Entertainment / TV Guide
ZBC to miss 2015 digitalisation deadline
17 Feb 2014 at 13:53hrs | Views
STRUGGLING broadcaster, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), will not be able to meet the international digitalisation deadline of 2015 if government does not avail funds, Parliament heard last week.
Speaking during a tour of the entity's Highlands offices by members of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Media, acting ZBC chief executive officer Allan Chiweshe appealed to government to resume giving the national broadcaster annual grants so that it could finance its huge salary bill, buy new equipment and sponsor recurrent costs.
"I think ZBC has a future if it is given an annual grant from government, if advertising continues, if the economy improves and if the programmes are improved," Chiweshe told a parliamentary portfolio committee on media that toured the broadcasting entity on Thursday.
Chiweshe said ZBC last had government support in 1999 and since then, the situation had continued to deteriorate, with the broadcaster facing serious viability challenges to the extent of failing to pay workers and re-equipping the studios.
However, committee chairperson, Umzingwane MP William Dewa, asked the ZBC management if the decline in fortunes were not caused by scandalous salaries that they were giving themselves.
ZBC came under a barrage of criticism for awarding hefty salaries to management, while workers went for over six months without salaries.
Suspended ZBC CEO Happison Muchechetere took home close to $40 000 monthly.
Chiweshe admitted the hefty salaries by management could have been weighing heavily on ZBC, but said a bloated workforce was also another factor.
He said there was need to restructure and trim the workforce to levels where the wage bill was reduced to 30 % of the monthly revenue.
"We need government support if we are to meet the international digitalisation deadline of 2015. We have already missed the Sadc deadline of 2013. If we miss the 2015 deadline, we will be switched off. There will be no ZBC," he said.
The entity's general manager for news and current events Tazzen Mandizvidza said the situation at the national broadcaster was precarious to the extent that the whole institution was relying on two cameras, when it needed over 10 cameras for comprehensive news coverage.
"Reporters have to rotate cameras and the focus will no longer be on quality of coverage, but simply to have something on air on that day. The camera used in Mashonaland West cannot function for more than 10 minutes due to battery and other problems," Mandizvidza said.
This prompted Mabvuku-Tafara MP James Maridadi to accuse management of misplaced priorities by paying Muchechetere's domestic workers $2 500 monthly, an amount that could purchase a camera.
"You said the price of one camera is $2 000. The money you were paying Muchechetere's maid was more than enough to buy one camera. You could be having many cameras by now. It is an issue of misguided priorities," he said.
Speaking during a tour of the entity's Highlands offices by members of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Media, acting ZBC chief executive officer Allan Chiweshe appealed to government to resume giving the national broadcaster annual grants so that it could finance its huge salary bill, buy new equipment and sponsor recurrent costs.
"I think ZBC has a future if it is given an annual grant from government, if advertising continues, if the economy improves and if the programmes are improved," Chiweshe told a parliamentary portfolio committee on media that toured the broadcasting entity on Thursday.
Chiweshe said ZBC last had government support in 1999 and since then, the situation had continued to deteriorate, with the broadcaster facing serious viability challenges to the extent of failing to pay workers and re-equipping the studios.
However, committee chairperson, Umzingwane MP William Dewa, asked the ZBC management if the decline in fortunes were not caused by scandalous salaries that they were giving themselves.
ZBC came under a barrage of criticism for awarding hefty salaries to management, while workers went for over six months without salaries.
Suspended ZBC CEO Happison Muchechetere took home close to $40 000 monthly.
Chiweshe admitted the hefty salaries by management could have been weighing heavily on ZBC, but said a bloated workforce was also another factor.
He said there was need to restructure and trim the workforce to levels where the wage bill was reduced to 30 % of the monthly revenue.
"We need government support if we are to meet the international digitalisation deadline of 2015. We have already missed the Sadc deadline of 2013. If we miss the 2015 deadline, we will be switched off. There will be no ZBC," he said.
The entity's general manager for news and current events Tazzen Mandizvidza said the situation at the national broadcaster was precarious to the extent that the whole institution was relying on two cameras, when it needed over 10 cameras for comprehensive news coverage.
"Reporters have to rotate cameras and the focus will no longer be on quality of coverage, but simply to have something on air on that day. The camera used in Mashonaland West cannot function for more than 10 minutes due to battery and other problems," Mandizvidza said.
This prompted Mabvuku-Tafara MP James Maridadi to accuse management of misplaced priorities by paying Muchechetere's domestic workers $2 500 monthly, an amount that could purchase a camera.
"You said the price of one camera is $2 000. The money you were paying Muchechetere's maid was more than enough to buy one camera. You could be having many cameras by now. It is an issue of misguided priorities," he said.
Source - newsday
