Sitting in on a More 2 Life story meeting helps you review all the important touchstones of your life -- improving your education, planning your career, becoming a better parent, making better health care choices....
The afternoon show's eight-member editorial team is having its weekly meeting in TVO's fourth floor programming boardroom to plot the month ahead with guests and topics. Producer Sandra Gionas comes armed with books and other promotional items sent by hopeful guests, authors, and celebrities. Sally Ritchie, More 2 Life's veteran series producer, chairs the scheduling session with humour and flexibility -- asking questions to clarify a potential topic and its interest to the show's loyal viewers.
The great thing about More 2 Life is I'm learning
everyday -- it's like I'm back at school (but without the grades)! And the subjects we cover are far ranging, everything from "Why are some people healthy and others not?" to "Should I spank my child?" to "Is there life on Mars?"
-Mary Ito, host of More 2 Life
The production team includes Mary, substitute host Karen Horsman, producers Portia Corman, Zeelaf Majeed, Sandra Gionas, and Sarah Michaelis, director Vivien Kingsland, and production co-ordinator Janice Marasigan-Cassidy. Most are veterans of other TVO shows, like Studio 2. The dynamic team emphasizes Ontario stories, promotes the province's rich diversity, and explores the educational value for Ontarians of all the topics they cover. The focus on learning means More 2 Life successfully injects intelligence and substance into the afternoon dead zone otherwise full of soap operas, empty talk shows, and reruns. The program continually challenges its afternoon viewers to think and learn something new.
The spirited meeting is fun and fast-paced, with the group pitching and hotly debating ideas ranging from the practical (what trustees and school boards are responsible for) to the more academic (the nature of good and evil) and assessing the merits, availability, and on-air presence of various potential guests and experts. As topics are approved, More 2 Life's upcoming schedule shapes up to cover a lot of ground with a balance that's both edifying and engaging.
To create a culture of support and encouragement for women of all ages, a regular feature called The X-Factor presents great female role models. It features inspirational Ontario women, such as activist, lawyer, and author Maureen McTeer and executive director of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation Karen Mock.
Other regular features include At the Blackboard, which presents interviews with provincial educators who describe curriculum, teaching techniques and other pedagogical topics, and Places of Ontario explores the province's rich history and culture. The show's educational focus is also evident in its annual week-long special coverage of provincial Education Week.
Over the years the show has evolved into its current format, with focused theme days and more serious and educationally oriented discussion reflecting the network's growing educational mandate. "More 2 Life's goal is to give Ontarians information they can use to make better decisions in their lives," explains series producer Sally Ritchie. The set has changed to accommodate three guests to inject more balance and sometimes conflict. More emphasis is also now placed on including representatives from Ontario's ethnic communities among the experts on panels. These are often people at the top of their field, but more importantly, people who can make their area accessible to the average viewer.
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The Agenda with Steve Paikin
At the Blackboard