Bahrain’s Information Affairs Authority (IAA) is to get a hi-tech overhaul to boost its edge and bring it up to international standards. [source]
What? AGAIN?!
Isn’t it high time to just bury the carcass and be done with it? Shall I count the number of times this particular call was made and the amount of money spent on it to “bring it to international standards” in the past couple of decades? Jeeze, this bloody television station must be the most invested in in the history of broadcast and it’s still
a completely unwatched and unwatchable station. And when it is watched, on those rare occasions, we see it being either completely unprofessional, or pouring fuel on sectarian tensions in this country.
So who benefits from these perpetual calls to flog the dead horse then?
Mo exotic “experts” most probably, and let the local companies die on the wayside because, well, because they’re local (say that last word again while pinching your nose as if you smelt something really nasty) and don’t have the necessary experience. I’m not sure how they’re supposed to ever get that experience if the wealth of the country gets syphoned off to exotic experts and their suggested foreign companies. But, that’s how the cookie crumbles I guess.
So…
“The media must take advantage of the liberties in the prosperous era of His Majesty King Hamad to promote national unity and combat wrong ideas,†he [HRH the PM] said.
I wouldn’t hold my breath your royal highness. I’m afraid – with all due respect, sir – that with the current structure and constitution of that organ, it is an unachievable goal. The events of the last couple of months alone are ample examples of their failures and are innumerable to mention here again.
You would; however, quite easily achieve that goal by shutting down the IAA including the not-so-illustrious BRTC and open up the airwaves for independent radio and television channels to be established here. If you do, I can guarantee that you will unleash such a wave of creativity which will make this country the envy of the region. We have the talent, the will and the experience to show the whole world what Bahrain and Bahrainis are really about. Just give us a chance to prove it. You won’t be sorry and you would’ve saved good money from being thrown after bad.
Comments
i totaly agree with you mahmood, and all i can do is reitirate your opinions with my own words..
instead of spending larg wads of cash on improving the technology, they should be spending on local talent! at the end of the day it doesnt matter how realistic the 3D animation looks like, or how many lights there are in the background or what type of table the presenter is using! its THE CONTENT THAT MATTERS!
ive watched countless programs and listened to lots of radio shows over the years that i consider great, and they had very limited resources, with the TV show using paper cut outs for “effects” and the radio shows having nothing more fancy than a “toilet flushing sound clip” type effects.. but i kept watching/listening because it was funny/informative/interesting etc..
What is a building without people?
What is high-tech without people?
What are people without inspiration?
Same story all the time. When I was doing audio and radio we weren’t outputting the crap I hear now because the concepts were better and the execution was better.
Concepts – clients interfered less and respected more.
Execution – despite my old equipment i understood the medium and how to bring it to life: how to direct, how to mix, how to listen to a producer and talk to a client.
Last year I went on holiday and my camera got sick. My friend lent me his wife’s cheapo digicam. He took a couple of photos for me. They were much better than mine from my nice camera. Why? His framing was better and he knew how to use light and shade. He knew how to capture an image regardless of the tech. My next camera was a cheap P&S and now I think more about every shot.
There’s no substitute for a good idea.
There’s no substitute for talent.
There’s no substitute for passion.
Of course there is a professional baseline for setting up a channel. The reasons pro equipment is needed are speed, flexibility, reliability and compatibility with a high-workflow environment and prevailing professional skill-sets. But it’s still all about talent, skill, creativity, passion – otherwise nothing good comes out.
In case you’re wondering what I’m on about, I hear BTV people make excuses about lack of up-to-the-minute tech and facilities.. They are missing the point. What they need more than anything is inspirational leadership and inspired management.