1.During this economic turmoil, most companies tend to resort to cost-cutting such as staff layoffs, etc. What do you think of recent remarks that CEOs and top executives should also take a pay cut? - Al Aina Salle, JB

As leaders we should set an example especially during this challenging period. At times, sacrifices need to be made to ensure the survival of an organisation.

These sacrifices should be made across the organisation irrespective of rank and position. To obtain the “buy-in” of colleagues and employees, the senior management and CEOs should “walk the talk”. It will be counter- productive and ineffective if such initiatives merely apply to selected divisions and groups of employees. However, cost-cutting should not be done indiscriminately as some cost items are revenue drivers and/or are critical to operations.

Reducing manpower should be the last resort. It should be a result of scaling down operations rather than mere cost-cutting. Recruitment and training can be very expensive when the economy turns around.

2.Prior to this, you were the boss of another TV station – ntv7 – which is relatively more hip and lively. Have you tried to liven things up at TV3 or is that hard to do?Zai, PJ -

The culture and traits of TV3 and ntv7, though different, have certain similarities. Both are creative, lively, resourceful and passionate. The differences represent their respecting branding and positioning. The brand essence dictates the “look and feel”, theme and other facets of positioning.

TV3, being the number one station for the last 25 years, has a dynamic and a passionate workforce. You can see this in the quality of TV3’s final product, namely the activities and programmes which we have created. We have a professional workforce who are so committed that it is hard sometimes to get them to actually take a good long break. At times, it is inspiring for me to be among them.

3.There are too many Malay shows on TV3 during prime time. Will you consider airing top TV series like American Idol, Desperate Housewives and Lost? Repeats of these shows are fine as we in east Malaysia (except Astro subscribers) are deprived of enjoying 8TV. - Robert, Kota Kinabalu

TV3 is part of a bouquet of channel offerings under Media Prima Bhd, and each of these channels adopts different positioning and serves a varied target audience. In this context, TV3 serves the mass market audience while 8TV serves young urban dwellers. Hence, the offerings showcased by these channels cater to their respective target audiences.

The idea of repeats is something which we will seriously consider. Perhaps not during the prime time; maybe during late evenings. These series will provide variety.

On an interesting note, 8TV will be expanding its coverage to east Malaysia, namely Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, soon. Economic conditions permitting, you may be able to view 8TV on terrestrial broadcast by early next year.

4. Who is your favourite designer? - Jenny Liew, Kuala Lumpur

I don’t have any particular favourite designer. As long as the designs are nice, of good quality and reasonably priced, I’m happy. However, I do like local designers, in particular Faisol Abdullah, the designer for Jendela Batik. His designs are nice and affordable. It is encouraging to see during Malaysian International Fashion Awards 2008, the emergence of young local designers making inroads into the local and international scenes.

5.What is it like to dictate what 25 million people should or should not watch? - Chelsea Oh, Petaling Jaya

The role of media and TV3 is to inform, educate and entertain.

Currently there are six free terrestrial TV channels and almost 100 channels available for the Malaysian public via pay-TV and IPTV platforms. As such, viewers now have choices. With numerous options, viewers will “channel surf” or switch to other channels if they don’t like what they see.

Our decision on programming (including content and activity), among others, is based on the following:

(a) Feedback from viewers which we obtain via focus group, surveys, direct interaction (online, phone-ins) and via on-ground activation;

(b) Current trend and popular requests;

(c) Success of a programme as determined by viewership share and ratings;

(d) Success of a programme, in other markets worldwide; and

(e) Relevance of a programme to society and current issues.

We need to ensure our content is relevant and we need to “connect” with our viewers. Gone are the days when a TV station can “dictate” what viewers should or should not watch.

6.In a week, how many hours on average do you spend watching TV, TV3 specifically, Astro and DVDs? How many hours of reading do you do in a week? - Mohd Zainah Ali, Petaling Jaya

I do not keep track of how many hours I spend watching TV and DVDs. But I do spend a lot of time watching TV, at the office and at home; it is part of my job. It is a regular feature in my daily routine, while having dinner, lunch or whenever possible, I will take a “peek” at the TV set at times, even during meetings, which is a bit rude. Media is dynamic. I need to know the latest trends and news, and monitor what my competitors are doing.

Similarly, in the media, you have to invest in reading and research through all key platforms. I even “google” and “YouTube” to have a feel of consumers’ trends for content, be it entertainment or information. It helps me understand our viewers, the choices they make and the things they are exposed to.

7.Having travelled widely, been in finance, now broadcasting and raising a family, what would you consider your biggest challenge? - Patrick Daniel, Petaling Jaya

My biggest challenge now has to be balancing work commitments and spending time with my family.

The media industry is very demanding. It is dynamic and things change rapidly. We have consumers and clients who are discerning and spoilt for choice. We have competitors who have made TV3 a benchmark and are on our back 24/7. We have a huge base of stakeholders – 25 million viewers, competitors, customers and regulators. It gets difficult to satisfy everyone’s needs.

To make it more challenging, I have two young boys who crave for their father’s attention and whose company I absolutely enjoy.

8.Are more people staying home to watch TV these days to cut back spending? - Charles M, Petaling Jaya

It is difficult for us to gauge this directly. However, based on AGB Nielsen reports, there seems to be an increase in total viewership in the second half of 2008 compared to earlier periods. Reports did mention that retailers and outlets are reporting slow patronage and spending since early this year compared to before. But there’s no evidence of a direct correlation between TV viewership and the economic crisis, though common sense dictates that people consume less and spend more time at home during this economic crunch.

There is a looming pessimism on the current scenario and economic crisis. We need to rebuild confidence.

9.How familiar are you with your viewers’ likes/dislikes? - Patrick Arumugam, Kuala Lumpur

It’s a continuous process. We try to understand and familiarise ourselves with our target market. As with other consumers, our viewers are dynamic. They are affected by trend, fashion and demographics.

Who is going to be the next big star? What is the next big song? What is in? What is not? Sometimes, we play a pivotal role in setting the trends. At times, we complement and magnify what our viewers want.

To do this, we stay “close” to our viewers, to understand what excites them, and what affects their lives. We read about them, learn about them and listen to them. We are always reminded by our colleagues that “we live, eat and breathe our viewers”.

TV3 is connected to the viewers through our ground activities such as Karnival Jom Heboh, School Attack, Junior Sports Carnival and Reading Room. We communicate and interact with them “face to face”. Through these activities we feel the pulse of the viewers and get instant feedback. We just recently launched Kembara TV3 in which we visited small and secluded kampung and towns across the country.

10. If you were given three wishes, what would they be? - YT Wong, Petaling Jaya

I have 3 simple wishes:

· That TV3 remains the top TV station in Malaysia and the leading reference point as a source of news, education, entertainment and information across all media platforms. TV3 can be viewed worldwide via www.tv3.com.my and we have viewers as far as Philadelphia, the US and even Auckland, New Zealand.

That this challenging period and economic crisis will be short-lived with a swift recovery. And that we take this opportunity to “stock-take” and review areas that need reforms or improvement.

That I am able to spend more quality time with my family and loved ones. I am doing it now, but I wish to do more. Confucius said: To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order, to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order, to put the family in order we must cultivate our personal life.