It is always heartening to see more people thinking outside the proverbial box. While looking around Makerere University, CHRISTOPHER TUSIIME has met a group of people who are confident of changing the status quo, by looking in a different direction from everyone else.  

Mudasirr Govule (24) and Santos Mutebi (25), final-year students on the Journalism and Communication degree programme, were bored with their respective internship programmes. Govule was at Media Plus, while Mutebi was at NTV, where they were editing short television programmes.

“We were working as interns during that time, but as you know, you don’t get paid for all the work you do; you sit the whole day, do some great work that is sold for money, but you don’t earn,” Govule recalls. “I even felt I had greater skills than what I had been employed to do there and so, I felt like I was unemployed.”

Mutebi was in a similar dilemma; so, one day they decided to put their heads together and came up with something dynamic – their own online television channel, where they could better put their skills without being restricted.

Mutebi says they shared the idea with their classmates.

“When I talked to my course mates, they said the idea was good but asked me to first demonstrate how it was to work. I showed them and most of them picked interest,”

“I like broadcast media so much. I access most of my content from the phone, and with the growing number of new media content consumers, we decided to target this audience,” Mutebi adds.

The television channel, launched in January 4, 2016, is known as City Television and is hosted by YouTube as https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWjpeqj8NT9LjTWp2f6ccg

Here is a sneak peek of what CITY TV has in stock

Mutebi adds that with the experience acquired from several media houses, the two started recording small three-minute videos, especially for entertainment, which they upload onto their online channel.

Govule and Mutebi have since become famous at the university for their channel, which keeps them busy. They say that after recording and editing the video clips, they share them on WhatsApp, to attract a larger audience.

MORE MEMBERS JOIN

With the success, has come 25 more dedicated members, also students on Journalism and Communication degree programme. These work as presenters, news anchors, news writers and reporters, video editors, programme hosts, and cameramen.

“As our audience increased by getting close to 10,000 viewers for clips in a day, the demand for more quality work also increased,” Goovule says. “We needed more members who were willing to work with us at no cost because we are not yet gaining financially from our work.”

Mutebi explains that most of their content targets the youth; about 80 per cent is entertainment, and 20 per cent news, which also include analysis of major political events, weekly.

The task to maintain the channel active has brought in Derrick Kyambadde, who joined from Uptech institute in Kampala, where he is pursuing a diploma in Information and Communications Technology. It was Kyambadde who built the online channel for the TV. 

COMMITTED TEAM

Despite not being paid, the team is committed to keeping the television station online. Lucky Agaba, a second-year student on the same programme as Mutebi and Govule, is part of the news gathering team.

“I feel overjoyed by the fact that it has given me a chance to practice what I’m studying, ,” she says.
“I have found people with passion like mine. I’m sure this channel will soon be the world’s favourite, in terms of entertainment, breaking news, interpretation of political events and such interesting programmes.”

Govule and Mutebi, the founders of the City Television

Campus FM was closed by the Uganda Communications Commission in 2009 after failing to pay Shs 15m in taxes. Currently, the team runs six programmes, including a music show called Talent in Motion, hosted by Patrick Wanjohi, a third-year student. Others are Red Roses, a show about love and relationships; Art Garlore, which looks at the art and nature scene.

Then there is Kelele poetry, where Kelele himself recites hilarious poems, every Friday, and news bulletins. Joanitah Asiimire, a second-year student, is also practicing her public relations skills for the channel, by publicizing City Television on social media. She also works with the photography team.

“We are revolutionalising broadcast media in Uganda, and our hopes are high and the energy is positive among us because many people are giving us positive feedback,” Asiimire says.

She believes that the ease of access to those in Uganda and abroad gives it an edge of their competition from conventional television.

FUNDING CHALLENGES

The upbeat mood only masks challenges in the background. Mutebi admits that there are several hiccups in their operations, since they have to generate their own day-to-day activities.

“We upload a lot of content, which requires a lot of money in terms of buying megabytes [of bandwidth]. A single video requires about 300 megabytes and every time we are to upload, we end up using about 2 gigabytes, which costs about Shs 60,000 which we raise ourselves,” he says.

He adds that they don’t have sufficient equipment to produce all the footage that they need. “Cameras needed to capture videos are expensive for us to buy.”

Their other challenge is premises from which to continue their operations, but he is upbeat that they are still determined to cover the entire country, despite currently being restricted to Kampala. 

FUTURE PLANS

Mutebi says that the fact that they are graduating in January next year, does not mean the television station will end then.

“In May, we shall go home and wait for our graduation in January next year, but we shall keep coming back here [at Makerere] and talking to team members, to see that our efforts yield better results, as we get bigger in number and with more content,” he says.

He is sure the team is committed to keeping the channel alive.

“Three years from now, we want to own a studio for City Television, and all we need are sponsors who can support us financially, because for us we have unique skills that will make this channel one of its kind in Uganda,” Mutebi adds.

The head of the department of Journalism and Communication at the university, Dr William Tayeebwa, is full of optimism for his students, adding that the department is working to support the project.

“I strongly support the concept of diversity in media. The department encourages the students and will be happy to share the vast spectrum with them when our Campus TV goes on air,” Dr Tayeebwa promises.

Source   * http://www.observer.ug/