(By Buzz Knight) Have you seen the new CNN show with Charles Barkley and Gayle King? Yikes. I watched the debut, and although I’m frequently not a fan of judging first shows, it was jaw-dropping in its awkward, mundane execution, which just didn’t make sense. Why?
Because Charles Barkley is one of the most naturally funny people on the planet.
I remember listening to him on the radio on the Fanatic in Philadelphia when I worked in corporate programming for the owners. Mike Missanelli used to have him on his afternoon show. It was an hour of remarkable no-holds-barred radio with King Charles speaking his mind in his own unique style. It was genuine, funny, and you couldn’t turn the channel because you never knew what would come out of his mouth.
But on CNN, Charles seemed frozen and stiff as a board. It looked like hostage footage. I watched in horror, thinking, “What did they do with our Charles?” Did they actually take this show for a dry run to get the cobwebs out?
If you’re from CNN and you’re reading this, give me three minutes with Charles so we can get him on track.
We can’t force talent to be something or someone they are not. This is crucial, whether the talent is funny, thought-provoking, or engaging. I have to believe knowing the competitive and confident backbone that Charles has, he looked at the tape and knew where he went wrong.
Sometimes the talent tries too hard, or forgets what got them this far, or loses sight of who the audience is. Often, the manager responsible for guiding the talent has miscommunicated the mission and confused the talent at the outset. Has the manager/coach set a clear vision for the talent?
Coaches must develop a strong sense of trust and understanding from their talent.
Self-awareness is not always our strongest suit as individuals but when those who manage talent look at the natural outcome they have to ask if this content passes the sniff test for letting talent be talent and not unnatural and forced. Don’t put great talent in a structured box.
Charles Barkley has very little he needs to prove, but I’m hoping he will find, or be allowed, his “voice” for this new program before somebody pulls the plug.
