TIPTOPSTARS

Call him Krys Thobie, his fans will be lost. But mention Massa Tok Tok, everyone will be alert, for, whenever the human interest news presenter on Radio Equinoxe and Equinoxe Television (ETV) comes around, it means something is in the air.

From all indications, Eze Ekuleku as the Douala-based journalist is also known does not only champion broadcasting in pidgin, but has cut a niche for himself as far as proximity broadcasting is concerned. His TV shows, Pidgin News (from Monday to Friday, 8am and 2pm) and Pidgin Debate (2pm on Saturdays and 8am on Sundays) have won the hearts of thousands of viewers, especially the people at the grassroots. This is definitely thanks to the human interest approach and the use of pidgin. “You can only address their problems if you use the language they understand best,” he says. Massa Tok Tok continues:  “The human interest approach seeks to distract people of the lower social class from the sometimes boring institutional news, much of which does not have a direct positive impact on their lives.”