The Honest Truth with Benito Vergotine
This September, Smile 90.4FM is bringing you a brand new late night talk show called ‘The Honest Truth’.
Well respected radio personality Benito Vergotine will be kicking off his brand new show and anchoring this matter-of-fact, two-hour long program running between 8pm and 10pm, Monday to Thursday evenings, starting 4 September 2017. Benito will be ably supported by top flight radio producer Christine Wessels.
Radio’s potential to mould perception remains one of its most provocative aspects. As a radio brand committed to being a positive factor in the lives of our listeners, the Smile 90.4FM product is built on values of positivity, compassion and authenticity. This includes amplifying the good news in the Mother City.
“I encourage our content team to resist succumbing to the conventional negative news cycle. The psychological impact of regular exposure to negative news is well documented with results ranging from compassion fatigue, to community malaise, which in turn have depressing effects on social well-being and economic progress. Our goal is to create a space on radio where the listener can find respite from excessively negative information” said Smile 90.4FM’s Program Director, Clive Ridgway.
Acknowledging that volatile and challenging topics cannot be avoided, we have created ‘The Honest Truth’ as a counter balance to our wholly positive workday programming. We believe that we will be serving our listeners best by dealing with uncomfortable and controversial issues at night when we have enough time to properly contextualise and engage in thorough discussion.
The first episode of The Honest Truth will be an investigation of media’s responsibility in conveying the honest truth.
Guests will discuss the fine line between brutal honesty and sensationalism. Benito be will investigating the role gratuitous reporting plays in normalising anti-social behaviour whilst also exploring ways to stay positive in an environment saturated by negative news.
Show Anchor, Benito Vergotine: “On Monday the 4th of September I will be turning on the microphone for the first time as a talk show anchor. This is a challenge that is both daunting and exciting. I have always romanticised about being a talk show host and have often marvelled at the artistry great talk show anchors have to draw the listener into the conversation. I hope to follow in that tradition whilst looking into the many facets of the complex world we live and engage in.”
In the past 4 years since joining the Smile 90.4FM team, I’ve had the wonderful opportunity of meeting many of our listeners. I’m looking forward to the in-depth conversations about our fears and hopes for our country and community we can have after 8pm, when the dishes are done and the kids have been put into bed. The words of author Ben Tauplin spring to mind. He said, “Night air, good conversation, and a sky full of stars can heal almost any wound.”- said Show Producer, Christine Wessels.
Be sure to tune in between 8pm and 10pm Monday to Thursday evenings for ‘The Honest Truth’.