‘We stopped at right time’: Boy Abunda looks back on ‘The Buzz’

After his exclusive one-on-one interview with Gerald Anderson went viral, Boy Abunda addressed public clamor for The Buzz to return on air, during a media conference for The Best Talk season 2 on Tuesday, March 16

“I wish we could do something like The Buzz again, but admittedly, we stopped at the right time,” said the veteran talk show host.

“We were pushed through obsolescence by social media, I will admit that with humility. Gone were the days when you were looking for an exposé, you go to The Buzz, when you were looking for a scoop, you go to The Buzz, when you were looking for an exclusive interview, you go to The Buzz, the landscape has changed,” he added.

Abunda said that should The Buzz come back, it should adapt to new ways of storytelling. He said: “Instead of doing exclusives, I think there should be more commentaries, there should be more analysis, there should be more confirmatory news. Mababago ‘yung texture, ‘yung panlasa… and that’s the only way to survive, we’ll have to embrace [it]…. Everybody has become a reporter, everybody has become a broadcaster, everybody has become what we do. So what do we do in situations like this? Level up.” 

When asked if there will be interviews similar to the Gerald one in the second season of the kumu show The Best Talk, Abunda says: “Hindi naman maiiwasan, if the opportunity presents for us to do an interview with, let’s say Bea or Julia… it’s not just about doing controversial interviews, it’s about being part of a conversation… after all, it’s the best talk.” 

While his online shows are well-received, Boy also talked about the possibility of going back to free TV: “I am very careful about exposure [given the pandemic]… but we are brainstorming, we’ve had meetings.” The host shared that they’re looking at different possibilities for various platforms: “I am embracing the digital platform but I am comfortable with television, I love television. It was where I was trained.” 

Abunda also said that the phrase “there’s no next King of Talk” isn’t a good thing because for him, he “shares, teaches, and mentors” because he wants the talk industry to have a sense of continuity. “I can’t do what I do forever… I don’t think I’ll ever retire. I will be laos at one point in my life, but I don’t think I’ll be useless,” he said. – Rappler.com

The 2nd season of The Best Talk streams on the FYE channel on kumu every Saturday at 9 pm beginning March 20, with a simulcast on the Cinema One Facebook page and YouTube channel.