From dawn to past midnight

CLAVIO. Too busy for his own good?

Last Nov. 2, GMA 7’s “Unang Hirit” paid loving tribute to host Arnold Clavio on his birthday. To show how busy and “in demand” he was, the program did a “day in the life” video segment that followed the super-busy honoree as he worked literally from dawn to dusk—and beyond

—on his many shows and involvements.

“Igan” Arnold’s day began at 4 a.m., as he woke up from a very brief sleep (let’s call it a long nap!) to get ready for “Unang Hirit.” Right after the waker-upper show ended, he hopped over to dzBB for his radio program with Mike Enriquez.

Then, he had to tape for his new show, “Sanib-Puwersa,” with Mel Tiangco. At 4 p.m. (we presume he took a little time off for a quick lunch), he taped for “Tonite with Arnold Clavio.”

Did he call it a day—and night—after that? Not on your life! He had a couple of meetings to attend, including one for his Igan Foundation. And, at 11 p.m., he did the late-night newscast, “Saksi.”

Was that it for him? Ho-hum, he still had to do voice-overs for “Unang Hirit.” —After that, he could have gone to sleep at 1 a.m.—only to wake up at around 4 a.m. for the new day’s grind—!

Contention

The video segment was intended to show how busy and committed Arnold was—but, it also verified our contention that a few really popular media “stars” are too busy for their and our own good.

In the final analysis, a sleep-deprived TV worker, no matter how gifted and well-intentioned, will eventually fail to deliver tip-top service to viewers—which is what should really count.

We compliment Arnold for his popularity, and note that he’s good at what he does, and his heart is in the right place, but he should really stop pushing himself so hard, because it affects his work—and could also negatively impinge upon his wellbeing.

Truth to tell, he isn’t the only overworked talent on local TV. Some other popular “stars” also work from morn to past midnight, and their performance has similarly been compromised. Sure, it’s great to be popular, busy, in-demand and make a heap of money, but there are, or should be, limits.

We also fault these super-busy talents’ home networks for running them to the ground with work. We understand that they need their stellar talents’ clout with viewers and their proven competence, but instead of overworking a few people, our TV networks should be developing other talents who in time will also prove their worth and become popular, as well.

Frankly, it’s shocking to see how thin our TV stations’ “benches” are in terms of on-cam workers. Some TV executives have obviously been taking the easy way out, and it’s time for them to face up to their responsibilities. Their viewers deserve nothing less!

We trust that they will get on the ball soonest in this regard, so good but overworked talents like Arnold Clavio can—get some sleep!