It was talent and persistence, but most of all odd coincidences and fortunate encounters that made Cherno Jobatey one of the top presenters on German television. Since its beginnings in 1992 he has been presenting the morning news magazine "ZDF-Morgenmagazin". In the early 1990s he presented the ARD quiz show "Kopfball", as well as regional news for Berlin-Brandenburg, and, for a period of five years, the ARD show "Verstehen Sie Spaß". He was even given his own show: "Cherno – The Talk Show" by Radio Berlin-Brandenburg. When it was discontinued in 2003, he commented: "That was the funniest part-time job I ever had."

The son of a ship's cook from Gambia and piano teacher from Berlin was born in Berlin in 1965, where he also spent his childhood. He read politics and music at the FU Berlin: "I knew from early on that I wanted to become a journalist. As a pupil I had already played in bands. Hence my first royalties as a freelance journalist came from concert reviews."

In his forth semester he received a DAAD scholarship to spend one year in Los Angeles. "This time was crucial. Maybe not in the sense of an immediate career start, but it was back in California that I came up with a vision of what I wanted to do and how I could achieve my goals." It was love at first sight with the country and its people. "I miss the sea, the landscape, the Californian lifestyle so much that I fly there least once a year. If my glowing Berlin patriotism should ever expire, I would settle down somewhere between Santa Barbara and San Diego."

It is by chance that RIAS, a Berlin radio station, got wind of a talk he had held on Jesse Jackson during his study visit. They had heard that he was an expert on American home affairs, he was told. Cherno Jobatey grasped the opportunity and, from then on, worked for radio. When, on a later occasion, Michael Jackson played in Berlin, one of Jobatey's US guitar teachers happened to be a member of Jackson's band. She arranged an interview for her student while other journalists, including an editor for DIE ZEIT, had to go away empty-handed. Cherno became acquainted with the ZEIT editor and soon wrote concert reviews for DIE ZEIT, as well as, later, for DER SPIEGEL.

At the time he was already working for a TV broadcaster, too – initially spending three days a week photocopying at SFB. But thanks to his persistence he was soon able to prepare features for the "Abendschau". His first moderation once again resulted from a coincidence: One day, when all the presenters of "Berlin – Heute Abend" were either busy or ill, he jokingly offered to do the job – and got it. Last year he made his debut as author with his fitness guide "Fit wie ein Turnschuh" ("Fit as a fiddle").