IN the Philippines if you know a few English words, you can easily pass yourself as a host. Some people think if one is madaldal and boisterous, he or she can be the next Oprah Winfrey or Matt Lauer.
Hosting on TV, talking to people and to the cameras is far from easy. Just ask Steve Harvey. It’s terrible if you are not equipped and, worse, if you’re just forced into it.
Years ago, under Boy Abunda, I assisted in writing a basic syllabus for hosting for the ABS-CBN Center for Communication Arts Inc. It was designed to equip young talents of the company with a basic understanding of how it is to host a show or be a guest in the network’s various talk programs. Was it seven years ago? Some familiar faces you see on TV today went through this workshop.
I was Boy’s teaching assistant in his first experimental class, and it’s amazing to do these hosting classes. I learned so much every session. I got exposed to diverse points of view in our discussions regarding TV, what people are watching, why people watch shows, why others don’t watch this or that show. It was humbling most of the time.
There’s no actual step-by-step process to becoming a perfect host. It takes more than a combination of practice, experience, guts, confidence and the perfect pair of shoes to be one. On TV today, there are a number of hosts who still need work, but there are a number who are already so adept that I can’t help but admire them.
I certainly admire the hosts of Early Edition on ANC. The show is one of the newly launched programs airing on ANC (the others are The Bureau and Gametime). The show is anchored by TJ Manotoc, Paolo Abrera, Michelle Ong and Christian Esguerra, and on weekdays they deliver the latest local and global news, financial updates and breaking reports starting at 5:30 am. The program includes interviews with experts on politics, the economy and foreign policy, and also discusses trending topics in sports, entertainment and lifestyle. I really like watching this show, because the hosts exude credibility and they seem to know what they are doing. Like, if Paolo will cite some fake news and pass it off as real, I’ll still believe it like it was gospel! Ganyan sila ka credible sa akin, ’no!
Joining them is Annalisa Burgos, a seasoned international broadcast journalist. Early Edition is the first major assignment of this international news anchor. The Los Angeles-born Burgos brings with her over 17 years of experience covering the news, business and lifestyle beats in the US and later in Asia for organizations like Channel News Asia, HGTV, Forbes, CNBC and Bloomberg.
Annalisa shared why she decided to continue her career in the Philippines and with ANC, which happens to be the only English-language, 24/7 news channel in the Philippines that is broadcast internationally. “I admire the company’s journalistic reputation and commitment to informing Filipinos across the world. I grew up watching The Filipino Channel, and learned Tagalog by watching it with my grandmother. So many Filipino immigrants rely on ABS-CBN to stay connected to their motherland, and I’m honored to be part of this tradition,” she said. Annalisa revealed that, as someone new in the country, she is able to give a fresh perspective on issues. “I like to challenge the way people see things, so expect to see different points of view. I offer an outsider’s take on what Filipinos may take for granted or miss,” she added.
Apart from new shows and anchors, ANC also introduced changes in its program grid to ensure it delivers news to its audience every top of the hour. ANCalerts airs at a later timeslot at 5 pm, followed by Top Story and ANC’s current-affairs block at 6:30 pm, featuring weekly programs like sports talk show Hardball, eco-friendly urban-magazine program Green Living, award-winning documentary series Mukha, Sen. Loren Legarda’s cultural documentary program Dayaw, and the lifestyle show Cityscape. Talkback with Tina Palma, Beyond Politics, Future Perfect, The Boss and On The Money have been moved to the 7:30 pm timeslot.
Other ANC programs to retain their weeknight schedules include News Now at 5 am, 9 am, 10 am, and 11 am, Market Edge with Cathy Yang at 9 am and 3 pm, Dateline Philippines at 12 nn, ANC Documentary
Hour at 8 pm, The World Tonight at 9 pm and Business Nighty at 10 pm. On weekends returning Edric Mendoza, who got a new coanchor in Salve Duplito, will still deliver financial news and information at 4 pm via On The Money.