Talk show host hangs up the mic

I WAS devastated when Oprah Winfrey hung up her talk show heels. She was a host in a league of her own: sempathetic, entertaining and trustworthy and, most importantly, she had finesse and tact when it came to getting her guests to open up about subjects they never imagined they would tell the world.

And then we have Noeleen Maholwana Sangqu and her 12-year reign with 3Talk.

While she resonated with the masses, there were many things that irked me about her insipid style of hosting. One of the most unforgivable being how utterly clueless she could be at times.

Of the handful of shows that I caught, two remain etched in my mind’s eye.

One was an interview with some of the lead actors on Isidingo like Robert Whitehead (Barker Haines) and Tshepo Maseko (Parsons). At the time, SABC3’s flagship soap was rebranding itself as a daily drama. Despite drawing this to the attention of the host, several times during the course of that interview, she kept calling it a soapie. I can’t imagine she was so star-struck that she kept getting it wrong.

Another case in point: she bagged international gospel artist Kirk Franklin on the show. As introductions were made, he called her “Boo”, at which point, she asked him if the producers didn’t tell him her name was… He laughed and pointed out that it was a term of affection.

And I’m really not slating her because I’m a TV critic and I can. But when benchmarks in this genre have been set, the aim should be to raise them, not drop the ball.

I know the channel have been fiercely protective because she brought in the ratings. But I have found it to be more of a circus act like Sona than a talk show that stirred debate, provided food for thought and really reeled you in for the entertainment value.

I do love the way the whole canning of the show is given a PR spin of the host feeling it’s time to go. But I suppose the channel does owe her a graceful exit.

With Tongue in Cheek and Katch it with Khanyi gaining popularity, I can’t say I’m surprised that SABC3 pulled the plug on 3Talk. Maholwana Sangqu’s legacy will live on, but, for me, it’ll be for those iconic gaffes and the pervading facileness.