VETERAN JOURNALIST Owen James' personal financial programme, On a Personal Note has by all accounts made an auspicious start attracting corporate advertisers looking to associate their brand with this first for Jamaican TV. The programme which is now aired at 1.00 p.m. on Sundays on TVJ has attracted advertising from some of the top blue chip companies such as Grace Kennedy's First Global, Scotiabank and Capital & Credit. The three segments, "Your Wealth', the youth-oriented segment 'PennyWise' and the motivational and financial tip of the day segment, 'The Achievers' ensure that the market is covered - for the young and the old.
It's the first fully fledged personal financial programme on Jamaican television and Mr. James says he conceptualised the idea after much prompting from a senior colleague in the print media and public feedback generated from three other programmes he conceptualised for TVJ, programmes which appear to be the benchmark for business news on television. He also pays tribute to his wife, Denise, an attorney-at-law for her "tremendous support and understanding" regarding his regular 14-hour days.
James, a journalist whose career spans 30 years in print, radio and television, says he has a wealth of information for the programme but amazingly confesses that his major challenge is how to limit the amount of advertising in the half-hour programme in order not to compromise the editorial content of On A Personal Note.
"The programme is unique in many respects. The contestants in the stock-broking competition are not stock brokers but university students, deliberately chosen," James says, to encourage a culture of saving and investment among young people. The youth segment 'PennyWise' is hosted by young undergraduates and highlights a wide range of personal financial issues affecting young people. Stories from individuals of hope and inspiration plus a financial tip of the day cap it all in the final segment, 'The Achievers.'
