People will always have varied opinions on issues or topics. Hence, the statement “One man’s meat is another man’s poison” is indeed true and will always remain that way forver. (Flex Newspaper Angry At Vodafone for Sponsoring UTV’s Telenovela?)
If you grabbed your copy of Flex Newspaper this past Wednesday, 13th August, 2014 on page two of their Editorial, the headline for that week’s editorial is “TV3 Commended for their Local Productions”
I was very anxious to find out why they were commended and it was all because they had more local productions running on their screens than perhaps any other tv station in the country now. That is somewhat good, but as i read the article, i got to the line i find very very amusing, and i will quote exactly what the newspaper has written without any editing
Unfortunately, when we find some foreign culture on our television screens in the name of telenovela, we hype those series to the extent that we spend quality time explaining the story lines and to add insult to injury, serious corporate institutions will also sponsor with cash from the same Ghanaians whose cash is running the economy
In the above qoute from Flex newspaper, they never mentioned any television station’s name nor the name of those serious corporate institution, but you need not to be offering rocket science in school to tell that, the tv station here in question is UTV since they are the only station who spends quality time in explaining its story line for the telenovelas. No corporate institution was mentioned but then again, is it not Vodafone who sponsors UTV’s telenovela?
The writer was expressing his anger over how some TV Stations allocate more airtime to foreign culture rather than our own local productions.
The issue of television stations airing telenovelas is a matter of profitability. Infact, Ghanaians love to watch telenovelas more than any other local series, not because they want to but because our producers are always producing something boring. These tv station are looking at content more people will love to watch so they can cash in, because advertisers are looking at who has the audience. If UTV feels, showing a telenovela will help more people glued to their tv screens and explaining it in the local language so that those who cannot understand the english, get what the story is about, why is it not a good thing? In the end, they have the audience and they make the cash. Ever wondered how Viasat 1 came on top to number 1 tv staion in Ghana? I need not tell you.
So, in conclusion, i share in some of the sentiments the writer wrote in his editorial, that our tv stations should have more local produtions but then it must be very good, not what they doing now either than that, we will all keep watching the telenovelas and foreign series. What i personally did not like was the paper been angry at corporate institution for sponsoring a telenovela, infact, where the audience are, that’s where the advertiser will put his money.The businessman is in to make profit.
Do you agree with Flex or you also think tv stations showing telenovelas is not that bad? Tell me what you think in the comment box.
