Otjiwarongo Bemoans NBC Television Blackout

SINCE January 2006 we in the town of Otjiwarongo have been experiencing problems with NBC television and radio.

During the day both the television and the radio have transmission. As from 19h00 onwards we do not have any transmission.We do not watch the local news anymore; the only way that we are able to watch news is through One Africa Television, however the news on that station is SABC news, not Namibian.The only way to get to know what’s going on in the country is through the newspapers.Even the radio stations do not work after 19h00.Most of us are fond of the programme on NBC called ‘When you are mine’.Even this programme we cannot watch but instead have to wait for Sunday morning to watch the repeat for the week and now that the UEFA Cup is on, even that is not possible to watch, which as you can imagine is very frustrating.Only the people who have DStv dishes are able to watch NBC.Upon inquiring from NBC Otjiwarongo about the problem, they said that apparently the battery for the transmitter is old and that is what’s causing the problem and the NBC cannot afford a new one at this time.Now my question is: Has the money embezzled at the national broadcaster got anything to do with the fact that NBC cannot afford to buy these new batteries? And what happens when other towns experience the same problem? For a large town like Otjiwarongo, it is an embarrassment to have this problem for so long – are we also obliged to pay our TV licences if we do not get to watch the NBC? Please NBC, follow the example that One Africa has set and start making a difference.We are not impressed.Resident OtjiwarongoAs from 19h00 onwards we do not have any transmission.We do not watch the local news anymore; the only way that we are able to watch news is through One Africa Television, however the news on that station is SABC news, not Namibian.The only way to get to know what’s going on in the country is through the newspapers.Even the radio stations do not work after 19h00.Most of us are fond of the programme on NBC called ‘When you are mine’.Even this programme we cannot watch but instead have to wait for Sunday morning to watch the repeat for the week and now that the UEFA Cup is on, even that is not possible to watch, which as you can imagine is very frustrating.Only the people who have DStv dishes are able to watch NBC.Upon inquiring from NBC Otjiwarongo about the problem, they said that apparently the battery for the transmitter is old and that is what’s causing the problem and the NBC cannot afford a new one at this time.Now my question is: Has the money embezzled at the national broadcaster got anything to do with the fact that NBC cannot afford to buy these new batteries? And what happens when other towns experience the same problem? For a large town like Otjiwarongo, it is an embarrassment to have this problem for so long – are we also obliged to pay our TV licences if we do not get to watch the NBC? Please NBC, follow the example that One Africa has set and start making a difference.We are not impressed.Resident Otjiwarongo