The National Communica-tions Network (NCN) will put a freeze on hiring new staff after losing over $82 million in government subventions for the year.
“Because of the lack of funding, due to the recent budget cuts by the opposition to NCN and GINA, positions will not be available. People, especially those coming out of UG and who studied journalism, will, in turn, end up feeling the brunt of it. I am so sorry, it just will not be possible,” NCN CEO Mohammed “Fuzzy” Sattaur” told Stabroek News when asked about the impact of the loss on the state-run TV and Radio network.
He said NCN does not have any immediate plans to terminate the employment of any of its staffers but added that it would allow persons to leave if they so desire. “The loss of $82 million will definitely result in some trimming of staff. How we do it is where management comes in… in [the] short term, we will allow attrition to take care of the turnover of staff because its one of the biggest problems we have, but we do not have any plans just yet of firing anyone,” he said.
Allocations for NCN and the Government Information Agency (GINA) were both reduced to $1 during the consideration of the budget estimates last week.
Sattaur explained that although many may see NCN as an entity that generates its own revenue amounting to hundreds of millions, the loss of the subventions will also have a direct impact on programming, since many were on air or given reduced rates because of subventions. “If a programme is not financially viable, we will have to take some measures to see how it can still stay on air or they will have to discontinue… we have to look at staff cost, hosting fees, ratings, finding more sponsors, increasing their airing fees or just drop them,” he explained. He informed that the network is currently compiling a list of all programmes and is deciphering a way of ascertaining which is feasible both commercially and financially before making final decisions on airings.
The NCN head used the opportunity to lambast Stabroek News along with other privately owned media houses for not publicly demonstrating solidarity with NCN and GINA. “I think it’s a shame we have not heard from the private media, one word, condemning this spiteful act. With Labour Day being tomorrow [today] and World Press Freedom Day coming up on the third, I would think the Stabroek News or the Kaieteur News and all the other private media houses, would use the opportunity to show their support for us. Instead they are silent,” he said.
Questioned about his network’s silence in 2006 when the then Bharat Jagdeo-led government withdrew all advertising from Stabroek News and during the suspension of CNS Channel 6 on more than one occasion, Sattaur first separated the two entities and defended his organisation’s stance for both.
“CN Sharma made a stupid mistake and he repeated it two more times airing death threats against the president. He allowed that to happen to him. I feel that that action was justified, because, if you are private and you know there are rules, you are bound to self-regulate,” said Sattaur.
As regards Stabroek News, he said that since NCN is controlled by government and has to comply with government’s regulations, if it had publicly criticised the withdrawal of ads, it would have been acting insubordinately. “[But] … we were not totally silent. Don’t believe everything you hear, because saying we were silent is totally untrue. We broadcasted an article written by former president Janet Jagan, where she stood up and [denounced] the move,” he said. He then questioned if this newspaper’s silence was in retaliation for NCN’s, while saying there should not be any “tit-for-tat” attitude.
He said he felt NCN and GINA were used as “collateral damage” by the opposition to avenge ills meted out to them by the previous governments. “This is an attack on press freedom when we are used as collateral damage and ministers can stand in Parliament and say we were… used as bargaining chips and no one is saying anything about it,” he said.
Head of GINA Neaz Subhan would only go on record as saying that the opposition was “deliberately taking advantage” of its majority and “attempting to muzzle” the agency, despite fully knowing the importance of its right in gathering and disseminating government news and policies. He said his views, as well of those of GINA, were already made clear to media and he preferred not to comment further.
