GREETINGS! This time I am greeting you from our own beloved cosmopolitan city of Lusaka.
Let me begin by expressing disappointment at grave mistakes often repeated by ZNBC when presenting their sports news package especially football highlights.
To be precise, let me refer to a recent friendly match between Zambia and Gabon at Lusaka’s Heroes Stadium where Gabon held Zambia to a 1-1 draw.
It is disappointing that whoever is in charge of making the package for the news seems not to understand the simple word ‘Highlight’.
Now, during the 21:00 hours main news after the Zambia-Gabon match anchored by Herbert Mutabi and Chitalu Mulenga, ZNBC lamentably failed to interpret the word ‘highlights’ involving motion pictures of the game.
When Herbert read the details of the match and made reference to the highlights, it was shocking to see the score sheet already reading: Zambia 1- Gabon 0 just at the beginning of the highlights.
As if that wasn’t enough, they did not show the other goal! The so-called “highlights” of the match had nothing close to the meaning of the word!
In the “ZNBC highlights” parlance of that interesting game, they chose not to show the goal by Rainford Kalaba, missed golden opportunities and the equalising penalty by Gabon.
Please, ZNBC, what kind of ‘highlights’ are these or maybe you are using a different English dictionary from the accepted one?
According to the Longman English dictionary, the word ‘highlight’ means the MOST important, interesting performance or sports caption.
This is not the first time this is happening but has become a trend which is so annoying especially if one missed a match.
Anyway, that is ZNBC news but talking about the match itself and casting aside the load-shedding, it has always been exciting to get professional local commentary by Matimba Nkhonje and Franklin Tembo Jr.
Matimba and Franklin did well in narrating important backgrounds of individual players, the teams, other statistics and coaches whilst maintaining a grip on proceedings of the match.
Job well-done!
Away from football, the past two weeks this platform praised an interesting documentary by Luckson Nthani with viewers agreed with and called for repeats.
Well, I have good news because the documentary is coming your way again this evening at 17:00 hours on TV2.
This is according to ZNBC’s Corporate Affairs Manager Masuzyo Ndhlovu, whom I personally appreciate for his professionalism and feedback.
Masuzyo took time and wrote:
“Dear Sam,
It’s always good to read your column as it keeps us in check on our delivery of television services in the country.
Your last review was centred on the fresh sweet and evergreen Island of Mauritius were the Best of Africa’s DStv  GOtv  content showcase made part of your working vacation menu at an event dubbed a “Night of a Thousand Stars.”
Later you commended our production the “Legendary Landscape” done by our one and only “Mukulu Mukulu” Luckson Nthani.
On behalf of Luckson, we thank you for all the accolades showered on him for the must-watch production.
We certainly feel enthused when appreciated in such a manner. Make a date with us today Sunday September 13 on TV2 at 17:00 hours when we show a repeat of this production.
More good news is that starting Monday we will run promos of when we will televise another repeat of this production on TV1.
Coming to the column of the 23rd August, 2015, I am sure this has been overtaken by events, pardon me, I was supposed to have given you our side of the story as to why the change of dates and the venue of the Born and Bred Awards Show.
I am supremely positive that you enjoyed watching the Awards Show Live from the Government Complex last Thursday.
It is important to note that ZNBC is skewed towards Radio and TV productions while on the flipside; we are proving to be a force to reckon with in managing and staging events of international standards.
This is a clarion call to the corporate world to consider the National Broadcaster to stage more corporate events.
Talking SuperSport, we do enjoy a warm and cordial working relationship with them. We have a special and unique strategic partnership where we provide our production crew with commentators and cameramen, to give a professional touch to coverage of football matches especially as we now receive very few complaints of poor workmanship on football coverage.
It was a marvel to watch our very own Franklin Tembo Junior do the analysis during the Zambia-Kenya game alongside other greats from the African Continent, it shows that Zambia and ZNBC in particular are raising their flags higher for all to see.
In conclusion, the nation especially all our viewers along the line of rail, are being advised to get Set Top Boxes or DVB T2 Decoders from Post Offices and would like to advise that this is not a dead issue but ‘a very active and live one!’
We are still in transition and soon the analogue system will be completely switched off and reality will dawn on all of us. Phases 2 and 3 will cover the rest of the country with support from Government. Let us not be caught napping!
God Bless
Masuzyo Ndhlovu
Thanks Masuzyo once again but on the issue of the Born and Bred Awards that were staged on Thursday night, I would rather keep all comments close to my chest till next Sunday.
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Text  0955362470 or email samphiri77@gmail.com