RADIO PROGRAM CRITIQUE

 BBC
This is  the second of the four debates, that started last week. The major issue was improving global health.She(Claudia) asked a rhetoric question to the health experts. "What would you fight for, which would make the most difference to the health of the world's poorest people."

This week she focuses on the issue of clean water supply and some decent toilets versus a mother who has several years of education at school. Her guests were Yael Velleman from water aid and who is championing for clean water supply and decent toilets and Professor Anthony Costello from the institute of child health (London) who sees education as being important than any other thing.

Valleman argues that education is not beneficial if there is no clean steady supply water as well as decent toilets because taking dirty water one becomes sick and hence misses class for a number of days. Costello on the other hand argues that one needs a proper education so as to think of how they can get that steady supply of water and decent toilets.

The issue brought me closer home and I thought of the people living in the slums, if given a choice between having a school constructed or having decent toilets and a readily available supply of clean water they would choose the latter.

The show at hope FM doesn't  have sound effects just straight to the discussion with an inetrlude of
4TH OCTOBER
This is the third of the four debates. It also deals on improving global health just as it was last week. Claudia  still poses the same question she did last week that what could be the only ting that the health experts would fight for to make the most difference to the health of the world's poorest people.

Her guests were Julian from Global Alliance for vaccines and immunization and professor Campbell from the London school of hygiene and tropical medicine. The issue being discussed was vaccination and Professor Campbell argues that more children should be vaccinated against improving  the health of the mothers whereas Julian was championing for the opposite.

She also touched on Psychologist Maslow who came up with who came up with the famous pyramid commonly known today as  the Maslow hierarchy of needs. Claudia here talks to Doug Kenrick, Professor of Arizona state university in the United States of America about how he has re-drawn the pyramid.Maslow hierarchy. Maslow's pyramid had five steps;from the least to the most -basic needs, security, relationships, self esteem and self actualization.

Kenrick says that it was based on some great ideas but "missed out on some very basic facts about human nature facts which weren't well understood in Maslow's time." His renovated hierarchy of needs has seven steps and from the least to the most they include: immediate psychological needs, self protection, affiliation, status/esteem, mate requisition, mate retention and parenting.

11TH OCTOBER
In today's show which is the last in the series, Claudia concentrates on Parkinson disease. Her guest Dr. Haydeh tells how she has identified genes that can reduce risks of the disease when stimulated by caffeine, but it is not everyone who will respond positively to it.

She also focused on a story in Hong Kong where young people are using a drug known as Ketamine. Ketamine, she explains is a horse tranquilizer and a popular recreational drug among the young people in Hong Kong. Dr. Albert Low from Hong Kong explains that the drug has replaced heroine and the major side effect is the shrinking of the bladder

HOPE FM
The healthy living is a show in Hope FM that deals with how we can adopt a healthy living lifestyle. This show comes on a Friday between 7am and 7:30 am. The expert here is Kate Kiboro. She is a nutritionist whereas James Okumu is  the host of  the entire show activate.

10TH SEPTEMBER
On this day the discussion was on "how to increase metabolism."She had 10 steps but she gave five for this week which would then be completed on the following week. The steps she gave were drinking plenty of water, not skipping meals, exercising , detoxification, a healthy diet as well as reduced stress.She also gave practical measures on what people should do  to increase their metabolism which  translates to a well maintained body weight.

17TH SEPTEMBER
Today's show is a follow up of last week, where Kate continues giving ways on how to improve one's metabolism. She continues by saying that, one needs to eat small frequent meals, drink cold water, incorporate high fibre in your diet and last but not least sleep well as lack of sleep interferes with metabolism.

24TH SEPTEMBER
In today's show she is talking about a conference that was scheduled to take place the following day 25th September 2010. She therefore touched on the issue the at would be discussed in the conference, which included such topics as diet, food, metabolism and lifestyle.The conference was to be an individualized affair, where everyone would be taken care of as per  their body type, age and sex.

1ST OCTOBER 2010
On this day, the show was not on scheduled since there were special guests who had come for a concert that was scheduled for the following day.

Having listened to these two shows, till this point , the theme of these two programs is on health. The hope FM show focuses on nutrition whereas in BBC it focuses on various issues on relating to our health.

The show at hope FM doesn't have sound effects just straight to the discussion with an interlude of music, whereas in BBC  its only the programs signature. Claudia voice is conversational putting a pause where need be and stressing on the ones that  needs to be stressed. Kate on the other hand speaks with a voice like that of a teacher and at times she gets too close to the microphone, that you can hear her breathing or even swallowing. Her voice is neither conversational nor a monotone but you'd still want to stay and listen to what she has to say till the end.

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