraxxFM’s Greenman and Navsta of The Wake Up Show were the only other deejays to give listeners something worthwhile to think about as the year closed.

“Pay more attention to your mental health and never be shy to seek the help of a psychiatrist or a friend when you need it,” was their timely reminder to the listeners for 2008.

Traxx101, on the other hand, had what I thought was a most inappropriate topic on New Year’s Eve: male circumcision (ouch!).

Although the doctor who spoke on the topic was excellent, and the deejay (Jezza) who interviewed him was just as good, it was not quite the right talk for the day.

I would have liked to hear a local writer recount the best movies for 2007. Now that would have been a fun and fitting topic for the special day, don’t you think?

Despite living in the cyber age, the writer insists that radio still provides a unique window on the world. When he isn’t scanning bandwidths, he helps to raise awareness of positive living with pets through his organisation, Petpositive (Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association).

NOTE: THIS ARTICLE APPEARED AT NO 2 UNDER THE MOST VIEWED SECTION OF THE STAR ON THE SAME DAY THAT IT WAS PRINTED.