BLACK-out, load shedding or whatever it might be called, on Tuesday was the main talking point as it affected most parts of Zambia, but not in anyway dampening the festive season mood that needs no TV!
Not a fault of the national broadcaster or any television station but due to failure of the reserve bass bar isolator 506 on the Kafue Gorge line two at the 330 KV Leopards Hill substation, according to Henry Kapata, the Zesco spokesperson.
Truth be told, those whose budgets could only allow a single television advert slated for the blacked out Tuesday night have lost out.
Anyway, it is obvious that the festive mood is overriding the devastating power outage, but it is unfortunate because information, especially news, was missed on Tuesday.
Away from Zesco Limited’s issue, this week I have decided to give you some of the biggest headlines in the year 2015.
But before delving into the highlights, let me begin by wishing all readers a happy festive season and a productive New Year.
It is not by chance but by the grace of God that you and me are holding this copy today and breathing.
For this reason, I would like to thank God the provider for the wonderful provisions he set aside for me in the year 2015.
Many thanks again go to the President of the Republic of Zambia Edgar Lungu and the Government for maintaining peace and stability in the country despite economic hardships.
God bless you and may He keep you.
I would also like to thank my huge family, especially management and staff, at the Times of Zambia and Sunday Times of Zambia for being there for me during the year.
May God bless you all for helping me build a ladder for my profession. I owe it to you.
Now, the passing of ZNBC’s Queen Chungu Malama on July 31, 2015, was one devastating moment in the television industry and Zambia as a whole.
The lure in her slow, small voice created an incredible following among viewers, more so that it was unique in its own way, and created a talking point among the mass national audience.
The year 2015 swallowed one of the much liked and well followed Queen Chungu Malama.
May her soul rest in peace.
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On August 21, 2015, precisely at 20:00 hours, ZNBC television aired an amazing documentary ‘Legendary Landscape’ by versatile reporter, Luckson Nthani.
Describing that documentary in the simplest terms possible in which he featured Angela Limwanya, one would plainly say ‘excellent piece of work!’
One would agree that the class of production like the one under review takes skill beyond the ordinary coupled with intense hard work of perhaps months.
Basically, the documentary details the little-known facts about the Victoria Falls in the tourist capital Livingstone, its islands and gorges, including the legends of the local Leya people around it.
It was such an interesting piece with a unique script with a lot of humour therein – a rare art of keeping one glued to the TV so that every detail is captured and appreciated.
The degree of creativity that was attached to this production made it stand out, interesting and watchable with a lot of viewers’ satisfaction.
This platform can only wish to see batter productions in the year 2016 as many creativity platforms will be opened.
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In September, Zambia’s leading pay TV took this writer to the sweet, evergreen beautiful island of Mauritius where the best of Africa’s DStv/GOtv content display made part of my working vacation menu at an intriguing event dubbed ‘A night of a thousand stars’.
It was a magical moment filled with #OnlyTheBest of African entertainment when MultiChoice Africa kicked off its second #OnlyTheBest Content Showcase Extravaganza in spectacular style at the Outrigger Resort.
The star-studded guest list read like the who’s who of Africa’s entertainment and media.
The guests walked down the African media Walk of Fame onto a red carpet that opened up to a sensational night of dazzling entertainment.
The event, dubbed ‘Night of a Thousand Stars’, saw all the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, Bollywood and Nollywood come to life on the island paradise, as guests that included Genevieve Nnaji, Rita Dominic,
Desmond Elliot and Ramsey Nuoah were given the full movie-star treatment.
This was where the best of television content was showcased at the beautiful memorable and peaceful island.
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Last week this platform observed the absence of Collins Muyenga on the news desk, especially of Sunday where he pairs excellently with Masuzyo Ndhlovu.
Masuzyo and Collins, whose pre-casting sessions on dress code have proved professional and interesting, have seemingly gone into oblivion!
The duo would not clutter the news desk with straining different colours to the eye, but create a comforting almost uniform look in their attire.
This week we hope to get a response from the corporate affairs manager Masuzyo on Collin’s disappearance, especially on the Sunday news desk.
There were a lot of highlights that took centre stage in the year 2015 that this column cannot accommodate, but let us end here.
This platform wishes all its ardent followers God’s blessings in the tripartite election year of 2016. I hope you registered as a voter.
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