Cameroon: Television stations are yet to wake up

After 25 years of TV broadcast, inhabitants say very few programmes are fascinating to watch. 25five years down the lane, Cameroonians are still to be trapped in front of their local television channels by the quality and type of programmes screened. Talking randomly to some households in Yaounde, it was realised that people hardly watch national television stations as they say not only are the programmes less interesting but lack quality.

Just like many other Cameroonians, Sylvie M says there is nothing that attracts her to national TV channels if not of news events or a direct broadcast of an august guest into the country. There are even times that Sylvie would not want to watch news events in Cameroon as she adds “they are monotonous”. With the advent of TV and the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), Cameroonians have not only been exposed to modernity but tend to have a better appreciation of what they see on their local television screens. Amidst disappointment, majority of TV viewers turn to foreign channels or make do with what they see especially those who do not have means to a satellite cable.

In an analytical manner, Paul L says with time, local television channels are grappling to improve the quality of programmes they broadcast to the public. Paul L explained that before now, TV programmes were not only limited but lacked excellence in terms of quality. Paul however thinks that some TV programmes and images have drastically improved giving means for people to better appreciate what they see. But with the advent of ICTs, Paul underscores how TV channels in Cameroon still lag behind for technology has given the means to operate and offer diversified programmes better than in the past.

People are instead surprise that most local TV programmes are old bits and pieces lined-up from foreign channels. As such, the population turns to foreign channels which already show such programmes. This has made Frederick T. to lament on the disappearance of programmes such as “Minute-by-Minute”, “Dance Cameroon Dance”, etc which use to hold people spellbound on TV. Whatever the case, some people appreciate the efforts made by various TV channels to come up with local programmes which at times get the population fixed in front of their TV sets. However, there are still complains with the quality of such programmes. Some people believe that characters in such programmes are not original in the role they play and at times the TV techniques used do not depict the modern time technologies. No doubts, experts say television stations in Cameroon are still to wake up to the changes brought by the ICTs in a bid to offer excellent programmes to the public.

- March 25, 2010 by Brenda Yufeh

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Source: www.cameroon-tribune.cm/article.php= (accessed on 26.03.10)