“The first thing to do in the morning is to go right back to sleep” is an apt sleep-related quote I found as I pondered over how to start this article.
I say it is appropriate because that’s the impression I get after observing morning show hosts over the past two decades and half- they always appear sleep-starved, hence spare no opportunity while on set to yawn, stretch out or doze off momentarily, occasionally.
I had my experience with morning shows at Radio Gold 90.5 when I was part of the production team for the Gold Breakfast Show. In those dreaded days, my alarm clock went off at 3:00am but the earliest I managed to get off the bed was 3:20am. There were instances when I slapped the alarm clock into silence only for it to resume belling after barely 5 minutes.
Nonetheless, I managed to ready myself for pick-up by Opare or John, depending on which driver was working the night shift. We proceeded to pick a few other staff, but ensured that we arrived at the office early enough to get the 6:00am news bulletin ready before the morning show got into full swing.
Morning show over, the next task was to cover events and happenings in Accra. A few head swings, in sleep mode, during speech-filled events such as conferences and workshops were normal in those days. They say you can’t cheat nature, I say sleep is more jealous than nature. It shuts the body down when it has to.
The importance of sleep
In a previous article titled ‘The restorative power of sleep and the accident-causing potential of same,’ I shared how my inability to have enough sleep due to my working and schooling schedules nearly landed me in motor traffic accidents. Here are excerpts:
“Contrary to what seems to be a popular opinion against sleep, my reading of the subject reveals that sleep is critical to the sustenance of life. You joke with it and you are in for trouble.
Sleep is explained as a condition of the body and mind that typically recurs for several hours every night. During sleep, the nervous system is said to be relatively inactive, the eyes close, the postural muscles relax and consciousness is essentially suspended.
I also learnt that sleep allows for the body to repair and restore cellular components necessary for biological functions that become depleted when one is awake. Sleep is critical in healing and repair of one’s heart and blood vessels, the literature says. Continued sleep deficiency is therefore linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke and eventually death.
There are 2 types of sleep. These are; Rapid Eye Movement (REM) and Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM). REM sleep, is described as a paradoxical state of sleep when the brain appears to be awake but the individual is in deep sleep. This type of sleep it not sweet at all. You wake up on hearing the slightest noise, plus you don’t feel rested.
During NREM sleep however, the brain appears to be calm. That’s the kind of sleep that when you experience, you wake up feeling really good. You know the kind of sleep that if anyone wakes you from, you feel like telling him/her to take the lead to hell? Yes, that one. It is the type of sleep that you can enjoy even in the noisiest night club with loud speakers blaring at maximum volume levels, ‘eh3333!, that’s it.
Those of you who pride yourselves in sleeping for only three hours, and claiming proudly that ‘but I am fine’, this one is for you:
| Young Adult | 18-25 years | 7-9 hours |
| Adult | 26-64 years | 7-9 hours |
| Older Adult | 65 years or older | 7-8 hours |
Actually, the relevance of sleep is summed up by this other quote I came across, “Go to bed and you will feel better tomorrow, is the human version of have you tried turning it off and on again?” for computers.
Morning Show Host as the ‘ish’
The status, title, post or position, ‘Morning Show Host’ is a prized possession for those it is bestowed upon. Indeed, it is a title that comes with much prestige, because it takes great wit to sit behind the console at that time of the day.
I will not be far from right if I posit that it is the dream of anyone who wants to pursue a career as a broadcaster/presenter to host a morning show. That’s because aside the respect and recognition, they are treated very well by their employers in terms of remuneration, allegedly.
However, if their manner of dressing and the kind of cars they drive are anything to go by, then the allegation may be far from being so- it is truth. Well, some may say that because they get the chance to close early, they are able to run their own gigs here and there, which fetch them the extra money to afford those beautiful possessions. Moreover, their presentation skills earn some of them MCing and moderation roles at seminars, conferences and other forums, thus enabling them rake in extra cash.
Indeed, the mindset of some persons who have a say in managing morning show hosts feeds into the perception that the presenters are considered first class staff. Thus, are paid far better than their producers and other staff who do the cooking for them to serve.
Why? Once upon a time, there was a discussion, where I used to work, on the overbearing attitude of some of the presenters towards their colleagues which tend to affect teamwork. Then a member of the powers that be remarked, “we have to be careful how we approach the issue because if they decide to leave, it would be difficult to replace them. What they have is a special skill. If you are producer, IT person or Accountant, you can be replaced quickly if you leave.”
His statement raised my eyebrows followed by a message to my hand which got raised as well. When given the opportunity, I could not help but ask bluntly, “what if the presenter dies?” The response to my retort was dead silence in the room.
Somehow, that is the reality of the situation as regards remuneration for presenters vis-à-vis other members of the production team. There may be exceptions though.
And ooh! They assume celebrity status which exposes them to business moguls and politicians. These affluent and influential personalities sometimes extend some form of well-deserved favours. Their fanatic listeners and viewers get ecstatic when they meet or interact with them virtually. A ‘selfie’ opportunity with any Morning Show Host is considered a trophy by their fans.
Woes of Morning Show hosts
I had cause to drum home the aptness of a local proverb which translates as, “wishing to be someone is a taboo” when I wrote about Yvonne Nelson and her mother. That’s because invariably, it is the ‘glitz and glam’ aspect of the morning show presenters that make people wish to be like them. But if the importance of sleep, as alluded to above is anything to go by, then me, I don’t wish to be like them. When I contacted two of them to find out a few things in relation to this article, this is how they reacted, “Interesting…our lives are a different ball game” and “Hmmmmm, this matter?”
This article was triggered by a statement made by Naa Ashorkor Mensah-Doku, a renowned media personality and presenter who now plies her trade on the NewDay Show on TV3. When asked about the lowest moment in her career, Naa Ashorkor refereed to an occasion when she was caught on camera stretching and yawning.
That hosts of the Super Morning Show on Joy FM occasionally doze off while on set is no secret. The evidence is on the livestream on Facebook. Sometimes, the croakiness of the voices of morning show hosts when they introduce their shows, betrays their sleep-starved state. This state of being, is usually cured with a hot beverage, which does not just clear the hoarseness, but awakens the individual to the usually 4- hour task ahead.
That notwithstanding, I have seen a few of our top-rated hosts catching up on sleep in their cars after the show. As noted earlier, typically, the day starts for a morning show host at 3:00am when sleep is at its sweetest best. They are required to be in the office at least one hour before the show starts at 5:50am.
From what I know, that 4:50am timeline is flouted more often than not. I know a supervisor who took it upon himself to be in the studios by 4:00am as a means of proving to the presenters that it is doable. The end result was stress and its consequences.
Actually, the extent of sleep starvation among morning show hosts is such that some even manage to sneak out during breaks to catch a little nap in their air-conditioned cars. Thus, given the opportunity, they will return to sleep rather than preparing to leave home that early in the morning- 4:00am latest, depending on how far one lives from the media house.
And with Accra fast expanding, it turns out that many of the morning show hosts live very far from their places of work. I have heard hosts of some popular morning shows mention Kuntunse, Abokobi as their places of residence. I know others who shuttle between Spintex Road and Abeka Junction every dawn. Traffic may flow easily at that time of the morning, but the distance covered by driving can be tiresome. It is not an easy undertaking. I tell you.
It’s time to go
The late General Manager of Radio Gold, Mr. Kwasi Sainttie Baffoe-Bonnie, alias Baboo, exhibited some people management skills that I really enjoyed while working at the station. He ate waakye with staff from the same leaves in an open place, attended peoples’ private ceremonies and granted personal requests without hesitation. This undoubtedly, made going to work so enjoyable.
I don’t know what informed it, but he rented an apartment that was located a walking distant away from the radio station where all the presenters were housed. We called it GOLD HOUSE. From my observation, this strategy did not only ensure punctuality at work, it engendered a great level of camaraderie among the presenters- they lived like brothers and sisters. During the weekends, they returned home to their biological brothers and sisters, parents and spouses.
Since then, I have worked at two of the leading media houses in Ghana currently. I have not heard of any such arrangement yet. I stand corrected. What they do though is to make such arrangements when the need arises, such as coverage of elections and special occasions. Commendable, if you ask me. My checks at other media houses indicate there is no policy to house morning show hosts and producers near their places of work.
On hindsight, I have realized that the decision to house Radio Gold’s presenters closer to the organization was one of Baboo’s people management tactics. Therefore, I humbly suggest a similar arrangement to all mangers of radio and TV stations in the country. I know the key issue that may come up is whether this would not lead to a breakdown of families, seeing as most, if not all the morning show hosts and producers, are married. Very valid concern.
However, that point should be negated by the fact that they could, if need be, go back to their homes each day after 10:00am when their shows end and return later in the day for production meeting against the next day’s show. This way, they could sleep latest by 9:00pm, wake up at 4:00am (Remember 7 hours of sleep for adults?), stroll into the studios by 5:00am for the preparatory meeting and hit the airwaves by 5:50am.
Another possible militating factor could be lack of funds or what I call ‘lackfundaisis’. Especially, in these difficult economic times. Fortunately, this ‘malady’ is usually treated with the medicine called ’commitment to the cause.’
For this reason, it bears repeating that continued sleep deficiency is linked to increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke and eventually death. But, hosting the morning show is a job that has to be done by a human being until AI takes over. Hm!
Well, if what I know is accurate, the morning show is the cash cow (product that provides a steady income or profit) of many media houses. Therefore, the need to ensure the ‘cow’ is in good health in order to guarantee a sustained flow of the milk cannot be overemphasized.
Doviđenja- That’s goodbye in Croatian language.
Let God Lead! Follow Him directly, not through any human.
The writer is the author of two books whose contents share knowledge on how anyone desirous of writing like him can do so. Eric can be reached via email [email protected]