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Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter
GOVERNMENT will ensure that resources are mobilised to enable Transmedia to digitalise broadcasting to meet the international deadline to migrate from analogue to digital broadcasting by June, 2015, Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo said yesterday.
Prof Moyo said this soon after a meeting with management and the board of national signal carrier Transmedia at their offices.
“The target is not a Transmedia target. It’s is a national, regional and international obligation and therefore there is no question we are not going as a nation to do our duty and meet our obligation. Transmedia is the instrument for meeting that obligation and it is not on their shoulders alone, it is our work.
“We have not come here as inspectors or policemen. We have come here as a ministry which has a responsibility which exercises the responsibility through other players, Transmedia,” Prof Moyo said.
Transmedia requires approximately US$30 million to migrate from analogue to digital broadcasting. Prof Moyo also said they had been briefed that Transmedia had antiquated equipment but said the change to digital technology offered an opportunity to replace the equipment. Earlier Prof Moyo had told the Transmedia board that their major responsibility was to ensure that signals for the national broadcaster ZBC were accessible to all Zimbabweans.
“The real critical challenge that Transmedia has and one that will be used to judge the effectiveness of Transmedia is the carrying and transmission of the national broadcaster. Anything else is not as important as the fact that each and every household in Zimbabwe is able to receive signal of that national broadcaster all radio and therefore all radio platforms and television.
“If that is not happening and some other good things are happening with whomsoever, you will be failing your obligation. We will not conclude that you are doing very well from revenues that are accruing from other potentially interesting revenue streams if in fact we can’t receive the radio signals of the national broadcaster,” he said.
Speaking at the same occasion the ministry’s deputy minister, Mr Supa Mandiwanzira said Government took Transmedia’s work seriously.
“We as a ministry take your responsibility seriously. We cannot be a nation of great intelligent people, good communicators if our communication is not able to get to all people in the country,” Deputy Minister Mandiwanzira said.
He said Transmedia played a critical role in the country and had to be capacitated to carry out its mandate.
Transmedia, chief executive, Ms Florence Sigudu-Matambo said they were working to ensure that most parts of the country receive radio and television signals.
“The Transmedia position is that it is a major challenge relating to signal distribution for both radio and television therefore the signals are bad in most parts of the country particularly for television. However, Transmedia is working on this problem as one of the priority for this year and for next year that we need to put in place robust signal distribution equipment so that we can improve the signal reaching our people,” she said.
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