Against a growing chorus of recent complaints, Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe sprang to the defense of the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas in the House of Assembly Wednesday, noting that over the years the organization’s staff has been “abused and its management viciously attacked and mercilessly ridiculed.”
With that sentiment, the Minister, whose portfolio includes ZNS, blatantly shot down what he called attempts by the media to paint the Corporation as a broke establishment, laden with “political operatives, directionless and doomed for failure.”
ZNS reportedly has a salary bill that exceeds $300,000 per month. The 2003/2004 budget allocates $4 million for the corporation.
The Minister’s comments follow reports in the media last week about a reported delay in the payment of salaries to corporation employees, which management said never happened, even though a five-line memo to that effect was sent to the staff.
“The general manager and the financial comptroller had attempted to communicate a simple message to the staff that salaries might have been a little late – two days before the scheduled pay day,” he explained to House Members.
In another line of attack however, he also blasted Leader of the Opposition Tommy Turnquest, whom he said, shot out unwarranted criticism and sought to smear the good name of the corporation’s Chairman Calsey Johnson.
“How could the leader of the FNM say that in nine months all that the FNM built up in ZNS has been destroyed and the good state it was left in is now in ruins?” Minister Wilchcombe asked.
“It was the FNM who had stated that it intended to dismantle the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas. Based on all that was done from 1992 to 2002, it appeared that the FNM was on the course to, in fact, dismantle ZNS.”
According to Minister Wilchcombe, when the FNM demitted office last year, it left a debt of some $14 million, and outstanding insurance and increments.
He also referred to a $5 million unmet debt
οΎ to the ZNS pension fund under the former administration and a $1 million oversized and inoperable mobile radio unit, which he described as “a waste of public funds.”
“What is so shameful about Mr. Turnquest’s assertions is that he knew the truth about the state of ZNS prior to May 2nd,” Minister Wilchombe said.
“Nonetheless, in the 11 months, the Corporation has reduced its debt, improved its work environment and is on course to improving its product which will strengthen its financial situation.”
The Corporation’s accounts payable at the end of the September 2002 stood at 14.01 million. At the end of April this year, the accounts payable were $11.458, a net reduction of $2.55 million, he pointed out.
The government projects that over the next fiscal year, the market share of the Corporation will increase and the revenue base will be expanded by 40 percent.
The government also intends to entice new customers to late night television news and website streaming, Minister Wilchcombe said.
In addition, ZNS will seek non-traditional markets for sales and ventures in the Turks & Caicos, Southern Caribbean, South and Central Florida and the Family Islands.
Other plans include upgrading and repairing the Corporation’s 104.5FM transmitters; completing computerization and digitalization of all radio production studios; developing a religious station for Grand Bahama; establishing a radio station in Exuma; revamping the current programming on ZNS-2 and developing a national AM and FM radio facility. This would aid in 1540AM and 810FM been received throughout the Family Islands, according to the Minister.
Money will also be spent on the upgrade of television production equipment, while independent producers of local programmes to air on newly created shows will be identified, he said.
According to Minister Wilchcombe, the government is also seeking relationships with international television networks to enable the Corporation to have access to additional programmes and special events.
By Macushla Pinder, The Bahama Journal
