SINGLE-SOURCING of news stories is one kind of monotony that journalists must endeavour to break at all times in order not to put viewers to sleep.
It seems not to be the case, with Mobi TV whose news bulletins are as fascinating as they are utterly amusing.
On the station’s Tuesday evening main bulletin, the lead story was about Chainda residents rejecting pre-paid metres from the Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company.
The resultant clip showed two women at a water kiosk complaining that they cannot afford the pre-paid meters. The next story was about Chainda residents calling for fighting early marriages, the censure of girls against early marriages.
The same women who complained about water meters were the same ones who were going on about early marriages. After that the same two women were again quoted in the next story asking for a police post in the area.
As if that was not enough, one of them returned in the next clip crying for viewers to help her locate her long lost father. She went on to give out her cell number and that of her husband for any one with information on her father. It made a mockery of a stranded person
It turned out that Mobi TV on that bulletin had four news items in the same bulletin quoting the same sources. The whole bulletin could have passed for a Chainda round-up.
The only other item in that bulletin was a story of the blind disc jokey whom the station said was the only one world over. In my view it would have made a good lead story more so that disability in some quarters seems to be the passport for begging
••••••••
The usual disquiet about football enjoying a Lion’s Share of sponsorship and coverage comes to the fore during this period when Africa Cup and World Cup qualifiers, coupled with the major European leagues that are in full swing.
I choose to spare a thought for the handball, netball, squash, table-tennis fans. If ZNBC, MUVI TV, Prime TV, TBN, CBC or MOBI TV were the only channels available to them, it means they have no chance of watching any other player other than themselves.
That would mean the players have no inspiration to get from international championships as much as their soccer counterparts have from all these leagues or international matches that are awash on television.
Nonetheless, kudos to ZNBC for showing the Africa Cup qualifier between Zambia and Mozambique as well as the friendly match against Sudan the week before, although the Cape Verde match which they did not show would have been ideal.
But the cry will always be for other stations to do more coverage of such important matches especially the ones played at home notwithstanding the fact that modern day matches attract huge amounts in form of television rights.
It is the way other sports are completely ignored that beats me. During the same weekend Zambia was taking on Mozambique, for example, Serena Williams was busy winning her 18th Grand Slam title after bagging the US open.
If you only had our local television channels, you would not know that Serena was incing closer to the all time record of Grand Slam titles.
The television stations must play their part in inspiring young players to take up sports as a career. Modern Sinkala’s Sports Update goes some way in covering the inappropriately named ‘minor sports’ such as dart, pool etc.
••••••••
From the mailbag, I pulled out a response I got from last weekend’s column
Hi,
First and foremost, allow me to thank you for you ardent  observation of my Breakfast show otherwise known as Tongue Thursday on Muvi TV  which from your comments in the daily mail shows that you follow the program either for observing and or for learning.
I just wish to bring to your understand that the programme looks at issues to do with Tradition and culture issues which i feel is the point you have missed in your article.
It would have been very pleasing if you gave your readers the whole general background of Muvi TV’s breakfast show the way they are lined up.
I do not doubt that you know how our shows are structured but in case you are not aware, this is how we handle our shows: Monday and Tuesday we discuss current Affairs which include the politics you raised and Wednesday we have Breakfast with the honey which Address women issues generally and Thursday is called Tongue Thursday because we discuss issues bordering on TRADITION and culture to which i think the topic you questioned was seriously a tradition matter and i for one with that understand thought choosing such a topic for that forum would be the best theme.
However, let me not dispute the fact that it probably may be not the best time to discuss that but allow me to differ with you on the part you mentioned that Me and my Colleague Ngenda handled that Topic solely, to which i think you missed the point unless you tell me that you never saw the guests who came to discuss the topic and there i would wish you gave your readers adequate information so that those who did not watch the show may have a clear picture of what really transpired.
For your information, we had Mr. Richard Mwanza, a cultural Consultant, Mr Edwin Zulu, a Traditionalist and Councillor, Mama Nyongo a traditional Councilor and coming to speak as a parent, we also had Pastor Mbulo to speak on the same topic as a cleagy. Other guests were Assistant Superintendent Yoram Phiri and we had also a Representative from Umoyo to talk about Natural remedies which is okay for the Thursday show.
I hope now you have a clear picture of how our shows run and so that gives you a reason to why we should not discuss politics on Thursday.
However, thank you so much for raising those concerns as it opens my mind personally to have a clear view of what people expect to watch.
Kindly note that i have responded to you in my individual capacity as some one mentioned in your article and MUVI TV is not aware and will not be quoted should you wish to respond to me in any forum.
Kind regards,
Bright Sinkozi, Producer
MUVI TV Lusaka, Zambia
Thanks Bright for your effort at giving us feedback
For more comments manchishi@gmail.com