What most viewers of CCNTV6’s morning show “The Morning Edition” see when they tune in are well planned segments, original curated content, and lively interviews. What they don’t see is the trust between a host and his producer to guide him through the programme for two hours of live broadcast TV, the telephone calls to locate guests who should’ve arrived on set by now, and the juggling act to accommodate every booking request. From the politician to the child prodigy, and everyone in between.
Behind it all is TV6’s Senior broadcast journalist and Producer Achsah Gulston. A name that flashes across the screen on the station during its peak hour, with her well-known Twitter handle, letting audiences know how to contact her on a platform she has grown to love. Achsah has worn many hats and formed many professional relationships in the media industry, all which led her to flourish in her role as Producer with a passion for creating engaging content. Starting as a junior broadcast journalist and taking on several other roles thereafter, has equipped her with the necessary tools to sharpen or perfect the many dynamics involved in the job.
Wanting to hone in on her love for the media and craft it into a career, Achsah studied media and journalism, and once she got the opportunity to work at TV6 delved right in. She accounts fondly that Natalie Williams was her first boss when she started at the station, and that Samantha John (former TV news anchor and presenter) was one of her biggest influences.
She soon got into producing and realized there was no turning back- she was in love. Working alongside other colleagues at the time including Sharon Hamilton-Cudjoe, Collen Holder, Sandra Maharaj and Carlisle Hinkson, she learnt quickly that producing took you into a different space creatively- a space that she enjoyed being a part of.
“Producing is no easy task. It takes a lot of things, there’s not one specific thing that would make someone a good producer,” she said. “There are several steps involved.”
“When people think of TV, they think of being in front of the camera- an element a lot of people focus on. To me, when you do on air broadcasts, when you can present as well as produce your own material it works perfectly.”
Achsah shared some of the key responsibilities of her role and the required competencies it takes to get the job done daily:
Never let them see you sweat
Over the years, Achsah has learnt that everything that can go wrong will! She attests that the only way to get the job done, is to never let them see you sweat.
“As a producer everything counts in terms of the show coming together. Everything counts, and every person counts. There may be some kind of technical difficulty, a guest may run late, or a guest may not be available as scheduled. So you have to think on your feet,” she said.
“The number one rule especially as producer is never to panic. It doesn’t do you well, your host well, or your crew well. As a producer you are the leader. So panicking is something you cannot do at all. You have to think on your feet. Having a good relationship with your crew, your host and everyone involves helps deal with the challenges.”
With live broadcasts producers must also be prepared for instances where major breaking news takes precedence for any planned programming, and the accompanying need to rearrange the show accordingly. Guests may be allotted less air-time or are rescheduled, (an occurrence Achsah says only happened once during her seven years of stewardship), but at the end of the day the show must go on.
“Time management is key, key, key,” she empahasied, “You cannot lose track of time at all, and sometimes you have to manage the time of both yourself and others, like with waking up guests!”
“It is something that I really enjoy. If you’re joining the media industry it is fast paced, never boring- this adds to the fun of being in the media, as a producer. It challenges you every single day. I love that.”
It’s quite a juggling act.
When it comes to booking and scheduling guests on the programme, Achsah remains cognizant that these tasks must be conducted with great intent.
“You have to be intentional in terms of giving everyone a space,” she said. “During the carnival season (one of the peak periods for booking requests) there are so many players that you can’t only book mas. You have to include chutney, steel band interviews, you give everyone some sort of space within that time period. For Christmas, from November into December is always a busy time. The July/August period can be a very, very busy time as well. There are instances where you have to be intentional. I tell people we will do our best, we can’t promise anything.”
Juggling show requests can be challenging, and as a consequence one’s desired day for an appearance cannot always be accommodated. While Achsah affirms that not because someone may not get a confirmed booking for a particular day it doesn’t mean the intended topic of discussion isn’t important. It does however mean that early requests are highly recommended.
“Don’t call me the same week you want to book; it may be one of the most important weeks planned. I have persons call me the day before they want to go on air, however I need at least two weeks notice,” she said. “I am a planner by nature so I have a schedule, a calendar that I’m always inputting stuff to. “I look at the trends both locally and internationally, so I may see something I want to talk about and begin looking for guests.”
Email is best
Anyone trying to reach Achsah via telephone during the work day, is often playing a game of “catch me if you can,” as her busy days leave little time for chatting on the phone. Unbeknownst to many, her work day is not completed when the show wraps as she is tossed into a mix of meetings for projects, planning for future shows and many other tasks.
“Email is the best way to communicate for me as you cannot answer every single call. Emails also leave a paper trail. Sometimes guests appear on the wrong day and you can always retrieve those emails. Written confirmation, written communication is always best,” she said.
Another surefire way to contact Achsah is through her Twitter account which has over 4,600 followers who take delight in her daily “Good morning and have a great day” tweets (emoji included).
“I respond well to people reaching out to me on Twitter. I get feedback from lots of persons on the show. It may be criticisms on guests, the phrasing of questioning, but everyone has a right to their opinion. The morning show is for the public. Getting their perspective is key and at the same time we use it and air it,” she said, referring to persons who submit photos with the show’s host Fazeer Mohammed.
“We get tips from viewers- so someone in the field of work may inbox me and suggest something or give a tip, ask if we could do a particular follow up, or ask a certain question. The interaction I get from the viewers is something I enjoy. There are viewers who are keen into what is happening. So they know Fazeer loves cricket and they will send me cricket analogies to give him. As a producer feedback from viewers helps.”
Connecting with viewers
It’s no secret that to stay on-air and to have the longevity that the “Morning Edition” enjoys, you must have advertisers- and to have advertisers, you must have viewers. So, does Achsah worry about the show’s popularity with viewers and the show’s ratings? While it’s definitely something that must be noted, she is not driven by it in her role as producer.
“Ratings are important to what we do in this field, but when it comes to planning the show, it is not driven by ratings. Connecting with viewers is very key to ratings and we strive to do that. We have a lot of music on the show as well because music is a universal language. There are some very heavy topics on the show- sometimes not too pleasant- and somebody will hear a song and relax as a viewer or a guest. We get feedback on music choices,” she added.
“Connecting with viewers is key and that is what I strive to do. I’m not thinking about what the competition is doing, that’s not my job.”
“We go viral all the time and people bring it to my attention. You never know what people will connect with so I may see one minute of the “Morning Edition” monologue shared on Twitter. Sometimes before the live show is over there is a clip from somebody who shares it and it goes viral. I love when our viewers do that, it is great. You never know what aspect of your show will connect with your audience,” she explained.
It’s simply a conversation
In live television broadcast, one of the worst scenarios one can imagine is a guest being prompted to answer a question on-air and nothing comes out. What about guests who are so shy when the camera lights are on that the segment is ruined and you have no choice but to cut for commercial.
Luckily for Achsah these occurrences are more likely to happen on a television sitcom comedy, than on the TV6 programme under her guidance.
“Guests sometimes call me after I’ve confirmed their booking and they’re nervous- it could be about the topic or the questions the host may ask. Listen this is a conversation; my host doesn’t bite. It’s a conversation about your event, idea or perspective and at the end (of the show) people are shocked to see how quickly the time flies. People would call me after their on-air interview to tell me how much they enjoyed it,” she said.
When dealing with minors or other guests who may need some extra guidance, Achsah informs the host of the circumstances to ensure that everyone is comfortable on set.
“If a guest is extremely nervous, for example a child, I do have a conversation with my host to let them know. When children in T&T have excelled, we bring them on the set and I have always seen the need to highlight young children and teenagers, as there should be no age discrimination. I’ve had elderly persons on the show to talk about certain topics close to their heart and you can tell they’re thinking they would not be booked on the show.”
“So, we don’t discriminate against the elderly, persons with different abilities etc. It’s not a reason to not have them on the show- you work around it- they’re all members of society. There’s been so many topics we’ve touched on popular and unpopular and I am certainly not afraid to go to either side,” she said.
Fairness in the broadcast
In broadcast TV where a variety of views, ideas and positions are aired, the astute producer knows that not only does diversity, and inclusion matter, but also equity. As such, Achsah uses the “Morning Edition” platform to ensure that all angles are represented.
“There are categories of interviews that you need to pay particular attention to in terms of fairness. If there’s a particular event or grouping that involves a large cross-section of persons you want to get people in to talk about it. You also want to ensure you give the same amount of time to guests of varying persuasions or beliefs.”
“Equality is something you do look at and pay attention to. You have notes, at least I have notes as a producer on my guests,” she stated.
A job that’s truly rewarding
Achsah’s role is dynamic, challenging and overly rewarding. So much so that the word “love” was used on several occasions during our interview. As a producer she is multi-faceted, intentional, committed and focused. Her passion for the media was clear from this interview and she revels in creating segments on our culture and history.
Great interview Achsah . Keep up the good work