The YANGA! television channel aimed at the African diaspora has created quite a stir since its launch in March. Broadcasting daily on Sky Channel 453 and Freesat 171, the network has a dynamic mix of music, comedy, current affairs, women’s issues, drama and much else.
Its highest-rated show is the no-holds-barred female discussion programme Noni, which airs on the channel from Monday to Friday at 9.30am, full episodes of Noni are now also available for free online at www.yangatv.com/shows/noni. Noni is presented by an experienced British journalist of Nigerian heritage, Juliana Olayinka, who is also a brand ambassador for the network.
Married to Samuel, 32-year-old Juliana has three young daughters: Abigail, nine; Phoebe-Grace, four; and Camilla, who is six months old. Unsurprisingly, with five editions of Noni to film each week and a busy family life, Juliana finds that time is at a premium. We caught up with her to find out how she juggles her many tasks.
Juliana Olayinka
Juliana Olayinka
6am
If I'm filming, I set my alarm for 6am and, once it goes off, I'm listening to the latest Nigerian news on the television. When I get out of the shower, I put the coffee machine on. I don't eat because there's no time. My eldest daughter is awake at 6.45am and my middle child gets up at about 7am. I bathe the kids and give them breakfast, pick their clothes and make sure they’ve got their athletics kit and library books. There's a lot of clothes, shoes and jewellery to choose for me as well. My youngest child, Camilla, may be awake. It's very, very busy, which is pretty normal for a working mum with three kids. The nanny arrives around 7.15am and I leave the house at 7.30am to go to Chiswick Park Underground Station. I try to arrive for work at 9am. The crew time is 10am, so I like to go to the studio first - it gives me the opportunity to relax, go through the script and get my head around what we're going to be talking about.
10am
The Make-Up Artist arrives at 10 and I get a really nice touch up. The Producer and the Assistant Producer come in, and we make sure everything is OK with the script. A good Producer gives you decent questions, but I like to have some of my own questions prepared. At 10.30, the guests arrive and I greet them - most I know or know of. We have a chat - it’s really important for them to be at ease. I get changed and at 11 we do a mini-rehearsal before I go through the script again. At 11.30, we shoot as live. The response to the show has been amazing - Noni is the highest-rated show on YANGA! My mission is to have more black British female voices on TV - black women are the most underrepresented people on TV. On other channels, you might see the odd black face, but they’re not talking about black stories; nobody in the UK is capturing that voice. We have black women talking about black hair or the importance of the black pound. Another thing YANGA! has is the quality - Noni looks like the panel show Loose Women. We finish shooting at 12. After that we have a debrief, which is usually very quick. We move on to the next show and also have lunch - the runner brings in some sandwiches. I always ask him to bring in some chicken for me.
Panelists on Noni
Panelists on Noni
1pm
As well as presenting Noni, I am a brand ambassador for YANGA!, and Lindsey, the CEO of the parent company, Africa MediaWorks, is often meeting people and asking me to pop in. I also go through and check my emails. Especially now, a lot of people want to get on the show. There are also other emails that I have to answer. Sometimes there are some people Lindsey wants me to chase. Every day when I am in the office, I have at least 10 minutes alone with Lindsey to talk about key events and people to meet. We’re dealing with the Nigerian community, so there’s always some sort of event. It’s all about relationship building. I leave the office just before 5pm.
5pm
I really look forward to going home. On my way home, I pick up my daughter Abigail following her after-school club. We have a nice walk, and we talk about what she did at school. My middle child tells me about nursery and I am mum with Camilla. We try to relax. I watch Noni with my husband. He’s my biggest critic – I appreciate it. He says, ‘You should be talking about this’ or ‘talking about that.’ I also tune in to YANGA! and watch the drama Wives on Strike and the comedy show Number 6. Once the kids are in bed, I flick through some social media. If I’m shooting the next day, I have to be up at 6am, so I like to be upstairs between 10pm and 11pm. It’s such a long day!