Although a revamped ZNS is reportedly not sitting well with a number of Bahamas Broadcasting Corporation radio personalities, Minister in charge, Obie Wilchcombe said the moves are designed to better position the BCB to compete with Cable offerings.
According to Mr. Wilchcombe, the BCB was not evaluated in a “post-cable era”, and now has to make the necessary adjustments. He said also that he was enthused over expected changes in television programming.
The Guardian has learned that after the BCB board evaluated a number of announcers, some were either switched from FM to AM broadcasts working outside “prime time” hours, or completely removed from the airwaves.
While BCB officials contacted by the Guardian refused to comment on reports that some popular disc jockeys had received promotions, promising only that an official statement would be made sometime this week, Minister with responsibility for Broadcasting, Obie Wilchcombe, described the changes as “wonderful”.
He told the Guardian in a recent telephone interview that the Corporation was ensuring that only the “brightest” and most “outstanding” broadcasters were being deployed.
“We are continuing to improve. We have to appreciate that the Corporation has to move in a more progressive step,” he said. “We have been losing a considerable amount of money in the last several years and we have been doing all we can to transform the Corporation and ensure that it is a professional entity.”
The Corporation should not only be run by professionals, but produce professional broadcasters as well, he said.
“The Chairman of the Board and management has made some changes that I fully support, and I think over time, it would be appreciated by the general public,” he continued. “You would hear changes and you would hear and see some more changes, as this is what it is all about.”
The national broadcast system needs to be at a very “high level”, Mr. Wilchcombe went on, and whether a BCB announcer is on television or radio, management wanted to ensure that a quality package that everyone would be proud of was being delivered.
“I can’t speak about the changes, and I don’t know all the people, but I have been listening, monitoring and pay attention to what has been going on,” he said. “I have committed myself to the transformation of the Broadcasting Corporation and the process has begun. It started earlier this year, and it’s going to continue until we get the BCB to the level that it must be.”
Of proposed new changes in television programming, he said, “I am excited because we are going to see a format of local programmes; I am excited that we have more Bahamian music on the radio, and our broadcasters are respecting the fact that they are talking to the nation’s youth and must ensure that they are being responsible,” he said.
Management is now providing the Corporation with new leadership policies that are focused and are expected to continue until the BCB reaches an acceptable level, he said.
By Tamara McKenzie, The Nassau Guardian
