Observe local content requirements, media urged

From PIUS RUGONZIBWA in Mwanza

THE Content Committee of the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has challenged media owners to observe the requirements of local content production including making sure they employ manpower to oversee the process.

Speaking to a section of media owners based in the Lake Zone on Monday, the Committee Chairperson, Ms Valerie Msoka said production of local content was important as the nation implements a number of development agendas that need to be promoted by the local media.
Ms Msoka, herself a media practitioner, trainer and consultant said the media fraternity in the country had a lot of issues they can opt to research and comprehensively report, saying reaching 60 per cent local content targets was a process that could be reached if the media owners play their part effectively.
“We have so many issues in the country that we can use to develop our own local content and reduce dependency on foreign ones. This calls for innovation among media players who can work on different government agendas to reach the target,” she said.
Citing some of the national agendas, the Chairperson said the country was now implementing a crucial industrialisation drive, free education, construction of infrastructure and many others challenging the media owners to support their technical teams to realise their ambitious production goals. Other Committee members who are here for a number of sessions with communication stakeholders include Mr Joseph Mapunda, Mr Abdul Ngarawa and Mr Dereck Murusuri who challenged media owners to seriously invest in improving the performance of their media houses.
Mr Mapunda also a media guru and retired Managing Editor of the public owned Tanzania Standard (Newspapers) Limited (TSN) challenged media owners to put their houses in order, making sure they employ the right staff with right qualifications. He emphasised on the training of staff in media houses, challenging the owners to make sure they timely submit particulars on academic development of the staff and editors whenever they are asked to do so by the authorities.
“Make sure you have a clear employment system; we have come to realise that the problem was an issue in many media houses. Having someone with a beautiful voice alone does not qualify him or her as a good TV or radio presenter,” he stressed.
Awareness on rules and regulations governing the media industry was of paramount importance, with Mr Mapunda insisting all electronic media companies must strive hard to take the national interests into account. Mr Ngarawa, a retired Director General of the another state-owned media house, Tanzania Broadcasting Corporations (TBC), urged media owners to observe professionalism and make sure they have the right team capable of running the stations professionally and ethically.
Taking care of the staff, providing them with inhouse training and paying their salaries on time were some of the motivational factors that could boost performance and delivering to the expectations of the public.
Mr Murusuri was of the view that since the media were influential and agents for change, they must observe fairness including making sure reported stories were well balanced and ethical. He also emphasised on the production of local content, citing one local TV station that has managed to reach between 38 and 40 per cent of the target while other stations were slowly progressing.