ZNS, while still having advantages over other news outlets, has been failing in its mandate to “inform, educate and entertain” the public

Does ZNS deserve a dime?
thenassauguardian


Corporation’s restructuring yet to bear fruit


Three months after the government released 80 people from the ZNS Network in a controversial restructuring exercise, ads running on the Parliamentary Channel declare that the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas (BCB) is now seeking to hire reporters and other employees.
ZNS still appears to be critically challenged and the public has a front row seat to witness whether the recent restructuring would indeed result in an improved operation.

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham cannot coast forever on the fact the he liberated the airwaves after he first came to power nearly 20 years ago. It is perhaps why the administration has taken the action it says would lead to improvements at the state-owned corporation.

When Ingraham initially became prime minister, media-wise The Bahamas was in the dark ages after decades of the ZNS broadcast monopoly.

Many years of mismanagement and inappropriate intervention by the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) — which has no moral authority to lecture anyone on what has happened at ZNS — left many Bahamians misinformed and pretty much beholden to government for whatever scraps of information it would offer about its achievements.

As far as public transparency, things have gotten somewhat better in the years since.

However, as far as making substantive information freely available, the Free National Movement and the PLP leave much to be desired.

Politicians still use ZNS as a tool for propaganda, asserting their own importance and efficiency as often as possible.

It seems as if the politicians’ view is that the primary function of ZNS is to show how much they are doing for the very people they ask to pay for the state broadcaster.

ZNS’ financial situation

A recent report by the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) noted that levels of public funding for ZNS are low by international standards.

In 2009/10, the corporation’s unaudited total income was $14.7 million. Of this, $6.2 million, or 44 percent of the total, was derived from commercial means, according to URCA.

The government provided a public grant of $8.5 million, representing the other 56 percent of ZNS' income over the year.

For the financial year 2010/11, the corporation’s public grant was slashed in half and now stands at $4.25 million.

According to URCA's research, the government grant in 2009/10 was the equivalent of spending $28 per person in the country.

URCA said that compared to PSB spending in 18 other countries, The Bahamas came in on the low-end of the scale.

URCA said other countries showed a per capita spend of around $40 to $60, and in some cases $80 to $110 per head on PSB.

ZNS, while still having advantages over other news outlets, has been failing its mandate to “inform, educate and entertain” the public.

Just looking at the information aspect of its mandate, ZNS has a long way to go and has been lagging for quite some time.

Staff changes

In 2009, ZNS radio anchor and reporter Julian Reid left the editorial department to work in programming.

He hosted a monthly show about the environment, ‘The Bahamas Naturally’.

Charlene Ferguson became the regular morning news anchor.

A few weeks before the corporation’s spectacular meltdown in November, long-time reporter Sherman Brown was forced to resign from the corporation after being caught up in some controversy involving the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) and Canadian fashion designer Peter Nygard, who lives in Lyford Cay.

As part of the restructuring, Ferguson and Reid were let go.

Marcellus Hall, who was a sports editor, claimed he found the way ZNS handled the downsizing to be distasteful, so he voluntarily accepted a retirement package.

Jerome Sawyer, unquestionably the most qualified broadcast television talent at ZNS, was removed as anchor and from news altogether and given a one-year contract at a severely reduced salary to produce a show called ‘The Sawyer Report’.

Keishla Smith became the national television news anchor.

‘The Sawyer Report’ does not always air consistently, apparently because the studio space Sawyer was given to do his new show is now occupied by the new set for ‘The Bahamas Tonight’ evening newscast.

Sawyer also apparently has few resources to do his show, which is still no excuse for the irregularity of the broadcasts.

With Ferguson gone, Altovise Munnings, who was hired at ZNS about midway through 2010, is now responsible for the radio news and required to do TV reporting, which is normal in the industry.

Beverly Curry was removed as news director and offered the post of director of the Parliamentary Channel. She decided to accept a retirement package instead.

It is reported that she has since returned and accepted the job she was offered during the restructuring.

Anthony ‘Ace’ Newbold, who was formerly deputy general manager of the Parliamentary Channel, replaced Curry as news director.

Opal Roach and Betty Thompson were returned to news reporting from Parliamentary Channel duties.

Vaughnique Toote, a TV and radio reporter, was moved to the Parliamentary Channel.

She lasted less than two months and now works for The Nassau Guardian as the main news anchor for Star 106.5 FM.

So ZNS lost four reporters, one news anchor, and a sports anchor in the space of just a few months.

Now, after the frenzy that was the restructuring exercise, the BCB is looking for people to fill several positions.

In the meantime, reporters continue to host various shows.

Clint Watson has been hosting a news week-in-review program for some time now.

And Shenique Miller has been hosting the seasonal weekly show ‘Press Pass’ for more than a year now, although it is said to be heavily censored.

Since ZNS axed Julian Reid, reporter Giovanni Stuart has been hosting ‘The Bahamas Naturally’.

Syann Thompson also has a monthly culture show going on.

As ZNS added those responsibilities to some reporters, it has also increased the frequency of its radio and TV updates.

As part of the restructuring, ZNS recently abruptly stopped the national broadcast of television news from Grand Bahama.

The claim was that the cost was too much to bear, even though it was less than $100,000 per year to carry the broadcast.

That price does not seem exorbitant when one considers the value of properly informing the wider population on what is going on in the northern region.

ZNS also reportedly has an unwritten policy that ‘The Bahamas Tonight’ should not feature crime too prominently.

This sentiment was echoed by pastors at a recent press conference with police.

Apparently, the feeling amongst pastors and police is that the media sensationalize crime.

Anyone who cannot see how bad the crime problem is must be considered delusional and not allowed to make major decisions.

If the issue is not constantly highlighted and the police pressured to continually push back against criminals, the situation would only worsen.

ZNS also has a bad habit of making most stories about Cabinet ministers.

These high-ranking officials are important figures, but usually the story only tangentially involves them. It does not always begin and end with them.

And if the story is about the minister, tough questions should be asked.

As a result of all that has happened, ZNS has painted itself into a corner.

If ZNS does not correct itself very soon, the public may begin to doubt the veracity of information it broadcasts.

Now what?

ZNS Executive Chairman Michael Moss has rightly stated that ZNS has to be free of political influence. That might not happen anytime soon. The current prime minister seems unwilling to do this.

The PLP has slammed Ingraham for the downsizing.

If Perry Christie returns to power, it is unclear if he would rehire the laid off workers despite the drag on public finances.

Evidently, this mantra about the BCB being released from a political choke hold and transformed into something similar to what we see in industrialized countries has yet to bear fruit.

2/21/2011

thenassauguardian

Bahamas Blog International