My ETV dream

ETV has made a couple of changes in the new Ethiopian year. It’s changed its name (from ETV to ERTA – Ethiopia Radio and Television Agency), it’s logo (from bluish to redish) and it’s broadcast time (from 12 hours to 15 hours a day). Not to mention the controversial transfer of Tigrigna and Oromiffa Programs to the respective States making some wonder if Arabic and French (launched through ETV2) were more important to the Federal government than the above two major Ethiopian languages.

Infact, the only area ETV/ERTA hasn’t looked into hoping to affect change seems to be in Staff quality. Products of the “Meserete Timhirt” generation and still functioning with what I call “YeQebele mentality”, these people seem to be telling us to “take it or leave it” when they aren’t trying to educate us. I know not all Ethiopians run a blog and think the movie “Hermela” was a waste of time and good money. But that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve the best they can get, does it?

Now, semi binor, I’d have liked to see these changes take place on ETV/ERTA:

Cut out or Minimize:
1. The same old BeInstrumental yetaJeBu “nature shows”
2. Mindless and “yeCheretu” sitcomes like “My 3 sisters” and “Acapulco Bay ” or National Geography documentaries from the 1960’s that run for the 100th times
3. Developmental journalism programs with “yeFeTeTe” Political agendas
4. Traditional songs by Gish Abaai Kinet from the 1980’s that still make the tv set feel like a torture chamber

Put in or Have More of:
5. Sitcoms
6. “Zena Tintena”
7. Poetry readings, literary discourses, documentaries on Ethiopia’s literary giants
8. A smile on news anchor woman Hawlet Ahmed’s face