NBC, Rock mum on multi-million TV deal

NAMIBIAN production company Rock Enterprises is maintaining a stony silence about the possibility of losing a multi-million dollar deal it clinched with the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation late last year.

The contract involves producing new local content programmes for television. “Rock has no comment.The onus is on them [NBC],” Managing Director Sebastian Kamungu said yesterday in response to a notice served on it by the NBC on Friday in which the corporation informed them that it wanted to terminate the agreement.According to sources, no reasons were cited for the move.Yesterday NBC Director General Gerry Munyama also declined to elaborate on the issue or how the corporation intended to proceed.He said he felt it would not be in the interest of handling the issue in a mature manner.The Namibian understands that both parties have now enlisted legal aid to determine their position in the light of the contract possibly being dissolved.The parties have apparently not yet met face-to-face to discuss the situation.The NBC has apparently also not given Rock Enterprises an exact date as to when it intends terminating the deal which was only signed in October.Financial woes are said to be at the centre of the decision, coupled with alleged dissatisfaction with the quality of programmes produced by the company.However, Munyama said reports that the NBC was in a financial bind were “puzzling”.According to unconfirmed reports, Rock Enterprises has allegedly not been paid since April for its services to the NBC.Some 16 staff of Rock Enterprises based at the NBC-TV headquarters, among them South African freelancers, were reportedly told by Rock Enterprises Chairman Festus Illonga on Monday, to hold off on shooting new programmes until the end of the week.The company produces programmes such as Movers and Shakers, Streetlive and What Women Want for the corporation as part of the NBC’s drive to up local content.Recently, the brain behind conceiving the new formats, Dutch production company Endemol withdrew from the consortium it had formed with South African production house RP Productions and Rock Enterprises.Rock Enterprises largely depends on the public broadcaster for its survival.As far as could be established this week its sole television production contract is with the NBC.”Rock has no comment.The onus is on them [NBC],” Managing Director Sebastian Kamungu said yesterday in response to a notice served on it by the NBC on Friday in which the corporation informed them that it wanted to terminate the agreement.According to sources, no reasons were cited for the move.Yesterday NBC Director General Gerry Munyama also declined to elaborate on the issue or how the corporation intended to proceed.He said he felt it would not be in the interest of handling the issue in a mature manner.The Namibian understands that both parties have now enlisted legal aid to determine their position in the light of the contract possibly being dissolved.The parties have apparently not yet met face-to-face to discuss the situation.The NBC has apparently also not given Rock Enterprises an exact date as to when it intends terminating the deal which was only signed in October.Financial woes are said to be at the centre of the decision, coupled with alleged dissatisfaction with the quality of programmes produced by the company.However, Munyama said reports that the NBC was in a financial bind were “puzzling”.According to unconfirmed reports, Rock Enterprises has allegedly not been paid since April for its services to the NBC.Some 16 staff of Rock Enterprises based at the NBC-TV headquarters, among them South African freelancers, were reportedly told by Rock Enterprises Chairman Festus Illonga on Monday, to hold off on shooting new programmes until the end of the week.The company produces programmes such as Movers and Shakers, Streetlive and What Women Want for the corporation as part of the NBC’s drive to up local content.Recently, the brain behind conceiving the new formats, Dutch production company Endemol withdrew from the consortium it had formed with South African production house RP Productions and Rock Enterprises.Rock Enterprises largely depends on the public broadcaster for its survival.As far as could be established this week its sole television production contract is with the NBC.