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IF the situation at Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation was not so dismal, the announcement by Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Deputy Minister Cde Supa Mandiwanzira that the national broadcaster is getting an income of US$275 000 a month against a budget of US$2.3 million would sound like a joke, albeit a bad one.
With all the adverts that the TV and radio stations flight as well as the licence inspectors collecting cash from motorists, business premises and residences everyday, one has to wonder how all that can add up to a paltry US$275 000 in a month.
The sheer magnitude of the problem with stated debt at over US$8 million and workers who have gone for six months without pay is staggering. It suggests that like Nero fiddling while Rome burned, the board members and senior management deliberately stuck their heads in the sand instead of admitting that they had failed to run the national broadcaster.
The silence seems to point to an undesirable collusion between the board and senior management to keep the disaster under wraps and pretend to the world that things may be not perfect but not dire either. Which begs the question why was this group of individuals so determined to keep the problem hidden?
Since a forensic audit has already been ordered as matter of urgency we will not speculate on its findings as the findings will be made public soon, we hope.
But if it should turn out that no misappropriation of funds took place at ZBC such a finding will not exonerate the board and senior management. For it will mean that the heads that should have been concentrating on leading the organisation were busy in other matters, except what really mattered.
Yes, there is a serious liquidity crunch in the country and the squeezing of businesses and individuals could not have been good for ZBC, but that is not enough to explain the extent of the financial quagmire that the national broadcaster is stuck in.
Every business has had to find mitigating measures against the challenges including non-traditional avenues of income and ZBC should not have been an exception.
The announcement by the acting CEO that the institution is seeking finance is good news for the workers who might get some relief. But if the loans come through they will be nothing more than a temporary measure because they will need to be repaid with interest while the organisation also funds future operations.
As Cde Mandiwanzira rightly pointed out it is high time the national broadcaster is run on a business model, but that may be easier said than done.
A sound turnaround strategy demands the reviewing of product pricing to encourage more people to pay up. ZBC is in a catch 22 situation where the consumers are not happy about programming and quality so they resist buying the mandatory licences saying that they use other service providers.
Many people say that they do not consume the products and therefore resist paying for them. On the other hand the broadcaster says that they need for clients to pay their licences so that they can have the wherewithal with which to improve standards.
On the other hand the suspended CEO Happison Muchechetere is on record declaring that ZBC will not consider people’s preferences on what to broadcast. He went on to say viewers and listeners could just buy their licences as required by law then go on to consume products from other players like DSTv, Star FM and ZiFM.
Such hubris is unacceptable in a service provider, even one that enjoys a monopoly, which ZBC no longer does. It is the duty of ZBC to serve the nation and uphold the national interest but that does not translate into a deliberate position to alienate viewers and listeners.
With even more players set to come onto the market to share the audience and advertising cake, ZBC needs to capitalise on its strengths by charming back audiences with programming that reflects their needs and tastes.
Another way of harnessing income would be for ZBC to ride on the coattails of Zinara and push through for legal instruments that would require a motorist to purchase their ZBC licence at the same time that they acquire their vehicle licence disks as in the case of the third party insurance.
ZBC should also be more meticulous about follow-ups on individuals who do not present valid licences when asked to do so. In most residential areas these inspectors leave little notes warning the addressees to take their licences to the nearest police station within seven days or risk prosecution. People have come to realise that the inspectors will not return and the police will not come knocking on the door so they ignore the notices with impunity.
Like all Zimbabweans, we hope that this is a phase that the national broadcaster can emerge from stronger and wiser to once again give us the quality home-grown productions that used to be its hallmark.
Online Reporter