edition-dw-akademie-in-the-service-of-the-public-functions-and-transformation-of-media-in-developing-countries-pdf

Characteristics Status Changes and progressover the past yearsEngagement of civil societyAs stated above, the NBC’s Board of Directors is elected withoutcivil society involvement; Problem: The NBC governancestructure encourages public disinterest vis à vis its statebroadcaster.–FinancingIn principle, NBC is funded mainly by an annual state subsidy(55%), partially also using other sources of income, such asthe sale of air time and programs (21%), the issuing of yearlytelevision licenses and the rental of transmitters. Problems:Firstly, NBC is heavily dependent on direct state subsidies,which have to be negotiated annually. Second, mismanagementhas led to a drop in license fee revenue of more than 50percent in recent years.Until recently, NBC had nodepartment for license feecollection; restructuringsince 2011 has reduced obviouscases of managementfailure; the NBC Board hasendorsed a new strategy,the “Strategic Triangle2011.” The objective is to“triple its own revenue” by2015, through a coherentcommercialization strategy.Use mobile and internetcommunication/moderntechnology/challenges ofdigitalizationNBC is in the process of digitalizing its TV broadcasting; as of2014, DTT-broadcasting has extended the NBC channel familyto NBC1, NBC2 and NBC3; for years, NBC lagged behind in thisprocess due to lack of leadership and public funding. TheNBC’s analogue broadcasting network is the largest networkin the country, but a lack of maintenance means parts of itare in bad condition; NBC has an online presence and someNBC radio stations are available via live streaming; however,the standard of NBC’s online presence remains rudimentary.–Regional structuresand reportingFour NBC Radio Language Services are situated in the regions,namely ah! Radio in Tsumkwe, Lozi Service in Katima Mulilo,Oshiwambo Service in Oshakati and Rukavango Service inRundu. The regional stations are also provided with stafffrom NBC Engineering & IT and NBC News & Current Affairs.NBC furthermore has three Contribution Centres, namely inOtjiwarongo, Walvis Bay and Keetmanshoop. The ContributionCentres are smaller in size than the regional stations andhave fewer employees. Problems: Firstly, NBC TV lacks regionalizationwhich is why local communities often complainthat they do not feel represented; secondly, most regionalstories are dependent on the occasional visits of high-profilepoliticians.–Capacity buildingFrom 2000 to 2010, the NBC was in a constant managementcrisis; effectively, this led to a total halt of all activities at theNBC’s training department; NBC staff had various training opportunitiesthrough cooperation with external media trainingorganizations (e.g., Swedish Radio or DW Akademie).–88