Producers Yet to See Benefits of Private Networks

Independent content producers say that they are yet to reap the benefits of private radio and TV network stations promised by the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission NBC, at the introduction of the innovation.
In a chat with M2, Clara Okoro, producer, Brand World, alleges that the NBC has not been open about the terms of operation right from the time the new stations were commissioned. ‘The honest truth is that the commission has not been open about the whole thing, so we don’t know what is going on. If we do, I’m sure many of us would have taken advantage of the opportunity,’ she says.
In the same vein, Jibe Ologeh, CEO, R-Wells Media, says independent content producers still pay high bills to have their content on air. ‘There is nothing we are gaining from the privately owned networks. When you take your content to a media house, they slam you with heavy bills and there is nothing you can do about it but to pay,’ she charges.
In the last quarter of 2009, the NBC called for bids for privately owned broadcast network licenses which elicited both commendation and suspicion from stakeholders.