t’s hard to substantially articulate the gravity of Jessica Soho’s communal impact via the GMA primetime show titled after her – Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (KMJS). Running for three years already, it has proven that Public Affairs programs are worthy of airtime in the primetime given the consistently high ratings it has managed to record.
The show by itself is a testimony of team effort, out-of-the-box creativity, human resourcefulness, untimely wit — mostly packed with an uncommon sense of humor and entertainment.
It highly merits the primetime slot during Saturdays with an imaginative concoction of worth-watching stories readied for primetime viewing habit. Executive producer Lee Joseph Castel and program manager Joy Madrigal-Monzon tell of the much untold hard work for every episode of KMJS.
What appears as simple stories aired weekly on this award-winning show are no bare ideas coated in a manner well-liked by a good fraction of televiewers. Though light at first glance, the stories exude insurmountable and unfathomable depth due to the show’s many creative talents.
Coming up with a line-up of stories episode by episode goes beyond normal deliberations. Two main factors call for consideration — substance and idea the feature story can direct to the audience. “The challenge comes with our slot. We are in the primetime so we really struggle to make the stories deep but not boring for our primetime viewers,” Monzon says.
There were times KMJS executives also injected serious stories like hazing and scallop-diving – those which hold much of a social value for an audience of diverse background. “We showed the torment suffered by the scallop divers in Bicol. They dive to get hold of these shells but they only earn P40 per day. They use concressor in diving which is very hazardous to health. The middlemen meanwhile get 100 times more of what they are earning,” Castel narrates.
It takes more than miracle and magic to get good stories. For KMJS, the researchers and producers are too resourceful to get credible contacts for their pitches. Soho’s unpredictability and creativity set the guidelines for the choice of stories. Castel says, “We always want to get ahead of the rest. We want KMJS to be the main source of topics on Internet forums, magazine and newspaper articles. Most of our stories are mere products of our indescribable imagination, and it’s a wonder we manage to create impressive features for the viewers.”
The show does mostly case studies, and not every part of the staff manages to stay given the workload and stress. Castel says, “If you last for one year as a researcher or producer in KMJS, it means you make a hit. You sometimes go crazy because you handle various types of stories.”
Though they make something extraordinary per episode, these great minds behind KMJS are no less embodied as street smart. Most of them simply take jeepneys and buses when commuting. Via daily ordinary encounters with the typical Filipinos across the street, they manage to know better the heart of the masses (pulso ng masa).
Much credit of course goes to the big boss who is very hands-on, articulate, imaginative and directive – Soho herself. Castel and Monzon say that Soho draws them to excellence, no settling on the level of mediocrity for KMJS. “It’s automatic here. We do attempts to equal Ma’am Jessica’s quality of work,” says Monzon. They are compelled to take risks even for something as impossible as locating a family who makes a living selling cadavers, if that will make a story passable for Soho’s standards.
No further questioning, Soho earns the title of the show. Her name is already a brand of credibility, bravery and perseverance. She also carries an appeal for the masses. During shoots, people around do not get intimidated by her presence. She instead shares personal exchange of dialogues with the Filipino commoner.
The most awarded broadcast journalist in the country surely has the bragging rights not everyone is fortunate to possess. Yet, Soho remains the approachable leader that she is and maintains the above-average performance her system has been used to. Her unpredictability gives the surprise factor to KMJS’ audience. Seems that every episode brings televiewers to the unknown.
Distinct in KMJS is the context with which the feature stories evolve. Other magazine-type shows simply run down or enumerate elements of the stories. KMJS meanwhile highlights the importance of the aired stories on the viewing public. It does not present a mere montage of human accounts, but it dresses such accounts with substance and information.
KMJS combines wit and humor in presenting timely narratives. The boundaries that set the parameters in choosing stories must still be observed even if sometimes anything goes. The room for creativity is boundless, but the presentation of stories always fits the host’s persona. In here, the seemingly “corny” stories can be turned into something worth the interest, the superficial can find its depth, and the common can show something extraordinary.
This year, KMJS won Best TV News Magazine Show in the Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA) and was nominated in the New York Festivals for the Social Issues/Current Events Category and in the Asian TV Awards for Best Infotainment Show. The award and nominations give vindication to the just efforts exerted by the people behind the show. Though not within their expectations, KMJS staffers are mostly happy to be recognized locally and internationally.
Prior to airing, Castel did not expect the gravity of the tasks the show would ask of them. “I thought it would be easy because the guideline says we will tackle mostly light stories. But come production and deliberations time, we almost freezed to death. We were called to give distinct treatment to cute stories and make them socially and universally relevant,” he said.
The training for the staffers, at least, lies at the extremes. Castel claims that if one is a graduate of programs handled by Soho, there is a guarantee that someone is part of the cream of the crop. “With her as your boss, you cannot say you have done your all because something always remains undone. You would have desires, and sometimes frustrations, in closing the gap between the real and the ideal,” he says. With the unending possibilities the show offers the audience and its staffers, it is undoubtedly an avenue for growth and nurturance.
The duty calls them almost 24/7. Since the show airs on a weekly basis, everyday presents much challenges, the greatest of which is to come up with stories that people will feast on and talk about the next day.
Today, KMJS brings its Christmas Special and celebrates its third year of airing on primetime television. As always, the episode will offer something new for the audience as Soho and the team visit Mexico for a trip of a lifetime. Soho interviews Eduardo Capetillo, the Mexican actor who played Sergio in the feverish Marimar. She tries going up the Aztec Pyramid in Teotihucan and watch out if she manages to reach the top. There is also a case study in reference to bullfighting, as this is the most common leisure the Mexicans enjoy.
The run is surely tough for Soho and the KMJS staffers. But it gets going. Though often cluttered with obstacles to stand by, the opportune to touch and move the public with stories worth-airing must be more than enough reward.