Melanie Bala

Izimvo is honoured to introduce the host of MNet’s Lets Chat… with Mel: Melanie Bala.

Melanie, a seasoned television and radio host, has been in the broadcasting industry for 17 years. She got her first break at the young age of 17 when she joined Bop TV. It was not too long until Melanie was was approached by the SABC to host the popular music TV show, Studio Mix.

Today, Melanie is the host of MNet’s Let’s Chat… with Mel, a new talk show focusing on woman’s issues. The show, shot in front of a studio audience, features interviews with inspirational and iconic South African woman and inserts from woman from all walks of life speaking their mind.

Website: http://beta.mnet.co.za/fanclub/?clubId=1421
Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lets-Chatwith-Mel/242863295568
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MelBala
Location: Johannesburg

Mel was kind enough to answer the following questions:

Personal

Q: How would you like to be introduced at a social event?

A: Radio & Television Broadcaster.

Q: Tell us something that not many others know about you. This could be anything from a phobia to your favorite movie.

A: I’ve had the same car since 1999. I just don’t see the value in replacing cars often. When this one breaks, I’ll get a new one. (However if someone wants to give me a brand new car, I will not say no)

Q: What do you enjoy doing when you want to get away from it all?

A: I love going away to little boutique hotels all over South Africa. As long as it has a spa, great room service, good wine and beautiful scenery – I’m happy.

Q: How would you describe your dream home and where in South African would you want it to be?

A: Thats exactly it – I want my house to feel homely, not look like its straight out of an uptight decor magazine. It would have to have a huge verandah with a view for sundowners, a large garden for picnics and kids and a home cinema wouldn’t hurt. I’m a big city girl and in Johannesburg I think Northcliff is the best kept secret – on a clear day you can see forever!

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Talk Shows in South Africa

Q: Congratulations on the success of your new talk show Lets chat… with Mel. Tell us about how the show came about and what it is like being in-front of the camera again?

A: MNet Series put out a commissioning brief for the talk show and Clive Morris Productions approached me to attach my name to their proposal. After an initial discussion to see whether we were on the same page in terms of ideas and content, CMP put my name forward. A while later, we heard that the pitch was successful.

It was not as strange as I thought it would be to be back in front of the camera after almost 8 years since my last TV gig. There is an ease and comfort, for me, in being back in front of the camera.

Q: You are personally involved in selecting the topics for the show. Just how much preparation goes into each episode and how do you go about selecting your guests?

A: There is a lot of preparation involved. The production team starts off deciding on a theme or topic for the show, then we brainstorm around what are the stories we want to tell or the message we want to send.

Once the tone has been set, the search starts for suitable guests, that are interested on being TV, available on the day of the shoot and will work on camera. Sometimes you might have a guest who is very knowledgeable on a subject but who just doesn’t work on camera due to nerves, etc.

Once the guests have been selected, in-depth pre-interviews are done with each guest by the research team to get to the crux of what it is we want to talk about. From that interview, a “final” list of questions is prepared by myself for the actual in-studio or on location shoot.

Q: Selecting the perfect question is a science. Where do you draw inspiration for your questions from and is there anything you will not ask in an interview?

A: This is a good question :) As mentioned, that’s why pre-interviews are so important. A pre-interview might be a half hour or even an hour and from that information, we’re able to pick out the pertinent or relevant questions to ask. On the show, the longest segment we have is about 9-10 minutes which isn’t very long at all. I always say: You should never ask a question, you don’t already know the answer to. Be prepared. Know where you want to go with the interview.

It’s a fine line when it comes to asking something that might be awkward for the interviewee but on the show we’re not into confrontation or surprising guests – that’s best left to Jerry Springer! LOL

Q: The show is advertised as for woman by woman. What are the greatest challenges facing South African woman today and what are some of the things that you and your producers are doing to reach the average South African woman?

A: Whew! Where do we start? I think South African women across the board are concerned by the state of our education system for our children, our safety for our selves and our loved ones, our advancement in the work place while balancing the needs of the home, and when you start to get niche – women in the townships face issues of lack of delivery of essential services, grandmothers are taking care of grandchildren due to the terrible effects of HIV and AIDS, rural women are still ruled by a patriarchal system, young women are trying to figure out a balance between what culture dictates and demands while finding their own way in a modern world. Let’s not even get into race.

This has been the challenge in doing the show – there are many things/issues that separate us but we believe that there are just as many commonalities for women, regardless of color, status, etc and that’s what we try to focus on.

Q: Which other South African interviewers have most inspired you?

A: I’m a 70′s baby and I grew up with television. I think over the years there are a number of interviewers across both television and radio that I learn from. John Robbie, Robert Marawa, Felicia Mabuza Suttle, Dali Tambo, Tim Modise, Redi Direko and more.

Behide the scenes

Q: Can you give us a little insight into the making of the show? When do you tape, how many crew members work on the show and how is the success of the show measured?

A: The making of a television program is in essence a 3-part process.

The first is pre-production: This is all the preparation that goes into deciding what happens in a particular show/s. Over and above this, things like the set, logo, logo music, props, etc is all done at this stage, as well as securing crew to work on the show.

Second is production: This is the actual day you record. We record on a Saturday and call time is usually 7am for hair, make-up and rehearsals. Guests start arriving at about 09h00 and we’re ready to record by 09h30. The crew is about 10 people. It’s an all day affair! The saying in television is: Hurry up and Wait! Just as you’re ready, the batteries might die on your microphone. When that’s sorted, a light could blow. When that’s sorted, there could be a problem with playing back material. There’s always something so you have to be patient.

Thirdly, post-production: Once you’ve recorded the material, it then goes into editing and after that, final sound mixing, then you hand over the tape to the broadcaster.

Life in South Africa

Q: What do you enjoy most about living in South Africa?

A: The weather. I complain like a fishwife in winter but I know we’re lucky to not have snow and extreme cold. In fact, with the extreme weather conditions or natural disasters that’s been going on in the world since the beginning of the year, Haiti, Chile, Japan, etc – we’re blessed. Maybe the movie “2012″ was onto something?

Q: If you were to interview president Jacob Zuma, what would your last question be?

A: You said one-term right?

Q: Which South African personality would you most like to interview and why?

A: Winnie Madikizela-Mandela but she’d deny it took place ;-) Seriously though, she is a fascinating woman who doesn’t speak to the media very often yet has an incredible story to tell.

Q: With less than 100 days to the first African Soccer World Cup, what advice would you offer to first-time visitors looking for the ultimate South African experience?

A: Find a local and strike up a conversation, we’re very friendly. Only in South Africa can you meet someone in the morning and be invited to their place that same evening for a braai. Let us show you our country, first hand.

General

Q: You hosted the popular Studio Mix for over 7 years. What are some of your fondest memories from your time on the show?

A: We hosted really great concerts back-in-the-day. We went to Nelspruit, Cape Town and the Rand Show here in Johannesburg with the hottest music acts of the time and there were no less than 15 000 people at each event! Mind blowing now that I think about it. And then of course, it’s been very interesting to witness artists that came onto the show then as ‘brand new’; grow and develop over the years into these huge brands, and of course there are some that didn’t.

Q: Having working both on radio and on TV, which of the two do you prefer?

A: Both have their merits. Radio has a spontaneity and instantaneous re-action that is awesome. You can get that from television but only on a live broadcast. Television because it’s a visual medium, offers you the opportunity to have layers of stuff happening at the same time – it should be a feast for the eyes.

Q: If you could invite any three South Africans to an intimate dinner party, who would you invite and what would you serve for dessert?

A: First choice? My closest girlfriends. We’ve been friends for almost two decades and there is a level of comfort and sisterhood that cannot be replaced or duplicated. We’ve seen kids grow up and go to varsity, helped each other through the minor loss of boyfriends, the major loss of parents and also been very silly together. Dessert would be Jack Daniels – ha ha!

Q: If you could give the eighteen-year-old-you a single piece of advice, what would it be?

Q: “Stop being so shy”. I was terribly shy and still am to a degree but I’m getting better.

Q: Who would you most like to read about on Izimvo and what would you ask them?

A: Professor Jonathan Jansen, Rector – University of the Free State. Doesn’t he want to be our Minister of Basic Education?

A massive thank you to Mel for taking the time to answer our questions. We’d like to wish her every success for the future. Be sure to catch Lets Chat with…Mel on MNet Series every Wednesday at 8pm.

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