[kictanet] 3 Media houses protest Majanja's Digital Migration Ruling

Thu Dec 26 13:57:11 EAT 2013

Dennis, well put.

From: kictanet
[mailto:kictanet-bounces+bkioko=bernsoft.com at lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf
Of Dennis Kioko
Sent: Thursday, December 26, 2013 1:38 PM
To: bkioko at bernsoft.com
Cc: Consumer and Public Affairs; kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
Subject: Re: [kictanet] 3 Media houses protest Majanja's Digital Migration
Ruling

The interesting issue here is that in 2013, an "independent" Kenya media is
totally unable to accurately report on its own issues. Yes, there may be
issues such as the prominence of a group of Chinese Investors in setting up
Signet, PAG and StarTimes, and as Christopher has pointed out, the
government has tried to meet broadcasters halfway. All these received
minimal coverage, with the media believing ignoring the whole issue would
make it go away. 

Rather than factual reporting and having a sense of direction, the media, of
all institutions, has opted for lies, court cases and childish boycotts. 

It is no wonder that majority of the population barley understands digital
migration and the circus behind it. Clearly, the issue here is not the
migration. 

This is the same media that we expect to counter balance the government and
to be the societal watchman. 

It is also of no surprise that the government is able to pass harmful laws
and seems to get away with anything. The president even feels comfortable
that he does not read newspapers. 

Let us all hope that digital migration will actually result in actual media
houses and save the industry from such shame and clulessness. 

On Thursday, 26 December 2013, Ali Hussein wrote:

@Wambua

Thanks for that information. If that is the case then the media houses are
definitely not acting in good faith. I suspect though that there may be an
issue of who controls what..which in my opinion is shortsighted. I stand
corrected in my assertions then.

@ICT Researcher, what in your view is my stand? I'm simply making my
personal assertions on this issue. We can of course agree to disagree.   

Ali Hussein

+254 0770 906375 / 0713 601113

"I fear the day technology will surpass human interaction. The world will
have a generation of idiots".  ~ Albert Einstein

Sent from my iPad

On Dec 26, 2013, at 1:03 PM, "Wambua, Christopher" <Wambua at cck.go.ke> wrote:

Ali,

I know that the government has on a number of occasions offered to offload
some shares in Signet to interested media houses.

Instead of taking up the offer, the media houses have instead persisted in
their clamour to be issued with the third signal distribution licence. 

Is this insistence in the interest of optimal use of frequency spectrum
resources?

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.

From: Ali Hussein

Sent: Thursday, 26 December 2013 12:29 PM

To: ICT Researcher

Cc: Consumer and Public Affairs; kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke

Subject: Re: [kictanet] 3 Media houses protest Majanja's Digital Migration
Ruling

@ Ohaga, ICT Researcher

Lest we forget

1.
http://www.cio.co.ke/news/main-stories/cck-caught-in-surprise-cabinet-secret
ary-directive-to-issue-3rd-digital-tv-signal-licence#
<http://www.cio.co.ke/news/main-stories/cck-caught-in-surprise-cabinet-secre
tary-directive-to-issue-3rd-digital-tv-signal-licence> 

2.
http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate-News/KBC-set-for-split-as-State
-registers-Signet-subsidiary--/-/539550/1384608/-/m5c6khz/-/index.html

The issue guys isn't whether the media houses are right or wrong. Digital
Migration is a foregone conclusion. The issues is how we make policy in this
country on ICT issues. And this is not a reference to the current
administration. This is a blanket discussion on the last 15 years to date.

Admittedly good things have happened and that is why this country has
progressed to where we are. There is a lot to celebrate but there is also a
lot to be done.

The digital migration ought from the onset (and I say this with a straight
face and no shame at all) to have been skewed towards local media houses as
a matter of course. In fact the first CIO article I mentioned above (see the
link) seemed to have alluded to the fact that the ministry had realized its
error and decided to award a 3rd digital license to local media
houses...then poof! Something happened again and the decision was rescinded.

Ohaga, forgive me for being underwhelmed by the Government's awarding a
digital platform license to KBC. No one on this list can deny the fact that
KBC is a shadow of itself (if ever it was a whole being). Even its mandate
of being the Government's mouthpiece is not being fulfilled. So why waste
such a strategically important asset to it? 

The second article in the business daily alludes to the fact that the AG
registered Signet as a separate entity from KBC. That is as it should be. I
wonder where that process is at...in fact I will be daring enough to say
that Signet

-- 
with Regards:

blog.denniskioko.com <http://www.denniskioko.com/> 

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