The Tribune

By SANCHESKA BROWN Tribune Staff Reporter sbrown@tribunemedia.net OFFICIALS at the Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas signed contracts worth $5 million yesterday to upgrade ZNS Television from an analog broadcasting system to high definition. Kit Digital, a publicly traded digital integration company, has been awarded a $2.4 million contract to design, engineer and install ZNS' new digital television facility in New Providence. An additional $2.6 million will be used to purchase a mobile TV vehicle, upgrade ZNS facilities in Grand Bahama, carry out supplemental works necessary to accommodate the upgrade, and conduct staff training. Minister Tommy Turnquest, who has oversight of public broadcasting, said ZNS will now be able to operate with digital television equipment to provide its national audience with video and audio quality in keeping with international industry standards. "The digitalisation transformation of television will enhance ZNS' brand identity, provide a significant improvement in productivity, workflow and creativity, while also enhancing professionalism," he said. "It is also anticipated that this digital upgrade will improve the quality of on-air presentations, reduce operational and maintenance costs and increase ZNS' capacity to produce quality local programmes. Bahamians everywhere should benefit from the improved digital television quality." Mr Turnquest said particular attention will be paid to the training and development of the corporation's staff to enable them to take advantage of the new digital technology. "This new upgrade not only satisfies the FNM's 2007 Manifesto commitment to transform ZNS into a 21st century multimedia corporation, but advances the governments objective of causing ZNS to become a producer of local programming, using the works of Bahamian writers, directors, artists, musicians, producers and technicians," he said. The last upgrade of ZNS television equipment was in 1997. At that time, the government spent $4 million. Mr Turnquest admitted that for many years, ZNS spent twice as much as it earned, and was over staffed, millions of dollars in debt and unable to raise capital on its own. Last year, in an effort to reduce costs, the Broadcasting Corporation laid off more than 80 employees. Since then, Mr Turnquest said, the board at ZNS has been given a mandate to make the corporation more functional, more cost-effective and more accountable than it has ever been. No longer will there be managers at ZNS with very few or no employees to manage, the minister said.