Television Stations destroyed local TV drama series
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By Femi Robinson.
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There have been
several calls made to me to resume acting and production of drama series for TV
stations in Nigeria. I must admit that where ever I had the opportunity to talk
about the Television industry and the theatre, I had always told Nigerians that
Television had destroyed the theatre and legalized illegality. Television had
sold a lot of lies to our people because they had been given too much freedom.
Freedom to determine what is creativity rather than allowing the viewers to make
their choice. The right and left hand look alike, but we must always remember
that they function well when used sensibly and appropriately.
Most of the movies shown on our television networks are meant for home and
commercial film house viewership. They are strictly not for open broadcast
stations but selective broadcast venues.
Our TV houses have for years refused to acknowledge this fact and because no one
has drawn the attention of government to it, most of them have made a lot of
money from illegal broadcast.
The entertainment and drama industry in the country has been exploited for long
and as today Nigerian artistes do not see any need to be creative. All they do
is reproduce what the financial bankers believe would make money even at the
price of destroying their society.
It is my belief that controversial, speculative, violent, horror, cultural,
religious and futuristic stories should be produced and aired on selective
broadcast venues and closed broadcast media. In civilized and well regulated
countries TV stations have no right to intrude into a viewer’s home with
programmes that could be termed offensive. On open broadcast media there are
certain programmes you cannot air. In many countries religious programmes are
banned completely on open broadcast television networks.
It is a pity that because Nigerian Television stations wanted to make money, all
private and government owned station decided to transmit religious programmes.
We all know that some pronouncements of presenters on these programmes cast
doubt on universally accepted norms in life.
I stand bold to say that our TV stations are responsible for the decline in
education and the propagation of doubts and fears in the country. Television
stations in an attempt to make money have hoarded information that would have
propelled this country to greater heights. They have served as agents for the
dissemination of fear, distrust and envy among our people. Rather than use this
powerful medium of mass education to unite our people they used it to separate
us. The late Obafemi Awolowo, when he was declaring open the first ever
television station in Africa WNTV, Western Nigeria Television Service talked
about using television to eradicate poverty, fear and educate the masses.
Television he said was not just to inform and entertain. Today our television
stations both government and privately owned are more interested in making money
than providing service to the nation. ‘If the price is right the airtime is
available; ‘If the price is right the broadcast is on’ most of them say’.
I once had the opportunity to tell a colleague and age mate that we should all
be held responsible for the number of young criminals on the streets of Lagos
and other major cities in the country. Our television stations have been
responsible for feeding these youths and our illiterate viewers some
unimaginable and unscientific statements, like the claim that a man transformed
to a goat. These are some of the unsubstantiated statements that were easily
swallowed hook line and sinker by our illiterate viewers who form over seventy
percent of the viewers on the open broadcast network. Sometimes I watch in utter
dismay as people who call themselves men of God claim they have healed one
terminal disease after the other by placing their hand on a believer. It is
criminal to broadcast such claims on open broadcast networks anywhere in the
world. Yet we allow television stations to do it in Nigeria. To date all
available airtime on open broadcast network has been taken over by miracle
offering individuals and organizations. Why are we legalizing illegality? Think
of the number of Nigerians who have died because they believe in spiritual
healing rather than orthodox medical treatment.
We must begin to convince ourselves that we can still salvage the bad situation
if we start now recognizing that we left undone and getting them done no matter
whose ox is gored. America and Britain are today a great economy because they
have created and are still creating opportunities for the young to become stars
in sports, entertainment etc. These two countries are regarded as ‘land of
opportunities’ not because they have more than us but because they ensure that
every one has equal opportunities to be somebody in life. They ensure that their
information organs are not hijacked by criminals.
The situation the artistes found them self in the eighties and nineties was very
sad. Independent producers were conniving with Television stations to illegally
air movies and films they had not paid royalties for. Sports, documentaries,
musical producers used the works and movies of foreign artistes
indiscriminately. By the early nineties government owned Television Stations
were no longer hiding behind independent producers, they began showing foreign
films on their late night shows. Some of us complained but we were told to join
the bandwagon or look for something else to do. I remember telling the nation
that very soon we shall be paying to fund foreign productions on our airwaves.
All TV stations had to do was obtain or buy foreign productions and slam it on
air. With no foreign organization suing for copyright violation the flood gate
was thrown open. Soon religious doctrines became a new product. Foreign
preachers invaded the airwaves enticing the marketing managers of open broadcast
networks with long term bookings. Soon television stations began to sell peak
periods to religious broadcasts and television drama faded from open broadcast
television networks.
There was nothing independent producers and artistes could do because Television
stations no longer needed local programmes to sustain them. The Nigerian viewing
public had been brainwashed to prefer foreign programmes and since these
programmes were obtained free of charge, television station did not bother if
local productions died. Also the stations owed allegiance to the owners and as
long as government news and government views were carried the viewing public was
presumed to have been satisfied.
To make matters worse, television stations asked musicians to provide them with
their promotional videos to be used on programmes. At first it was free, later
artistes had to pay to have the station play their video. For television drama
series the independent local producer now had to look for a sponsor. Television
stations where no longer interested in joint production. Why should they spend a
kobo on local productions when they could have a copy of a foreign film bought
for two hundred naira? With major companies feeling the high cost of sponsoring
local productions some of them opted for renting foreign films and airing them
on our Television stations. Foreign films were imported and paid for in foreign
currency while local producers had their works rotting away. You will remember
how long some foreign movies ran, in nearly all our television networks. Think
of the number of foreign artistes who benefitted from these sponsorships while
many Nigerian artistes roamed about television stations begging for minor parts
to announce their potentials. The Village Headmaster, Cock crow at Dawn, Samanja
and Zebrudiya all went into oblivion because Television stations now found a
good reason to refuse to pay for local productions.
With the improvement in telecommunications, some television stations suddenly
realized they could eat up valuable transmission time by placing a camera in
front of a presenter. All the presenter had to do was to keep talking to the
telephone for hours. Sometimes the programme is not scripted; not produced and
yet at the end of each show several names are rolled out on end credits.
Unfortunately the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria did not see these acts as
cheating on consumers by television stations. Television advertising rates
should reflect on the standard of the programmes on a Television station. If a
station has no creative, informative and educative program to offer, such
station should be shut down.
Advertising executives have a major role to play in the drive to salvage the
industry and create jobs for Nigerian artists. Nigerians use your products, so
why are you all using foreign artistes to advertise your products? Why are we
promoting foreign artistes at the expense of Nigerian artistes?
When you tune in to some of our television stations, you begin to realize that
they are no better than a radio station. The only difference is, you can see the
presenter while on radio you only hear the presenter.
Television is a powerful tool for economic and social development, if used
properly. It could also be used to create unrest and chaos if used badly. That
is why a lot of emphasis is placed on time of broadcast and what is communicated
to what people.
It is obvious that we, in Nigeria have mismanaged the potentials of the most
powerful weapon that great nations have used to develop their potentials. It is
unfortunate that even though television came to Nigeria before any African
nation we are yet to understand its usefulness. While countries like South
Africa have been able to use television to develop its sports, promote and
integrate its cultural diversity; export its music and products to neighboring
African countries, Nigeria and some known African countries have used radio and
television to promote foreign cultures and values.
There are presently two categories of television broadcast networks in Nigeria.
These can be described as, the Open Broadcast and the Closed Broadcast networks.
Most private and state television stations operate Open Broadcast transmission
which is ideal for the general public. There is no subscription payable except a
television license. The open broadcast network can therefore be described as the
broadcast media of government. It is easily available and affordable to every
Nigerian citizen. This is the broadcast medium which our founding fathers
envisaged would be useful for mass education and emancipation. It is a perfect
medium for the ministry of youth and culture to mobilize the youths to achieve
excellence. Open broadcast television stations by law need to be supervised and
subsidized one way or the other by government if they are to serve their
purpose. Programme content has to be tailored to the national, political,
economical and cultural goals of government especially News about the nation.
Open broadcast stations, private, public or government owned, has to be
supervised and its programmes approved by government agencies responsible for
maintaining peace, security and order.
On the other hand, Closed Broadcast networks are meant for paying viewers. These
are networks where transmission is available only to those who are connected to
the network. These are the networks that should have been approved for religious
broadcasts, political campaigns etc. This is the medium ideal for movies since
viewership is selective.
Unfortunately these two networks are made to perform the same function in
Nigeria because there is no one to check the excesses of television operators in
Nigeria. Something has to be done now to arrest the continued decline in local
productions. We ca not continue to commercialize the airtime on open broadcast
networks if in doing so local artistes, great writers and actors like my good
self will be forced into early retirement.
Femi Robinson
Former Headmaster on the TV series Village Headmaster.
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