Not a white person in sight at the badly done 13th Metro FM Awards broadcast on SABC1 from Durban, but the really funny part is how with every award show done and shown by the SABC, the camera constantly always pans over the multiple empty seats in the audience.
It remains funny how an award show such as the 13th Metro FM Awards wants to show how the crowd is more interested in their phones than actually watching and being at a live awards ceremony.
The 13th Metro FM Awards saw several gaffes, like the minister of communications, Yunus Carrim, who called Sipho "Hotstix" Mabuse standing next to him, "Hotstix Mabuse Sipho".
How about artist Mi Casa who had to start singing without a microphone that was actually on for viewers watching at home to hear. Or again when Vusi Nova, who also started singing with a microphone on, couldn't be heard from the beginning.
Bad production values like this is unforgivable, yet have become apparently, simply acceptable.
There were so many sound problems - which is ironic for a radio station doing an awards show on television.
For Luthando Shosha from Live Amp who did backstage coverage with one over-and-over question ("How are you feeling?") there is only one word: Awkward.
Luckily William Lehong who is more professional was able to maintain some semblance of control.
Co-host Pearl Thusi clearly has a hand problem and never learnt from the TV school she went to (or she simply doesn't care) about the "hand never above the shoulder" rule and constant wild waving on live television. You're not a windmill, love.
Pearl Thusi, if you want to make as if your handheld mic is an old cellphone and you hold it next to your ear as you did, the problem dear, is that in the world of television, your audience is actually not going to hear you. It is sound class 101 for TV presenters.
The face-pulling by the other co-host Phat Joe later in the show, made it clear that at least he himself recognised that the popping mic problems was due to his own bad mic handling.
The autocue should be in front of the podium or the "X" on the floor where presenters are supposed to stand.
If it's off to the left hand side of the stage you get what happens with the 13th Metro FM Awards where it breaks the illusion and becomes too obvious that your presenters are reading - and some badly - because their eyes are looking to the side and not straight forward.
Camera work? Bad. Especially when viewers are shown shaky camera shots to the ground of steadicam camera operators running to a next position such as during Danny K's acceptance speech and which should never be seen on television in the first place - live or otherwise.
Or how about those seated audience close-ups marred by people walking past in front of the camera. Hysterical.
Well done? The In Memoriam segment. Best-dressed? Aaron Moloisi (interestingly presenting the best styled artist.)
It's fascinating how the 13th Metro FM Awards also kept conjuring up the legacy of Nelson Mandela, but has in itself failed to actually transform - watching the awards show on television it's difficult to actually see the multicultural South Africa the hosts spoke of. Winner Danny K remarked how "13 years later this is my first Metro FM Music Awards".
How embarrassing was the completely messed up "Best Hit Single" category? No winner allowed on stage, no acceptance speech, no explanation why, and presenter Tbo Touch talking and talking but no sound at all.
Another tell-tale sign of bad production is that the 13th Metro FM Awards was supposed to end at 22:00.
Of course, like all bad South African TV awards shows that struggle to get a passing grade and end up giving viewers little more than trash television, the 13th Metro FM Awards didn't finish at 22:00, meaning that viewers who recorded it won't get to see any of the winners of any of the latter, more important categories.
The bad mess from SABC Airtime Outside Broadcasts and S'khonyana Productions finally ended more than half an hour over time at 22:37.
