During the period in which they have been on the Ghanaian market, there is no doubt, that Viasat 1's brand of high quality and internationally renowned programming has helped to change the face of television broadcasting on the local scene; and as the records seem to confirm, they have certainly managed to up the ante on their local competitors.

Purely from a viewers point of view and of course as an industry player, VIASAT 1's Rune Skokgeng's and his team's biggest challenge thus far has been to find a way to incorporate comparatively lower quality local productions into their predominantly high quality foreign content. After trying out with a mediocre local television series[which was duly dropped later], numerous Nigerian soaps and movies; the “green and white” guys seem to have finally found an antidote to their biggest flaw. The pride was quite obvious on Rune's face as he explained his team's triumph to the media at a press confab at the plush Alisa Hotel.

The triumph comes in the form of two yet to be released in house local productions namely,' THE ONE' and 'LAUGH A MINUTE.' The latter, has been described as a “a family friendly show which includes funny clips from around the world,”and is to be hosted by seasoned comedian David Oscar Dogbe, in his debut as a television presenter. Perhaps, the most highly anticipated of the two, THE ONE, already has an ad rolling on the network and is billed to be 'a cross between the Oprah Winfrey and Tyra Banks Shows in a Ghanaian wrapping,” and will be touching on all issues from beauty and fashion to the most bizarre issues with various personalities. Ironically, the female anchor set to give it its Ghanaian wrapping is the lesser known former Rhythms co-presenter Joycelin Dumas, known for her charming smile and unmistakably foreign accent. For lovers of the big screen, Joycelin is better identified as Majid Michel's girlfriend in Shirley Frimpong's ghost thriller, “A sting in a Tale.”

Despite her prior gig with Rhythms[which she quit to cross carpets to VIASAT 1], the pretty damsel is a relative unknown to most avid television viewers and it may work to her advantage, as she then becomes a breath of fresh air with a brand well reputed for innovation. On the other hand however, one has to question if her relative inexperience, will not come to the fore in her performance on the show. She has described the show as,”one of the most costly and exciting TV productions ever done in Ghana.” So is VIASAT 1 taking too much of a gamble with Joycelin Dumas on such a groundbreaking project?

A helping factor maybe the fact that she is being guided by none other than the evergreen, Anita Erskine, as producer , who is undoubtedly bringing her immense experience to bear on the production. There is also the charming Ama K. Abebrese, who in her capacity as Assistant Programs Manager,is sure to help out, having worked on a similar show on London's OBE TV. In addition,the guys at VIASAT 1 seem to have left no stone unturned in ensuring a high quality and entertaining production, with an amazing set that is sure to up the ante once again on their local competitors.

So for now Joycelin seems to be in good company; It remains to be seen however, how things will pun out as the show debuts on the 2nd of August at 6:30 pm..... We are all buckled up, coke on ice with sugar popcorns in hand waiting for the cameras to roll...........................