25 January 2021 12:10 am
Right content adhering to good journalism key to its success story
So here he goes… Lahiru Mudalige talking about Lahiru Mudalige, who today heads Hari TV, which is regarded as a reputed digital media platform that adheres to good journalism and ethical media practices. His career motto is ‘If your product is right, chances are that you get the right feedback too.’
It is a huge challenge for an individual like me to engage in such multiple roles from content tasting to presenting, without just focusing on viewership figures. This is a role I ought to play while being conscious about conventional media strengths and the influential power they wield
“My biggest dream was to someday become a television personality. I started off with several children’s programmes on TV when I was as young as 11 years. My first television exposure came with the Rupavhini Muthuhara programme. Then I did children’s programmes in the Kandurata radio service and later at Lakhanda and Pavana radio. It’s sad that present day children lack that kind of platform today to learn and hone their talents. Even media circles in schools then were not only powerful but also an ideal ground to identify and fine tune talents of children with passion. Schools also had radio stations where children were the main stakeholders. When I was 16 I joined the SLBC’s Lama Pitiya. I am from Kandy. I studied there. But my ardent passion for the media brought me down to Colombo D. S. Senanayake College where I did my AL exam. After a long journey switching from one radio channel to another, I finally got the vital break at Swarnavahini thanks to senior journalist Hema Nalin Karunaratne. This is where I was moulded into a real media personality generated by some popular TV segments. I capitalized and seized all opportunities that came my way even though they appeared small or insignificant. I stopped pretending to be like other TV presenters. I just became myself. Going down memory lane, I wonder how many times fortune had smiled on me to become what I am today.”
I started my own company after I left Swarnavahini in 2014, because I wanted to explore my full potential in the media field. I wanted to make digital media a business model. My intuition prompted that there existed a digital fragment outside conventional television. I was confident about myself. I directed almost 600 music videos and they became popular on Youtube garnering incredible viewership. That feat also fetched me all key awards. This inspired me to start Hari TV three years ago and it was embraced by the people within a short span. I scored on the talk show concept on Hari TV. I spiced it up with a lot of variety and quality in every department. From last year I was exposed to the culture of good journalism and that really motivated me and on the other hand I reaped its benefits to a large extent. My motive was not amassing large-scale views but to sustain as a digital platform, earning a good name by dishing out wholesome content. There was no proper talk show with a presenter at that time. My talk shows were studio-based using the best technology. I had that gut feeling that I could draw a section of television audiences too if I did it in a professional mode and eventually that strategy worked well for me.
Within Hari TV I created sub channels like Hari TV news, Hari TV music, Hari TV voice and now we are soon introducing a segment for children too. Though I am basically known as an entertainment-oriented presenter, I never wanted to make this a purely entertainment channel. I even shaped a novel perspective to political talk shows on this platform. I am a constant learner. I am a keen observer. That helped me grow, learn and make this people-friendly. I am grateful to media persons like Dr. Ranga Kalansooriya, Nalaka Gunawardane and others who guided me through the good journalism culture.
I capitalized and seized all opportunities that came my way even though they appeared small or insignificant. I stopped pretending to be like other TV presenters.I just became myself
text: Ramesh Uvais