A national Christian TV host says he’s taken his job online to stay on the air during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Greg Musselman reached out to the Gazette this week to talk about how his job as co-host of 100 Huntley Street – Canada’s longest-running daily talk show – had changed since the start of Canada’s coronavirus pandemic.
The long-time St. Albert resident is a TV broadcaster and author who travels the world interviewing persecuted Christian minorities for the non-profit group The Voice of the Martyrs Canada. Three years ago, after numerous appearances on the show, he was asked to be a co-host with 100 Huntley Street.
Musselman said he usually jets to the show’s studio in Burlington, Ont., twice a month to film segments for the show. That stopped in early March when the Ontario government closed the studio as part of efforts to stop the pandemic.
“We were scrambling at the time to figure out how we could do new shows,” he said, and they initially had to air reruns.
Since mid-March, he and his co-hosts have been filming their interview segments at home or (in his case) at his St. Albert office via Zoom and other platforms, and now do three live-to-tape shows a week.
That’s meant doing your own makeup, lighting, filming and camera switching, as well as learning to talk without a teleprompter, said co-host Cheryl Weber, who lives in Ontario.
“I honestly like the challenge,” said the veteran journalist.
“You do everything yourself now.”
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Musselman said he had a bit of an edge adapting to this world of remote broadcasting, as he often had to edit his own videos in remote or hostile areas with Voice of the Martyrs.
“This is the longest period of time I haven’t been on an airplane in 20 years,” he noted.
Musselman said his work was in some ways easier now, as he could now bike home from his office studio instead of flying cross-country. It’s also opened up new possibilities, such as having a hundred pastors on the show praying at once. He has had to work the wee hours of the morning for some international interviews, though, and he’s had to do without his fancier interview clothes (they’re all still in Ontario).
Weber said this new, less formal format for the show has given viewers a chance to see what the hosts are like at home.
“They like to read the books on the bookshelves,” she said.
Musselman said he’s spoken with advocates abroad in recent weeks about how minority Christians are being denied food and care in some nations during the pandemic. Closer to home, he’s heard from police officers seeing more domestic violence, business owners stressed about finances, and parents switching to part-time jobs so they have more time to care for their kids.
“There’s just a ton of fear out there,” he said.
Musselman, a trained pastor, said he’s been praying with callers from around the world on the show’s prayer hotline about pandemic-related issues, having seen many times how faith in God can give people the hope needed to survive horrible situations.
Weber said the one message she’s heard from people on the show as of late is to focus on what’s important in your life.
“One thing I’ve learned is to intentionally focus on things that will lead me down a positive path,” she said, such as being grateful and thankful.
Musselman said he expects to hear in a few weeks more on when the show’s studio would reopen. When it does, he plans to do most of his future interviews from St. Albert to cut down on travel time.
Musselman said he enjoys doing a show that has meaning to people, and has no plans to retire anytime soon despite being a hair over 60.
“As long as I’ve got my health, I’ll keep rolling on.”
Musselman’s work can be seen at 100huntley.com.
