people

The professional broadcaster

Charles Arrigo is more than simply a household name, he is an unforgettable character who has added personality to broadcasting in Malta, Ramona Depares reports

Younger television viewers know the man mostly as Il-Kurunell, the well-loved character in the soap opera Villa Sunset. Older audiences, on the other hand, recognise his name as being one of the oldest – if not the oldest – in the broadcasting scene.

Indeed, today Charles Arrigo is a household name and not without reason. His was the face and the voice reporting some of the most memorable events happenings both on the island and away from it.

“I’ve been in broadcasting since 1947, many people call me the ‘dean’ of broadcasting,” Charles chuckled. “When I look back on my career it pleases me to know that I was present at the most important happenings, whether as radio or TV commentator. The declaration of independence, Malta being made a republic… These are both events that stand out in my memory and it still thrills me to think: I was there.”

The broadcaster is right. Just look at the postage stamp commemorating the day Malta gained the status of a republic: you will find the president of the day standing on the palace balcony and in the background, Charles stands with all his broadcasting paraphernalia. Like the moment, Charles stands frozen in the memory of time.

Perhaps surprisingly, Charles did not dream of becoming a broadcaster since childhood. Rather, he fell into the profession by accident as it were, while waiting for his examination results before enrolling in a university course.

He recalls, “It was summer and I thought I might as well earn some pocket money. Then I saw a call for applications for broadcasters with Xandir Malta (at the time) on the Berqa. I was chosen out of I don’t know how many hundreds that applied, probably thanks to the fact that I had good pronunciation where English was concerned. And a good voice helped, of course.”

Of course, the man has always been known for his impeccable accent, his very well-groomed voice. The result, I am told, of a dedication to BBC ever since Charles’ childhood. As a boy, Charles would listen to all sorts of programmes on the popular British station, his favourite being Alistair Cook. This particular broadcaster’s trademark, I was told by Charles, was his perfectly pitched voice together with the ability to be simple and precise.

“He used no long or difficult words,” Charles reminisced. “Everyone could understand him without needing to have a look at the dictionary. And yet he was always very precise. This is what makes a truly great broadcaster.”

His association with the BBC did not stop at listening to Alistair Cook. In 1959, soon after he started working with Xandir Malta, Charles was sent to England for a training stint with the BBC, a highly prestigious achievement. And when his training ended, the young man was invited to stay on permanently.

“Working with this English station gave me the opportunity to learn what true professionalism is. I had always admired BBC as being the best broadcasting station and now I could get the first-hand experience of working there! It was a thrill to meet people who I had looked up to for a very long time!” Charles explained.

A particularly amusing anecdote that he remembers concerns his Maltese-inherited ability to pronounce even the longest words phonetically. And so one night, when a man brought in the news that a South African prime minister had been assassinated, Charles had to read the name out loud. He got it right first time round, Abubakartefawabalewa. Everyone was so surprised that they actually asked him if he had known the man.

“Of course I didn’t, I just read it phonetically. Actually at the BBC we had special references when we needed to look up the pronunciation of a foreign name. Everything was taken very seriously, as you can see. I used to particularly enjoy looking up the references to the more complicated Maltese names, such as Buttigieg!” he explained charmingly.

Back in Malta, he has fond memories of the days when television was just starting at regretfully – and in spite of the many radios that have sprung up since liberalisation was introduced – there still are not enough professionals in the business.

“It has happened,” he said philosophically. “Luckily it was not the case with me.”

Does Malta enjoy the same professionality in broadcasting as the BBC today, I ask. It appears not. Charles’ reply is that regretfully – and in spite of the many radios that have sprung up since liberalisation was introduced – there still are not enough professionals in the business.

“Being professional requires a lot of preparation. Many people, whether on radio or TV, go on air completely unprepared and this is an insult to their audiences. However, I am pleased to say that PBS has made great strides in these past years. The whole of broadcasting has. Mind you, there is still room for a lot of improvement but I honestly believe that PBS has always been the most professional broadcaster on this island. And I do not say this because I work for the station. After all, some of the best broadcasters at present working with other stations started out in the first place with us,” he said smiling.
About reforms, Charles agrees that a lot are still needed, the most notable being the training of broadcasters. At present this is rather non-existent, he believes, and while the communications course at university might be a valid one it still does not prepare people to be good broadcasters.

“Of course I realise that training costs money, money which I am not sure is available. And I also realise that a good broadcaster is born, to a certain extent, not made. However, everyone has to perfect his natural talents. Just like a born artist can only get better by training, so does a born broadcaster need to perfect his technique,’ he said.

This leads him to the subject of DJs and their training, or rather the lack of. The broadcaster complains that today’s DJs completely lack personality, they limit themselves to imitating one another rather than cultivating their style. Training could go some way towards changing this, he believes.

“Perhaps the Broadcasting Authority could originate a school of training for broadcasters,” he said as he pondered on the subject. It’s easy to tell that the man is not just criticising but really cares about the local standards of broadcasting.

Another bone of contention is the political media, also a result of liberalisation.

“It’s not that I believe that political media has no place. What is a concern is that people who support a particular party often limit themselves to following to that party’s radio or TV station and never get a chance to listen to the other party’s point of view. There should not just be liberalisation of broadcasting, but also of ideas,” he explained, passionate about the subject.

Then, of course, there is also the issue of the political media twisting news stories to its own ends. Charles is not the first one to comment that the same new item reported by two different political station ends up having two different lives and meanings of its own. I asked him what he thought of the investigative side of newscasting, whether the news bulletin risks becoming more of a news billboard than anything else.

“You are right to a certain extent,” was the reply. ‘There are undoubtedly people out there capable of carrying out investigative journalism. We’ve seen investigative news reporting on the written media, there is no reason why broadcasters should not follow suit,” Charles said.

Some investigative newscasting is indeed taking place, he insists. But not enough, although really it is up to the management of each station to encourage it, he adds. And care should be taken that factual news is reported without any extra comment, he is careful to say.

Altogether different from when one is on stage, a place where Charles has carved a niche for himself as well ever since he started acting with various theatrical companies years ago. His work with the Atturi Theatre Group remains remembered. Now he’s expanded his horizons to tele-series and is at present filming for the second edition of Villa Sunset. His part is that of a retired colonel, aristocratic and very particular about etiquette. Not a simpatico character, Charles tells me laughing, but nonetheless very well-liked with everyone. Indeed, many children utter the words ara il-Kurunell when they see him in the street. Filming, he says, is fun – even when he forgets his lines.

I asked him whether he’d say he’s dedicated his life to broadcasting and he replies with an unequivocal ‘yes’. Any downside to broadcasting? Very diplomatically, he says that there was a certain period in the history of broadcasting in Malta that he looks upon as being the dark side. Poche parole al buon intenditore, he concludes with a mischievous grin.