COVID-19: FG grants 2-month licence-fee waiver to broadcast stations
The Federal Government said it has granted a two-month licence-fee waiver for terrestrial broadcast stations in the country as part of measures to ease the negative effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the broadcast industry.
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, announced this at a meeting with the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) in Abuja on Wednesday.
“I have approved the request by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to grant a two-month licence-fee waiver for terrestrial broadcast stations in Nigeria,” Mohammed said.
The minister said the government is aware of how the broadcast industry has been badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic spreading across nations across the world and took the decision to ease the pain of the industry players.
“I make bold to say that while BON members have been hit hard by the current pandemic, they are not alone. In fact, the entire Creative Industry, which also covers the Broadcast Industry, has been affected by the pandemic that has inflicted extensive damage on the economy of nations across the world,” he said.
Some broadcast stations in the country have started informing their staff of plans to cut salary and furlough staff due to the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown
Continental Broadcasting Service (CBS), owners of Television Continental (TVC) and Max FM with its headquarters in Lagos, has said it is cutting salary of employees by 25 per cent.
“To save the job and not lay off any staff, we have been forced to look at pay,” Chief Executive Officer of TVC, Andrew Hanlon said in a video.
“It is regretful that I have to announce that we must introduce a reduction in pay across the board in addition to all of the saving we are trying to make in non-pay areas.”
Hanlon added “Reduction in base pay will last until the end of this year but if things improve radically before then, we will, of course, review the situation but we can’t guarantee anything at this stage as none of us knows what the future holds.”
AIMS Group, owners of Nigeria Info, Wazobia FM, Cool FM and Arewa, in a circular to its staff announced that it will be placing all staff who are currently at home, not working since the commencement of the lockdown and who will not be working now that skeletal services will be commencing on a Furlough (unpaid leave) until things normalize.
“This means that while staff who are home now and not working remain our staff, they will not be paid salaries for the period not worked and until they are recalled back to the office,” a circular signed by the company’s Head of Human Resources, Oyinkan Adeniyi read.
Although no mention was made of staff layoff, no fewer than 25 persons have reportedly been disengaged from the employment of the organisation across the country during the lockdown.
