By Ezekiel Nabieu
The Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service (SLBS) had an illustrious pedigree to be proud of. But its descendant, the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), has been descending so low that there is precious little to write home about. Its descent has been gradual and systemic and has not yet been effectively stymied. Charlatanism has been the order of the day with members of staff falling over one another to grab the attention of the power wielders. Gratitude for appointments has taken pride of place over the demand for genuine service to the nation. For an odorous comparison of the SLBS with the contraption known as the SLBC let us step backwards into the past for a brief spell.
SLBS, now SLBC, began its operation in 1955. It was preceded by a wired broadcasting service known as “Rediffusion” system. This worked as follows:
A central wireless receiving set was provided by government which was powerful enough to receive broadcast from most parts of the world. Connections were made from this set to contributors’ homes. Local events could also be transmitted live from the broadcasting centre. The officer-in-charge of this station was responsible for choosing the programmes or country from which the broadcast was coming and then relaying them to the loudspeakers in homes which already had telephones.
This service had been introduced on 1 May 1934 at the Wilberforce Memorial Hall where the event took place.
True to expectations exactly at 7p.m a hush fell on listeners and eyes turned towards the various loudspeakers as they cracked into life and the voice of His Excellency Governor Arnold Hodson came loud and clear: “Ladies and Gentlemen, I have been looking forward to this evening for a long time with intense pleasure. I consider and I think you will agree with me that the new broadcasting service opens up a new vista of life to all of us who live in Freetown...We press a button and a message is transmitted to London; again we press it and we hear grand opera from Berlin….” A few minutes later the Governor turned up at the Hall to receive a loud acclamation.
The popular assessment of colonial radio contrasts substantially with the “official" view as expressed by the SLBS’ first Director of Broadcasting, Leslie A Perowne who was seconded to Freetown from the BBC in 1956. He believed in an objective Radio Station: “That is one reason why the BBC is so respected throughout the world; its news is objective and the listener knows it,” he said.
You are likely to take a deep breath. Where are we today with our “darling” SLBC? Before we proceed let us praise famous Directors of Broadcasting who have left their footprints on the tarmac of the SLBS.
The late John Akar was known not only as the Director of SLBS but also a book writer and the initiator of the National Dance Troupe which brought together all eligible tribal groups enhancing national reconciliation. His stamp on the SLBS was also his distinguished “My Guest” programme. Others like Joseph Findlay and Gipu Felix George etc followed, making their own marks.
Many informed readers would know that a corporation in the modern sense is a quasi-government institution otherwise referred to as a Parastatal. It should therefore be independent of red tape which is why the SLBS was transformed to SLBC with great fanfare involving the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon. But how independent is the SLBC? On paper?
Irregular Appointments
Readers should not be surprised at the mediocre performance of the Director General and the Deputy Director General. Why? Under democratic regimes stipulations for posts are set and strictly adhered to but not under its semblances under rogue regimes. In our warped circumstances the incumbent Director-General and his Deputy failed to meet the stipulated requirements but were duly appointed ahead of those who did. They were expected to be professionally trained and qualified journalists/broadcasters or must have had some background in mass communications. That was the façade under which the usual party faithful were smuggled into the service. Elvis Gbanagbom Hallowell was appointed by the President, on paper at least, on the recommendation of a Board of Trustees, and Sanctioned by Parliament with a secure tenure of office of four years. And “the Director-General shall be responsible for the management of the funds of the Corporation". What a buoyant facility! As for his deputy, try to know a thing about him and his background and you will wonder what he is doing there.
Modus Operandi
Though not professionally qualified, according to the terms of the advertisement, the Director-General and his Deputy would have known by now that NEWS is the most important feature of broadcasts. In other words NEWS is the quintessence of its mandate. Therefore it is curious to see the way the News Bulletin is toyed with by the SLBC. Incidentally the BBC takes news so seriously that it has moved from its hourly dissemination of news to a half-hourly presentation now. People are more anxious to know what is happening than the interpretation of events by commentators and news analysts. Education and entertainment can be obtained from other sources which is why news should be given a pre-eminence. This requirement is lost on the square pegs at the SLBC with reckless abandon, or is lost in the fact that some good journalists there are not allowed or enabled to work as they should. As only one example out of a repetitive practice, on November 22, 2013 I waited in vain for the news at 8:00 a.m. There was neither news, nor an apology. Suddenly a noise was heard announcing a Tea Break Programme. Get that?
As if the Director-General did not come from an institution where time was of any essence even when the news is announced it may be read three, four or sometimes five minutes after the due time, irresponsibly. Not only that. The duration of news varies according to the whims and caprices of the producers. As if the SLBC does not have a standby generator it goes off the air so irregularly that it cannot be relied upon.
The most disgusting aspect of the presentation of news is its order whereby there is neither presentation according to news values, nor selection of the most relevant items of news. With subjectivity the President’s item always comes first for whatever reason. The other day the first item of news SLBC told the public was, disappointingly, that the President had sent a message of condolence to the NaCSA Commissioner on the occasion of the death of his mother. Can you beat that?
The presentation of stale news should be discontinued. The SLBS had current news everyday and it lasted no longer than ten minutes including the items on the Head of State. The then Directors of Broadcasting were not fired for that. They were just being loyal to the service.
Tea Break
Next to the news bulletin is the Tea Break programme which broadcasts some of the items which are crowded out of the news bulletin owing to sycophancy. This was adopted from the former UN Radio and it is a programme well listened to. But the programme seems to be on the wire owing to incompetence of presentation and production. It is unfortunate that the best crop of presenters some of whom were working for the UN Radio left and the Director General has to contend with run-of-the-mill in some cases. Or the once good guys at the UN Radio were forced to serve the new master masterfully.
This brings me invidiously and ineluctably to the case of the current male presenter of the programme who is by all accounts mediocre. In this regard I have been wondering whether the Director-General ever listens to his broadcasters or is concerned only with his own "excellence". Or perhaps because he is clueless about broadcasting. The gaffes of the presenter go on and on without so much as an attempt at correcting him. That charlatan speaks of "two twins". He consistently says: “you will be part of the programme by keep sending in your text messages." The last exposure of his paucity of knowledge was when he spoke of "beating a white elephant" because he did not know that a white elephant is a useless possession. The interviewee responded by saying it was not about "beating a dead horse". Shame! It is a treat to listen to his female counterpart currently, in the absence of other brilliant broadcasters before her.
As stated in the foregoing the first Director-General of Broadcasting SLBS, Leslie Perowne believed in an objective radio station which he said was one reason why the BBC is so respected throughout the world. The reason why the SLBC cannot be respected even throughout Sierra Leone is because of the assumption of infallibility of its Director-General.
If he is a Christian he would do well to meditate on the words of St. Paul in Romans 12:3 “For by the grace given to me I bid everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think”.
(C) Politico 28/11/13
