80% local content on the cards
From April 1st there will be a massive shake up at the national broadcaster, Botswana Televison (BTV) and Voice Entertainment can reveal that a lot of big and popular figures on Radio and TV have been shifted around.
A source within management says the revamp is a continued rebranding exercise that the mass media has been undergoing since end of last year.
Meanwhile the Director of Broadcasting Services (DBS) Raymond Tsheko in an interview with Voice Entertainment recently explained that the shake up is nothing out of the ordinary and should not cause any panic.
Voice entertainment had sought to find out if the shakeup will result in job loses and if it were related to the 2021 controversial direct appointment of Steve Harvery Global, a company owned by an American entertainer, Steve Harvey to provide radio and television production services to the Department of Broadcasting services.
“It goes without saying we should be looking at our processes and offering to the public, resources in terms of we allocate them make our offering is up to standard. We are relooking at our content but I can’t get into any more detail because this is a purely internal process,” Tsheko said.
Pressed for details,Tsheko confirmed that the mass media and its channels will now be offering 80 % local content.
“Just like any other business or operation we are going through a revamp as you put it. It is a normal process just like The Voice would sometimes do, right?,” retorted Tsheko.
Meanwhile the news of the 80 % local content have been received with excitement by major creative industry players like Copyright Society of Botswana (COSBOST) and the Botswana Musicians Union (BOMU).
“COSBOTS is delighted with these developments and has already signed a memorandum of understanding with DBS to foster an environment in which local artists may earn from royalties. Furthermore we believe that this measure will reenergize many recording studios, music composers and music producers who have been badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic tight lockdowns,” reads a statement from COSBOTS.
One of the new welcome would be the department’s decision to work towards making sure that at least 80% local content is used in adverts production in the next one and half years.
For their part Botswana Musician Union, said in a statement; “BOMU appreciates this move as it will make sure that of the P 10 million pula that DBS pays out annually to COSBOTS 8 million stays in Botswana to pay local musicians.”
