Korina Sanchez to tackle ‘Face to Face’ through journalist’s lens

Korina Sanchez at the media conference and special screening of “Face to Face” pilot episode on Monday, Nov. 11 | Image: INQUIRER.net/Jessica Ann Evangelista

Award-winning broadcast journalist Korina Sanchez is eager to add a fresh and journalistic edge to the tabloid talk show “Face to Face” after she was recently announced as the new host of the program.

During a media conference and special screening of the show’s pilot episode on Monday, Nov. 11, Sanchez emphasized that the format of the show hasn’t changed as they still intend to delve into real-life issues, yet she is now inclined to add a more journalistic touch to it. 

“The purpose of “Face to Face” from before until today has not changed, that is, to show the real life, the daily life of ordinary Filipinos. Because fighting really happens, there are serious ones, there are hidden ones. The goal of our program is to find a solution that we can also learn from. We don’t just gossip about the lives of other people,” she said.

Sanchez is the first woman coming from a journalism background to assume the “Face to Face” hosting mantle.

“Because my background is also a little different from Amy Perez, Gelli de Belen, and Karla Estrada, I have a slightly different shape because my background is journalism. As for the journalist’s style, I do a lot of research on each case study. What I want people to learn is information, statistics, and science; I have something like this that contributes to our discussion,” she added.

The veteran journalist shared that people initially questioned her decision to accept the job considering she was known to lean into a more serious or sometimes “upper-class” tone. She said some were concerned that she might lose her “branding,” but the award-winning anchor-host said her brand was for the “masa” (masses).

She said one of the reasons why she accepted the hosting job was because she has never before dipped her toes into this kind of program format. 

“It’s a challenge. I want to inject my own brand into the format. ‘Korina, do you know they are fighting sometimes they are pulling each other’s hair,’ We actually saw something like that; I was shocked but the challenge is how do you arrive at a resolution that they can agree on and at the same time how do you become a national referee,” she said.

“They keep asking me what about your brand; I never thought about my brand, I just go and go. My brand is the people; to be close to them, even if Rated K was still alive. My forte is really real-life stories,” she further said.

Given that the show is known for the “chaotic” situations that take place on air, Sanchez stressed that it only goes to show that it “mirrors true poverty” in the Philippines.

“I say, this is a reflection of human poverty. When people are so poor, they will really brawl on live TV because their emotions are very raw. This mirrors true poverty in this country. That’s what happens—the lack of knowledge, what the local government can provide, they don’t know. Many things can be learned. And I think this is a great vehicle for people to learn how to resolve problems,” she said.

“Face to Face: Harapan” airs Mondays to Fridays at 4 to 5 p.m on TV5.