Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Saying good morning
Want a TV show that can be the reason you wake up? Want to see a bunch of people dedicated to making your mornings that much more energised and informative? Then watch Good Morning Sri Lanka. Marisa de Silva talks to its enthusiastic team

Some people wake up each morning to the cock-a-doodle-doo of their neighbour’s Rooster, some to the more conventional alarm clock, some out of insomnia, and now with the progressive evolution of mankind comes… Good Morning Sri Lanka (GMSL), the brand new way to start your day!

Although mornings usually tend to be quite chaotic, you could try switching on your television at seven, every weekday morning, for your daily dose of ‘just what the doctor ordered.’ An extra energy booster for Mondays, a relatively regular dosage for Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and finally an additional stimulant (pick-me-up) for Thursdays and Fridays, in anticipation of the weekend! Most of us would try anything to get us through the week, right? So what better way to begin, than by changing the way we start our day???

Good Morning Sri Lanka (GMSL), Sri Lanka’s premier English morning show, produced by Indian Programme Manager Dipti Kotian, is presented by six young and vibrant professionals, who are just as diverse as the content featured on the show. The core aspiration of GMSL is to capture the hearts and minds of the urban household, and inspire them to live life to the fullest, says Chevaan Daniel – Head of Channel One MTV, whose brain-child the show is.

GMSL launched itself by breaking broadcast history with its ‘Dual-Cast’ segment, which airs two morning shows, one on YES FM and the other on Channel One MTV, simultaneously, says Chevaan.

Furthermore, even the presenters switch from television to radio, with Shaq, Mark Ross and Lana going on television and the two GMSL presenters for the day going on radio, he adds. This segment is aired about once or twice a week. “Personality Plus” is the segment, which features interview clips with various inspiring personalities.

There is also a theme for the day, usually on a subject relevant to the general public. Callers with opinions and feed-back are always welcome on the show.
The “Cooking School” features locally renowned food experts, who demonstrate quick and easy-to-make breakfast recipes. The GMSL fashion segment provides fashion tips for both men and women, given by the ‘Who’s Who’ of the fashion world.

The “GMSL Must Have” list is another highlight of the show, featuring various low-cost high utility items that every household ‘must have.’ That said, we introduce (drum role please) the ‘movers and shakers’ of…Good Morning Sri Lanka!

First up, Kevin Gauder, who runs an in-bound travel agency, says that as a presenter, he meets amazing people everyday, just by doing interviews and going out on shoots. “For me, that type of network building is very rewarding! We make it more interesting for viewers by building them into the heart of the show,” says Kevin.

The show gets “our” viewers involved, by letting them constantly voice their thoughts on air and adding on useful segments that have practical meaning to day-to-day life. They have also set up the “GMSL Club,” which will enable them to build a rapport with their audience. “Thankfully we also have a dedicated team who work tirelessly to put the show together, and make it happen, five days a week,” he adds.

A merchandiser by profession, Angelica Chandrasekeran gives us a few details about what exactly goes on behind-the-scenes. Usually a master plan is drawn up weeks in advance, with contributions from everyone on the team. This is followed up by an action plan defining key functions to individuals, with specific time goals.

Now into its third month and having received a great response from the public, they seem to have big plans for GMSL. “We’re hoping to include more segments on the show and organise interesting promotions such as the “Magic Makeover” where we’ll spoil a deserving housewife/mum for one full day!” she adds.
Joe Bensy, who moved from a request show on Sirasa TV, which catered to a somewhat younger audience, to GMSL says, “It’s been quite a challenge to incorporate both the seriousness of the programme, along with some humour, which I just can’t seem to get out of my system.” He feels that it’s just another step up the ladder, which in turn makes him feel that GMSL has helped him better what he does, whilst at the same time making him understand how crucial it is to comprehend the thoughts and opinions of the viewers.

How is GMSL different from other regular morning shows? Well, GMSL focuses on the key points of an urban family’s life, he says. “Sticking to the point and keeping it short-and-sweet helps GMSL stand out, as well as the fact that we get most of our input from the viewers themselves, helping us to generate our topics from the very audience we cater to,” he emphasises.

Well known by regular theatre-goers for her antics on stage, Shanuki de Alwis, is no stranger to local audiences. The next presenter to share her insights, she says that “The basic concept of GMSL revolves around Sri Lankans; inspiring Sri Lankans... we’re just the mediators.”

The content of the show changes from day to day. The team want to evolve along with Sri Lanka; so whatever is out there, it’s sure to be on GMSL at some point. “I would say the only constants in the show are fun, laughter, honesty and a lot of smiles,” says Shanuki.

Of her (male) co-presenters she has this to say. “Kevin’s the ‘father figure’; the responsible one. Lately, he’s been trying to change that image, but he’s still the proper one out of the bunch. Joe is the tallest, and he cracks jokes that I don’t get. You can’t amaze Joe, he’s seen it all. Santosh is an enigma. He’s got a wicked sense of humour that keeps everyone in stitches.”

The Indian counterpart of GMSL is Santosh Gnanakan (also known as Saggy). “I’m hoping that as a presenter, I can become a part of your morning routine, and since I’ve just moved here from India, I’m also hoping that one day, someone will invite me over for a mouth-watering Sri Lankan breakfast!” he says laughing.

Having worked in all forms of the media field for about 10 years now (newspaper, web portal, radio and now TV), he says that he tries to be a regular friendly guy on the show and “when trying to illustrate a point, I draw from everyday situations, in my case my family life; something everyone can relate to.”

GMSL’s got something for everyone. Fashion tips, cooking lessons, news, music, website and book reviews. “We’ve also got constant references to India, since I do miss home!” he adds.

Nuzrath Jilaldeen, the ‘News Anchor’ of the show says that unlike other shows, GMSL can’t really narrow it’s ‘target audience’ down to one particular group. “It’s more a show for Sri Lanka, hence the name – Good Morning Sri Lanka,” she says.

In addition, the programme has a news segment (done by Nuzrath) where she reads out the days Newspaper headlines and an informative Arts Diary that concentrates on what is happening in and around Colombo.

Of her two female co-presenters she has this to say. Shanuki never stops talking, and even for a chatterbox like me, it’s difficult to get a word in. As for Angelica, she’s absolutely angelic! They promise that your mornings will never be the same again… you decide.

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