By Kennedy Abwao
The quest for an effective formula to facilitate the sharing of broadcasting content and the new concept of joint broadcasting facilities became dominant issues at a major conference here to explore the convergence of broadcasting and telecommunication.
In the wake of fresh emphasis on new investments on an undersea cable linking the Eastern African coast to the rest of the world for ease of telecommunication, African broadcasters are facing up to the challenge of reducing dependence on foreign content.
Industry experts have proposed the creation of joint broadcasting facilities, which would work together with the new medium of delivering broadcast material, likely to shift from satellite to fibre optic, to reduce the cost of distribution of broadcasting content.
Annemarie Meijer, the East African Manager for Globecast Kenya, an organisation interested in ending the dominance of the foreign media content in Africa, said her company was willing to set up a programme exchange module for African broadcasters.
“We are making a product exchange system through the internet. Why not use the internet to get a story from one country, written by the local journalists who know their country better instead of relying on this parachute journalism,” she posed.
She said foreign journalists, who parachute into Africa, whenever a story breaks, have made it impossible for Africans to share local content amongst themselves.
Globecast, she said, was interested in creating a modern network to help share stories about Africa, written and produced by Africans. She said her organisation was offering more than 60 stories a month for television stations that required them.
In the meantime, other broadcasters are exploring the possibility of setting up joint production facilities following the expected re-designing of the African broadcast environment after the shift to digital broadcasting to licensed signal carriers.
According to Kiarie Nderitu, the Technical Manager, Nation Broadcasting, a Kenyan television station, the setting up of common production facilities should enable broadcasters to share facilities, helping to reduce the cost of operating television.
