<B>By Deepa BHOOKHUN</B>

I am overjoyed to be the bearer of good news. Well before

I get all excited let me qualify this ? my information is not confirmed and is entirely based on conjecture. I know that?s not very professional but I have been told anticipation is a good quality. So anyway, enough digression ? the news I am about to impart has the potential to change your life.

Or, at the very least, your evenings.

My instinct tells me that very soon, the much-watched and very popular MBC news bulletin might be extended from its usual 30 minutes (well 45 minutes really but it?s done so surreptitiously you?d be forgiven if you hadn?t noticed) to one whole hour! Oh joy!

Let me explain how I came to this conclusion. Those of you who watched Wednesday?s news bulletin probably know what I?m on about; the whole thing lasted nearly one hour! 55 minutes to be precise.

And you get no prize for guessing who starred so prominently on Wednesday?s news. But we?ll get to that in a minute.

The thing is, those poor overworked people at the MBC are going to have their work cut out for them. What with four new ministers? And each of them wanting to make headlines so that their boss (in case he?s watching) thinks they?re doing a great job?

We already got a taste of things to come on Wednesday.

New minister of Environment Lormus Bundhoo had to be seen, didn?t he, going on site visits because of torrential rains.

So thanks to the magnanimity of the MBC, a crew followed the new minister to his constituency and to other parts of the island. While I?m very happy that Mr Bundhoo takes his job seriously, I frankly do not see why those site visits had to make it to the news bulletin. After all, this is what the new minister will be getting paid to do now, huh? So what?s the big deal?

Anyway that?s what took precious minutes of airtime.

And then of course, we were treated to about ten minutes if not longer of footage of the launching ceremony of a new gold coin by the Bank of Mauritius that had tak en place the day before. It goes without saying that the Prime minister was the guest of honour and it goes without saying that the Bank was paying tribute to SSR.

I was present at the ceremony myself and I thoroughly enjoyed it but that?s beside the point. The point being ? did the ceremony have enough news value to warrant ten minutes of airtime during peak time television?

Don?t think so.

When will someone finally wake up to the fact that over-exposure has never done anybody any good; that as a result of bombarding us with images and praises of Navin Ramgoolam, his father and his ministers, people are just going to get fed up with them all?

Hello? Anybody at the MBC or the government ever heard of the saying ?familiarity breeds contempt??