Jacobs Odongo
6 September 2008
Kampala — NBS TV made viewers sit up when they introduced Morning Breeze, anchored by two fresh TV faces: Shawn Kimuli and the feisty Joy Doreen Biira. The show, on air from 7:00 to 10:00am, brings the breakfast-style radio show to TV. The male and female co-anchors serve up a varied menu.
They recap the previous day's evening news, give a review of the day's press, take calls from viewers, play some music, and give fashion and parenting tips and bizarre news.
Joy is a third-year student of IT at Makerere University. She says she was callow about showbiz in the beginning and was relying on what she calls "journalism by desire" rather than by profession.
Joy says she had to endure numerous screen tests that included field reporting, mock presenting and one-on-one interview sessions. Today, she is glad that she is practising a field she did not have to go to school for.
"I am a Mukonzo, born September 5, 1986, to John and Beatrice Manimba Baluku and raised in the Rwenzururu Kingdom, Kasese. I am the second daughter in a family of quite a number of young men," she says.
Joy says that her role models keep on changing. When she was growing up, she admired Oprah Winfrey, but the gets a lot of inspiration from Irene Birungi Mugisha of UBC TV.
"She taught me a lot about the media," Joy says. "She knew that I was a journalist by desire, not profession."
She tries to learn from watching other TV personalities. "I pick out the good and see how to make use of it to improve my knowledge in the media," she says. "Learning never ends."
Joy just does not think she is pretty enough to have earned the job because of her looks. "My face, does it look good to you?" she asks.
Having a face is one thing but being able to fulfil the expectations of your job is another.
Joy had to give an audition in front of a panel before she could get the job.
"The panel wanted someone with good presentation and communication skills who could anchor news. Besides experience of course. I have been on radio before (with Campus FM), but I had never been on TV, with all those cameras pointed at you."
She admits to making some mistakes. "A media critic said I sounded as though I wanted to stifle my colleague Shawn most times, cutting in even before he had completed his sentences. Shawn has studied journalism. Learning from him was and is still part of my job."
Juggling career and studies isn't strenuous to Joy, because her work only occupies her mornings. She has lectures in the evening and plenty of time to rest.
"I keep a low profile and not all the students can identify me. And I am not really a celebrity," she says.
The contrast between Shawn Kimuli and his partner is sharp: for starters, he had experience in journalism, having worked for reputable media companies like Capital FM, Radio One, Kampala FM and Power FM before. He also had his diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication.
Kimuli is a presenter with 104.1 Power fm where he runs a late night show called Divine, a daily show that handles different life challenges, topical issues, requests and dedications. He also loans his talent out as the Master of Ceremony at weddings, marital introduction ceremonies, concerts, dinners and other events.
Kimuli says: "A friend who believed in me lured me into joining some new station. Joy was supposed to do the show with some other guys, but she believed I was the right person."
There were challenges in their early days, Shawn remembers. "We are two different people who were not friends at first. She was talkative in the early days, and I think it was because she was nervous and still trying to find balance. I don't think she wanted to upstage me, as some media critics stated."
Kimuli, also a gospel music recording artiste with one album to his name and a second on the way, says balance comes with energy and prayer. But do not dare question his allegiance to NBS.
"NBS is home. You know, it is not easy to leave your home and go somewhere else."
Shawn picks his role models carefully. "Locally, I admire Nancy Kacungira of Power Fm. And myself. Internationally? I have thousands of them: Larry King, Christiana Amanpour, Steven Sackur, and oh, I love Ellen DeGeneres."
He continues: "It's easy to be disappointed by our role models, but I always ask myself how people like Mandela were able to achieve their dreams without giving up. I admire presidents Gadaffi, Mugabe and Museveni for their guts, being able to stay up there amidst all the challenges. But I'm inspired by my relationship with God."
Shawn was born in 1978 to a single mother in a family of seven. In addition to his job, his passions are writing music bowling, rugby, basketball and movies.
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