Ann's Antics
Broadcast debut on Channel M!
27/09/2007I've just been on the TV, giving my considered opinion about the state of Britain today.
Ok, it wasn't exactly Jeremy Paxman, or even Richard and Judy. But I can honestly say that this TV channel is one of the most vibrant and innovative available in Britain today. And not just because I was on it.
This was Channel M, which for those of you who live south of Macclesfield is Manchester's very own TV station and is as much part of the local scene as Sir Alex Ferguson and Salford Quays. Their breakfast show broadcasts live from Urbis, a futuristic wedge of glass, in the middle of the city centre every weekday morning from 6-9am and you can get it on Sky, Freeview and Virgin. They deserve the plug!
My job was to review the morning's papers. The whole TV channel takes place in one huge room, and Television Centre it isn't: make-up is 'bring your own', coffee is 'help yourself on the table' and the green room isn't green or a room. It's a couch. But everyone was on a real high, the place was bursting with energy and the atmosphere was terrific.
I had to choose 3 or 4 stories from the day's newspapers, and went for a combination of politics and trivia: Jack Straw's 'get tough' policies at the Labour Party conference (including a great photo of the man himself having forty winks) and a lovely story about crocodiles. Apparently they are astonishingly fast swimmers and, when dumped several hundred miles from home, found their own way back after swimming up to 19 miles each day!
Should you be planning a visit to crocodile-infested waters, be warned: if one of them starts pursuing you, the conventional wisdom that you can outwit them by running in a zig-zag fashion isn't true. Humans can out-run crocodiles on land, and a straight line is the fastest way of making sure you don't end up as a packed lunch. Most attack victims never see the crocodile coming because it uses surprise, not speed. Oh, and they don't maul you to death but drag you under the water and drown you first. So don't say you haven't been warned.
Having done the 7.45 spot, I stayed on and did the 8.45 spot alongside Paul Horrocks, the Editor of the Manchester Evening News. It was enormous fun, and I'm hoping to do it again soon - if only to continue my campaign to educate Mancunians in the art of escaping rampaging reptiles.
Apart from being hugely enjoyable, the experience reminded me of the importance of local media. Sure, you can get exposure and kudos from a Paxman grilling (and I've been on the receiving end of one of those as well). But there's nothing to beat the spontaneity and intimacy of a programme which you know is only going to be heard or seen within a radius of a few miles - and which makes you feel part of the family.
So if there are any Mancunians out there who'd like to join the party, do let me know. Especially if you need any more info about crocodiles.
