Mornings, Balani-style

Press, 12 October 1985, Page 1

Mornings, Balani-style

The abrasive radio host, George Balani, will take over the popular morning talk-back show on 3ZB later this month. Mr Balani said yesterday that he would have to abandon some of his “rougher edges” to conform with the more sedate morning show. He will start work on the 9 a.m. to noon spot from October 29 and will succeed 3ZB’s award-winning broadcaster, Robin Harrison, who has accepted a job with Radio Pacific in Auckland. The appointment of Mr Balani, who runs a hardhitting- evening talk-back

show on 3ZB from Mondays to Fridays, was announced yesterday. Another broadcaster on the station, Mike Minehan, will succeed Mr Balani on the evening show. Mr Balani, however, will continue to host a national talkback show later on Monday evening. : , Mr Balani said it would be hard'to follow in the steps of Mr Harrison, whom he described as one of the most professional and competent broadcasters in New Zealand. ■ The format for the morning show would remain

similar, he said, with a mixture of news, interviews, and talk-back. . An area that he would like to expand would be more interviews of politicians and prominent persons. Mr Balani said, however, that the “hooning around, goofing off, and having games” he did on the evening show would have to stop in the new spot. “At night I have been controversial, almost unreasonable, which is something you can affdrd to do then,” he said.

During the day, listeners were not as relaxed and a different style had to be adopted. "We see the morning programme as being far more structured,” said Mr Balani. As for money, he said that he was not going into the morning programme for “megabucks” and would be paid about the same as now. Mr Balani, aged 35, has been a broadcaster since 1968 and has worked on a number of State and private radio stations in New Zealand.