The most boring man on TVM: only 3000 watch him, and halfway through the show, it’s down to 2000
Times of Malta reports on the first TVM audience survey “covering the broadcasting schedule that started in October when TVM shifted all weekly current affairs programmes, bar Xarabank, to the pre-news hour.”
Its own show, produced and presented by Herman Grech and Mark Micallef, comes out tops with an audience of 17,000. And here I must quote Times of Malta, which very understandably could not keep the gloat-factor out of its tone (I admire the restraint).
Bottom of the list is Reporter, hosted by Malta Today managing editor Saviour Balzan, which registered an average peak audience of just 3,000 in February, dropping to 2,000 by 7.45pm.
Those figures do make you realise, though, that television is pretty much finished. Bad as he is (and yes, he is lousy), an audience of 2,000 in a population of 450,000 says something more than it does about Balzan’s terrible televisual presence, delivery and interviewing technique. Even an audience of 17,000 – the top-ranked, if you please – is a big warning sign.
Of course, it might have something to do with scheduling. Most of us prefer to settle down to watch television after we’ve had our supper, cleared up and done whatever has to be done after a day out of the house. But that would be only part of the problem.
Most people are not watching television at all. I’m one of them. It has become strangely irrelevant, except for films and the international news channels.
But now at least Saviour Balzan knows the truth and can stop bellyaching about how he was never ‘given’ (because, you know, these things are gifts) a TVM show under the Nationalist government because of that evil gOnzIpN. But the Laburisti saw his hidden talents and obliged.
The real reason is that he is lousy at it. The man is so bad that he doesn’t even understand how bad he is.
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http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140407/local/update-3-joseph-muscat-40-persons-hospitalised-with-eye-problems-uv-exposure-is-suspected-cause.513877
By any standards no marketing executive would spend money on the air-time whereabouts of these two programmes.
The only way it would make sense is if this is audience is highly specialised, which it is unlikely to be.
The stupid thing is that he was actually boasting about it on Twitter:
Saviour Balzan @saviourbalzan
According to real stats from local cable tv dissett and reporter come tops as discussion programmes on #tvm #timestalk low down
Is he lying?
This self-righteous man and his obnoxious sister Mariella Dimech (what are the audience figures for her TVM show, I wonder) have such a high opinion of themselves.
He blusters incessantly, can barely get his words out, and makes little sense. And his questions are so weak.
I won’t make any friends here, but Times of Malta’s programme is even worse than Saviour Balzan’s.
For a start, Mark Micallef always looks slightly out of place, almost redundant, upstaged as he is by the more dominant Herman Grech.
Then there’s one host too many. Why two?
Then there’s the subjects, which bore the pants off everyone. Especially when everyone makes a conscious effort to avoid tough, embarrassing or even interesting questions and comments.
At least with Saviour Balzan we know it would be crap, and he delivers.
I say scrap all current affairs programmes. All we need to know is right here on this blog.
The only difference between this blog and a current affairs programme is that in the latter the host has the OPPORTUNITY to put some tough questions to an interviewee (in or out of the studio). Of course, this doesn’t happen, so their value is indeed zero.
Baxxter, I agree with you.
Since divorce and gay marriage have found their way to parliamentary bills or to the statute books, the Maltese media are literally running like headless chickens in search of the next hot subject: hunting, MEPA/environment, the LNG tanker? These are the subjects which draw a small audience.
On the real issues – public governance, the future of our economy, European issues, political crises in Europe and the Mediterranean, political events around the world – there we have no journalistic capability.
Why two hosts? Joseph Muscat was obliged to reward both. One for the oil-scandal story and for spinning the story of the infamous clock, while the other (together with his wife) for the general services rendered as head of news during the shallowest period if the Times and the special reports (by the wife) during the campaign.
I like your concluding sentence. Reminds me of “Chi non conosce la sua scrittura, e un asino di natura”.
Alternatively, the whole deal might be so high brow, that the vast majority find it so very boring whilst only the fortunate few are able to enjoy it – it is all a question of IQ, I presume.
It comes as no surprise that Times of Malta got its own programme on TVM.
To compensate for decreasing readership – and consequent sales – perhaps?
I haven’t watched TVM since the days when all news programmes began with the words: Il-prim ministru Il-Perit Dom Mintoff . . .
Apart from Saviour Bghalzan’s hilarious ratings…. what’s worse is Reno Bugeja’s Dissett! The guy has been on tv, and prior to that radio, for as much as most of us can remember and he’s been basically topped by newcomers TOM and Andrew Azzopardi.
I don’t think that the low figures are solely up to the hour the programme is being aired… When it comes to head of news of pbs people are finally seeing the man he truly is – biased, base and a Yes-man to this government.
Upon taking office as head of news the man was portrayed as a champion of wittiness and objectivity… yet this is finally over! Not only is this very evident in the way he handles particular guests, especially those hailing from the Government side, but also the news bulletins – they’re even worse than one news – the opposition’s reactions or press conferences are either sandwiched between those of the Government and Partit Laburista, or put at the very veeeery end (need i stress this more?), and only one sentence or a two are allocated to it, not making justice at all to the news worthiness of the reaction. And let’s not forget TVAM – the choice of guests itself is proof of this.
I’m still surprised that people do watch discussion programmes. I find them ever so tedious and far better than any sleeping pills available on the market.
Saviour Balzan may be (or rather IS) the least followed current affairs programme on TVM but I notice that the exposure his newspaper gets on TVM lately, in terms of advertising, is rather questionable.
I have watched him and am not impressed
i just cannot stand the man. He eats up most of his airtime by talking himself rather than prompting his interviewees to talk.
And he fiddles constantly with his chin.
By the time he gets to the end of his statement-cum-question, everyone has lost sight of any point he might originally have had.
He is not fit for the job.
Very rarely have I managed to stick out a whole programme.
He was boring when he used to ‘teach’ environmental studies back when I was at school let alone now.
To think that those GonziPN nasties deprived 2,000-3,000 people the pleasure of watching Saviour Balzan. Shocking. What bad judgement.
Good for Labour Jo and his respect for the wishes of extreme minorities.
And to think that PBS is probably paying good money for a show which is followed at best by 3,000 viewers.
If Bondi Plus with all its actual/perceived shortcomings was axed despite its high viewership, what is this PBS logic of holding on to Saviour Balzan’s programme?
Oh, sure! How can we ever forget …. we’re now in the realm of Malta Taghna Lkoll – the place where loyalties (not logic) abound.
Why does he swing from side to side every time he asks a question?
He’s so effing boring to watch.