Lai See | Will Money for Nothing survive Bryan Curtis' retirement?
Those who start the day listening to RTHK’s Money for Nothing may be disconcerted to know the show’s affable host – Bryan Curtis – has just over a month to go before he leaves the show, and his employer RTHK. This is because on September 18, he turns 60, and is bound by civil service retirement rules.
This is a pity as the show, which has been running since September 2011, has grown into a very good early morning finance and business programme which would not be out of place on better resourced radio stations. The show is from 8am to 8.30am but runs an extra 30 minutes during the summer when other programmes take a break.
Curtis has been the head of Radio 3 since 2002 and led the station’s English programming services since 2005. He says he was conscious that Radio 3 was “light” on finance and business.
The show was prompted by the global financial crisis, “when people were looking to find out more about how the global financial system worked”. It typically looks at markets, global trends in business and finance and economic policy. But there is always something for the investor with Curtis always asking, “So what are your best picks, what should we be looking at?” He had analysts, investment gurus, economists, entrepreneurs, businessmen as guests on the show.
The success of the show owes a lot to Curtis’ persona and as he puts it, “my don’t-take-yourself-too-seriously brand of radio”. It is live, mainly unscripted, radio, which is great if you can get it right but falls flat if the hosts can’t carry it off.
It has to be said talent is thin on the ground at RTHK, so Curtis’ impending departure inevitably raises questions about the future of the show. Curtis declined to comment on what may or may not happen at RTHK after he leaves.
The favourite to take over from Curtis as head of English-language programming is Hugh Chiverton, the head of Radio 3. He also co-hosts the morning current affairs programme that follows Money for Nothing – the long running Backchat. But we don’t think Money for Nothing is quite his style. So the chances are it will die.