By Frederick Philander
WINDHOEK
Yet another blow hit the cash-strapped Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), costing it again dearly in viewer numbers in the growing competitive television market.
This time around, the national broadcaster was forced by a lack of programme money to summarily discontinue screening one of its more popular series, The Bold and the Beautiful, without any formal notification to its viewers.
A consolation to Namibian television viewers is that the commercial television station, One Africa Television, will from next month screen the same American series of love, drama and interrelationships locally.
“I confirm that the NBC has temporarily suspended the screening of the popular programme, The Bold and The Beautiful, due to the corporation’s current financial position,” said the NBC’s corporate communications officer, Catherine Shipushu, in response to a question on why the popular programme was discontinued.
She said that the NBC could not afford to purchase more episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful, which was daily screened between 18h00 and 19h00.
“We have critically reviewed the option of acquiring more material but we found that this would negatively affect the corporation in the long run, as it means we will accumulate more debt,” she said of the series that was contractually availed to the NBC by BBL Distributions in South Africa.
The same company has now signed a year-long contract with One Africa Television.
“We apologize to our viewers for the inconvenience this decision might have caused, and we assure them that as soon as the corporation’s financial situation improves, The Bold and The Beautiful will definitely be back on air,” said Shipushu of the series that was already discontinued some two months ago.
The Bold and the Beautiful, especially very popular among many rural Namibian viewers, will start screening on One Africa Television.
“Naturally, with the discontinuation of this soapie, NBC was obliged to reschedule its daily programmes,” said Shipushu.
“We will start screening The Bold and the Beautiful on Monday August 6 in a convenient time slot for our viewers from the last episode that was screened by NBC television,” said One Africa Television’s station manager, Waldheim Shiluwa, this week in an interview.
His television station this week also became the only African broadcasting station to have been invited to take part in a United States PEPFAR programme.
“With regard to One Africa Television broadcasting the same programme, the NBC did not renew the contract with BBL Distributions and it does not have exclusive broadcasting rights to this programme,” Shiluwa said.
Shiluwa said that his television station has made a good decision in acquiring the legal rights to screen the American series.
“The decision to screen The Bold and the Beautiful was a viewers’ wish and needs-driven one by our television station. Finance permitting, we might in future also consider producing a local series,” he said of the station that was started in 2003 as TV Africa.
Shiluwa confirmed that a two-man news crew from his station is to leave early next month on a two-week news trip on the invitation of the United States government.
“The aim of sending the news team is to compare and report on American HIV/AIDS projects that relate to Namibia, as well as to report on HIVAIDS research in America that relate to Namibia,” he said.
The two newsmen to represent Namibia and Africa are cameraman Ockert Jansen and reporter Francois Lottering, who will mainly cover television stories in the Washington area.
“This trip affords our news team the opportunity to broaden their personal and news horizons in America. I think it is a good opportunity for both of them. Their selection to go confirms that what we at One Africa Television are doing is appreciated, especially taking into account that we only started news broadcasts some two months ago,” he said.