[kictanet] Dr. Ndemo & the KBC Staff Strike

Thu Mar 8 07:26:17 EAT 2012

Washington,
You missed one of my points on SW.  While it is great in coverage, the
relevancy of content in such coverage is not there.  That is why BBC is
more relevant in such a situation than Mulembe FM for example.  We cannot
afford to run multiple SW station as we do in FM.  The cost will be
astronomical and this is the very reason why we shall be moving to DAB. 
DAB will allow true universal access to broadcast as you can practically
get all of local languages.

Sometimes we assume everybody understands what our leaders say in English.
 Perhaps that is why there is a disconnect between rural and urban Kenya. 
We simply discriminate many Kenyans when we do not communicate in
languages they understand.  We shall do a lot more with the youth if the
sheng station were to have wider coverage.  I am sure there are messages
that must be communicated in languages that are understood best by some
communities.

I am not sure whether SW transmiters are in production.  I know MW is
trying to introduce its digital vaersion but we have socialized our people
in such a way that nobody moves between different technologies.  When we
were young we knew you could access BBC in SW and KBC in MW but today
these are vocaburaries that are not understood.  Perhaps some expersts in
the list can comment on merits of these technological developments.

Ndemo.

> Daktari,
>
> Please share with us the actual figures of running MW, SW and FM per
> month.
> Are there any variables that affect the figures or is everything static
> over a 24-hrs running period?
>
> PS: I hope the Sudanese govt footed the 50million shilling bill from their
> oil revenue.
>
>
> On Wed, Mar 7, 2012 at 21:16, Bitange Ndemo <bitange at jambo.co.ke> wrote:
>
>> Robert,
>> This is not one of those hasty decisions.  Most people do not even know
>> that MW or SW ever existed.  Some cars come with only FM.  This too is
>> to
>> die within 5 years as we move towards Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) that
>> will be more cost effective.  During Garang's funeral, we fired up the
>> SW
>> in Dandora and we ended up with a 50 million shilling electric bill in
>> one
>> month.  The 600 MW station can broadcast up to Egypt but the content may
>> not be relevant in such distances.
>>
>> Older technologies are expensive to maintain.
>>
>>
>> Ndemo.
>>
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On 07 Mar 2012, at 9:06, robert yawe <robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>> Dr. Ndemo,
>>
>> It is good to see that the issues of KBC where always visible to the
>> ministry but mine is to respond to your issue of MW and FM from a
>> technical
>> point as we have kept being reminded that this is more a technology
>> forum.
>>
>> As a third world country with the ambition of becoming a second world
>> country around the year 2030 we need to be weary of just dumping
>> technology
>> that someone else has advised us to be obsolete, we need to milk what we
>> have until it literally drops dead.
>>
>> For those who might not be in the know medium wave and short wave was
>> the
>> method used to get VOK to your grandfathers Sanyo radio out there in the
>> middle open spaces of rural Kenya.  If you remember that was the radio
>> which would pick national service all the way from Mombasa to Kisumu
>> without needing to change channels.
>>
>> Today the half baked radio stations you listen to as you travel through
>> the traffic to the congested city are likely to be FM which gets muffled
>> as
>> you near the CBD and disappear immediately you pass the weigh bridge at
>> Mlolongo.  You might have realised to the channel for your favourite
>> radio
>> station is different in different towns forcing you to carry a log book
>> if
>> you are to remain tuned in as you travel.
>>
>> The killing of MW in a developing country is tantamount to development
>> suicide, but since most of us only commute within of radius of 10
>> kilometres from the CBD we might strongly believe that MW is dead and
>> the
>> solution is FM, lets be careful not to follow the path of Telkom/Orange
>> who
>> at one time contemplated killing CDMA (10 - 50 KM radius per BTS) for
>> GSM
>> (2 KM radius per BTS).
>>
>> So Dr. Ndemo, before we start scraping off equipment and declaring
>> technology redundant lets carry out an informed analysis before you
>> hastily
>> layoff that MW technician.
>>
>> Regards
>>
>> Robert Yawe
>> KAY System Technologies Ltd
>> Phoenix House, 6th Floor
>> P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
>> Kenya
>>
>> Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "bitange at jambo.co.ke" <bitange at jambo.co.ke>
>> To: <robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk>robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk
>> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
>> Sent: Tuesday, 6 March 2012, 8:57
>> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Dr. Ndemo & the KBC Staff Strike
>>
>> Washington,
>> KBC would emerge strong from this crisis.  We found KBC with a debt of
>> Ksh. 20 billion.  It used be the conduit for corruption through dumping
>> of
>> technology especially the Medium Wave (MW) just as FM was emerging.  It
>> cost ten times more running a medium wave station than it is with FM.
>> We
>> are changing this.  So far we have six new FM stations replacing the old
>> technology.
>>
>> We have spilit the organization into theree, that is, infrastructure
>> under
>> Signet, Public Broadcast and Commercial Broabcast.  The later two will
>> basically content providers and would worry less on infrastructure that
>> will be supplied by Signet.
>>
>> The strike was unnecessary since we had commited to implementing their
>> demands.  I had personally issued a circular to that effect.  Even the
>> Union they had joined advised them that the strike was illegal but
>> unfortunately they defied this.  Even more unfortunate they denounced
>> the
>> Union out of anger.
>>
>> We shall continue with the reforms and improve their welfare.  It is not
>> in our interest to see those we work with in the streets.  I was shocked
>> to realize that we have thousands of Kenyans seeking for employment.  I
>> think some of you may have watched TV the heaps of applications.  By
>> yesterday we had in excess of 10,000.  I was not misquoted because on
>> Sunday I was at the station and there were more than 1,000 applications.
>> We must do something for our brothers and sisters.  Either we start
>> teaching them on areas of wealth creation or find ways of creating
>> massive
>> employment.  We are trying in our sector but we have not done enough.
>>
>>
>> Ndemo.
>>
>> > On Mon, Mar 5, 2012 at 21:06, Dennis Kioko < <dmbuvi at gmail.com>
>> dmbuvi at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >
>> >> I feel we should sort out our National Broadcaster. It's a pity that
>> >> other
>> >> private media stations have taken over KBCs position as we stood by
>> and
>> >> watched. At the moment, KBC still has good will and can recover.
>> >>
>> >> It also does not make sense for we to push for cutting edge
>> initiatives
>> >> such as Konza, TEAMS if we are going to let the state at KBC remain
>> as
>> >> it
>> >> is. I am sure they can play  a major role in local content creation.
>> >>
>> >> Having colleagues in the journalistic filed at KBC, I have heard
>> rumours
>> >> of situation where the national broadcaster's crew were first at
>> ground
>> >> breaking events (read disasters) in the country. However, such news
>> is
>> >> broken by private radio stations where the footage is sold even
>> before
>> >> it
>> >> ever gets to KBCs studios. I have even heard more rumours of the
>> >> broadcasters equipment being used to shoot footage that ends up with
>> >> private broadcasters.
>> >>
>> >> I am sure the leaked payslips of staff at Standard Media Group
>> >> <<http://thejackalnews.com/media-news/news-media/1688-horror-of-massive-salary-discrepancies-at-standard-group-exposed>
>> http://thejackalnews.com/media-news/news-media/1688-horror-of-massive-salary-discrepancies-at-standard-group-exposed
>> >led
>> >> to most of the staff questioning what it is they did wrong for their
>> >> colleagues at media school to end up on the better side of luck .
>> >>
>> >> An amicable solution is required. We are all sure that the national
>> >> broadcaster can make enough revenue to sustain a highly skilled
>> >> workforce,
>> >> given the right leadership.
>> >>
>> >> I believe Dr. Ndemo, having seeing his deeds in the ICT sector, can
>> also
>> >> be the champion credited with overhauling KBC.
>> >>
>> >>
>> > @Dennis,
>> >
>> > For me, it's a simple question so far:
>> >
>> > What is it that KBC doesn't have (and cannot afford) that the private
>> > broadcasters do have?
>> >
>> > If someone can answer this for me, I'd be very happy because it's
>> "looking
>> > at issues from BASIC PRINCIPLES". Maybe it's as hard as having to
>> disband
>> > KBC, if that situation cannot be addressed.
>> > However, KBC being a National Broadcaster means it's funded by public
>> > taxes
>> > and that is a very very deep pocket! I am not ready to accept any
>> > explanation to the effect that the govt cannot put in place the
>> necessary
>> > measures to make KBC a profitable business-case. Rumors have it that
>> > Management at KBC are well-connected individuals, not necessarily
>> > qualified, and that is typical for the govt, which is not a business
>> and
>> > so
>> > is not expected to make profits, but KBC must make profits like other
>> > Media
>> > houses. I don't understand what it is that Citizen does right with its
>> > myriad Radio Stations that KBC cannot do, having been the only
>> broadcaster
>> > before these FM Stations were born.
>> > Oh, most of KBC veterans can be heard at the private Radio Stations,
>> > especially Royal Media. Someone must be able to explain why they had
>> to
>> > leave KBC for these other places. The reasons are obvious.
>> >
>> > Perhaps the govt should just bite the bullet and shut down KBC if they
>> > cannot improve it and attract talent and stop acting stupid!
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > Best regards,
>> > Odhiambo WASHINGTON,
>> > Nairobi,KE
>> > +254733744121/+254722743223
>> > _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
>> > I can't hear you -- I'm using the scrambler.
>> > Please consider the environment before printing this email.
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>> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
>> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
>> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
>> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and
>> development.
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>> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
>> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and
>> bandwidth,
>> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy,
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>> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
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>> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
>> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
>> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
>> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and
>> development.
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>
>
>
> --
> Best regards,
> Odhiambo WASHINGTON,
> Nairobi,KE
> +254733744121/+254722743223
> _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
> I can't hear you -- I'm using the scrambler.
> Please consider the environment before printing this email.
> _______________________________________________
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>
> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and
> development.
>
> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.