Business and finance talk shows on primetime television are often associated with entrepreneurs and captains of industry, and the same goes for TV3's long-running programme Money Matters.
However, the "ringgit and sen" talk show is slowly becoming a hit with young viewers, who often prefer entertainment talk shows.
TWO-DECADE HIATUS
Five 20-something media and communications students of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in Bangi are big fans of Money Matters.
Ahmad Idham Ahmad Hamzah, 20, Intan Sabrina Hanapi, 20, Preti Gill, 21, Fazrinah Sadiq, 23, and Kuroshini Saravanan, 21, are second-year media and communications students of UKM who will be graduating in two years' time. They only began to follow Money Matters last year when the talk show made a comeback to TV3 after a hiatus of two decades, but became instant fans.
The students recently got in touch with Money Matters' host Zahir Kelvin Ong Abdullah, and he invited them for a tour of Seri Pentas in Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, the "home" of Money Matters.
LAYMAN-FRIENDLY
Fazrinah, from George Town, Penang said: "I stumbled upon Money Matters last year, and my father who is a businessman encouraged me to watch it as it is educational, informative and layman-friendly."
She added that since watching the half-hour talk show, she gained a lot of useful knowledge on economics, business and finance.
"My favourite hosts of Money Matters are Kelvin, who oozes charisma and good looks, and the girl-next-door with lots of knowledge, Azaria Tagaya Norio Tagaya.
"Every time I watch the show, I look forward to listening and learning from them!"
Fazrinah, who was an intern at Bernama TV from 2019 to 2020, aspires to be a television host and would love to do voiceover work for educational programmes.
CRISP AND CLEAR
Kuroshini, from Johor Baru, said: "At first I was not a fan of business programmes, at first. But one fine day, I discovered Money Matters which introduced me to the world of business and finance in crisp, clear and interesting language presented by stunning, stylish and down-to-earth hosts."
She described Money Matters as an "engaging" programme which advocated two-way conversations between the hosts and their guests on one side and the viewers on the other.
"This programme is a godsend to all viewers who are not familiar with business and finance. It plays a crucial role in getting laymen interested in business matters, and I am one of hundreds of them!"
TAPPING SOCIAL MEDIA
Preti, from Kuala Terengganu said: "We, young Malaysians, do not read much these days and we often tap the social media and television for information and entertainment or both.
"I've always loved watching news programmes and documentaries on a whole range of topics under the sun, but business was not one of them until Money Matters came along."
Preti added that she could easily listen to Ong and his co-hosts delivering important information on the small screen, while going about regular household chores like cooking, cleaning and packing.
"Money Matters makes a perfect accompaniment whenever I am busy at home. Its team of co-hosts, especially Kelvin, speak directly to viewers and listeners, and inspire me to step into their shoes once I graduate."
HESITANT TO WATCH
Intan, from Johor Baru said: "Fazrinah introduced me to Money Matters and I will always be grateful to her for that. Prior to this I have heard about the programme before, but I was hesitant to watch it as business and finance are not my strong points."
She added: "After a bit of coaxing from Fazrinah, Preti and Kuroshini, I decided to take a leap of faith and I am so glad that I did.
"Not only is Money Matters a business and finance talk show, but it also links these heavy topics to one's personal lifestyle and family matters. It's indeed a people-friendly show."
QUICKLY CONVERTED
Ahmad Idham, from Taiping said: "I admit that I'm not a business and finance fan, and most of what I watch on TV is showbiz-related as well as travel and food-related.
"However, when Intan suggested that I watch Money Matters, I was quickly converted. I look forward to watching every week's episode, and I must say, I can easily relate to Kelvin and Azaria."
Ahmad Idham's favourite episode of Money Matters was one which talked about the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on the lives of all Malaysians, especially young, working professionals.
"While I don't think that I would want to host a business-related programme in future, Money Matters is definitely one programme whose hosts I can learn a lot from."
'YES' TO REQUEST
Ong said that the five students had not seen the original Money Matters, which ran for a decade beginning in the early 1990s.
"I was pleasantly surprised when Fazrinah contacted me not too long ago, expressing her love for Money Matters and how much it had enlightened them on the basics of business, finance and entrepreneurship," he said.
GOOD TO HAVE INTERNS
Money Matters executive producer Josephine Dass said that she and Ong felt that it would be great to have media students "intern" on the programme in the future.
"I'm so happy that Money Matters is getting great feedback from young viewers. Ong and I believe that for the show to keep growing, we have to network with young media students with a passion for hosting as well as keen and strong knowledge on money matters," she said.
"Ahmad Idham, Intan, Preti, Fazrinah and Kuroshini are themselves very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and if any of them or their fellow media students wants to "intern" on Money Matters in the future, we will give them our fullest support."
SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS
Described as TV3's No. 1 business flagship programme, Money Matters is co-hosted by Anita Woo, Azaria, Ong and Muhammed Ahmad Hamdan.
It comes on every Saturday at 5pm and ventures into the world of economic and business trends together with specially invited subject matter experts.
Azaria was recently nominated for Best TV Presenter at Anugerah Seri Angkasa 2022.