In a recent interview with the Director General of the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (nbc), Stanley Similo highlighted major productions by the national broadcaster and how the corporation, through its different platforms, kept the nation abreast of the latest information in and outside the country.
The nbc played a pivotal role in ensuring that critical and major developments in the country this year were brought to light for both viewers and listeners at home.
“The passing of our third president, the late Hage Geingob, naturally presented us with a case where we as nbc would have to take Namibians and those beyond our country throughout that whole period.”
President Hage Geingob died on the 4th of February this year, after which the incumbent, Dr. Nangolo Mbumba, was installed as the 4th president of the Republic of Namibia.
His death while in office was a first for Namibia.
“The second one was Miss Namibia being hosted in Lüderitz. Remember, given the small size of the town itself, many people were saying it was not going to happen, but we pulled it off.”
The Miss Namibia pageant was held on 23rd July at Luderitz in the ||Kharas Region, where Prisca Anyolo was crowned the winner and Elaine Engelbrecht as Miss Teen.
Building up to the Presidential and National Assembly elections, the national broadcaster covered rallies of different political parties in addition to the free equal airtime.
“The recently held Presidential and National Assembly elections. I think in all these we rose to the occasion. And, I must say that if one has to reflect on what happened in February, the passing of the president, it actually, in a way, helped us to see what our state of readiness would be for any major productions.”
In terms of major developments, the nbc used its capital funds to upgrade some of its equipment.
“We also brought in major changes in terms of what we needed to do long before we knew. As of last year, nbc 1 and 2 changed to HD, but we still needed a few components to come in, and today, if you look at nbc 1 and 2 for programmes that are coming live, they are all live.”
Several teams have also been deployed to give viewers up-to-date information during this festive period.
As for 2025, Similo said, “In 2025, one of the major technological advancements we will be getting is between April and June; we will have 8 high-definition channels on nbc. That means that from a television and radio perspective, we will have a hundred percent coverage on our own. You may ask how much that will cost us; next to nothing, all we are doing—we have sat with the current service provider from a satellite perspective.”
The nbc Director General extended his gratitude to the nbc Board of Directors, the shareholder—the government, the staff, and the audience for their support.