Walk the talk ZBC

IS the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) failing to walk the talk? The national broadcaster has made a number of promises in its "image cleaning programme", but some of them seem to be proving hard to keep. For instance, ZBC was at loggerheads with some of its producers last week over unpaid arrears, raising genuine fears of an abrupt end to some of its popular programmes.

The sad development came barely a week after ZBC's acting chief executive Patrick Mavhura assured journalists at a press briefing held at Pockets Hill that he was successfully bringing normalcy at the national broadcaster. But content providers appear to think otherwise.

They argue that the national broadcaster is indicating left yet turning right. Producers of a local drama "Wenera", on Tuesday last week publicly threatened to withdraw their popular series from the station due to mounting arrears with ZBC. The announcement was made early in the morning.

"Please note that 'Wenera' won't be screening tonight on ZBC TV and almost certainly the weeks to follow until ZBC meets the arrears that it owes 'Wenera'. Every Monday and Tuesday nights are no longer the same without 'Wenera'," read part of the producers' statement posted on social media.

"…this move to temporarily not screen 'Wenera' hasn't come easy but it's been a push by the cast and crew to receive their money on time so that they live their lives and be able to buy food and shelter their families. We sincerely apologise for this inconvenience."

But information privy to The Sunday Mail Leisure indicate that it is not only producers of "Wenera" that have a bone to chew with ZBC. Producers of "Tiri parwendo", which was at one point taken off air, are once again battling with the national broadcaster over payment issues and so are producers of "Muchaneta" and others.

In fact, sources who requested anonymity say the cast of "Muchaneta" had long stopped production until late last week after a series of meetings with ZBC officials.

"We were just told to take a break by our producers but we did not know the reason. We are told though that they have been meeting with officials from ZBC," said a "Muchaneta" actor who spoke anonymously.

ZBC acting chief executive, Mavhura, nonetheless pleads for patience and faith. He notes they have thus far made reasonable changes and corrections, which warrants giving them a chance.

"We are taking corrective measures to show what a public broadcaster should do but this is a process and cannot be done overnight. We have legacy issues that are affecting us but we are working on these. ZBC has had meetings with some of the producers/directors and we have come up with a flexible plan," said Mavhura.

After the said crisis meeting that was held soon after the Tuesday morning statement, the "Wenera" camp again later in the afternoon of the same day wrote; "Great news! We have just come out of a meeting with the executive from ZBC at Pockets Hill just now and we are safe to say we have resolved the misunderstanding that took place. Wenera continues with its Monday and Tuesday 7.30pm slots."

Mavhura says that a paradigm shift was actually required, ensuring that they channel resources to the core business of content acquiring and broadcasting.

He further argues that content producers and the general public at large need to understand that it is no longer the same at Pockets Hill as can be testified by both physical changes of the Pockets Hill, proper payment plans set including a new and quality programming.

"We definitely cannot afford to pay off their arrears at once yet the broadcaster still requires to meet the day-to-day obligations of the running schedule. In that regard we have entered into payment plans on an individual basis with independent producers/directors so that we can take care of legacy issues whilst at the same time addressing issues of new programmes on television," explained Mavhura.

The general feeling among content producers is that ZBC's massive appetite for content has seen them "swallow more than they can take".

Completion of the ongoing analogue to digital migration under the digitisation programme will see ZBC run a total of six stations thus demand for content is even going to be high. As part of the digitisation programme, they have since installed state-of-the-art broadcasting equipment around the country.

But the multi-million dollar investment could count for nothing if ZBC fails to get solid content that will grab viewers' interest. Will the national broadcaster be able to manage this when they appear to currently struggle with one station?

"For your own information ZBC is now forthcoming to the extent of even paying you before we see the product, funding the production. Like I said legacy issues are still affecting us but I'm positive that in no time we will be done with this negative chapter due to strategies we have put in place. Good times beckon," opines the ZBC acting chief executive.

Meanwhile, Mavhura said the increase of local content in their programming was proving costly. He was, however, quick to point out that the shift was not out of their volition but came as a result of a survey done by an independent research company on what the public wants on national television.

"Local production is a bit more expensive, talk of funding etcetera. But we have since moved away from showing old foreign productions thus we now have over 87 percent local content showing on this running schedule.  Foreign content is cheaper because we buy a finished product over the shelf and it goes straight to television," he explained.

ZBC is running its October-December schedule on 89 percent local content. Some of the programmes that have proved popular in the season running up to Christmas are "Wenera", "Tiriparwendo", a new drama "Muzita Rababa", "Muchaneta", "Tshayngoma", "Hoza Friday", "Guluva" and "Sins of the Father".