Uganda Broadcasting Corporation

Last updated
Uganda Broadcasting Corporation
Type Television (since 1963)
Radio (since 1953)
BrandingUBC
Country
Uganda
AvailabilityNational
Founded8 October 1963;60 years ago (8 October 1963)
by Government of Uganda
HeadquartersBroadcast House, 17/19 Nile Avenue, Kampala, Uganda
Parent Uganda Ministry of Information and Communications Technology
Launch date
October 8, 1963 (1963-10-08)
Former names
Radio Uganda (1954-2006)
Uganda Television (UTV; 1963-2006)
Picture format
 720p (HDTV)
Affiliates Magic 1, Star TV, Bryan Morel Publications, U24 and Ugospel.
Official website
 ubc.go.ug
Language English

Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) is the public broadcaster network of Uganda. It was founded as a result of the "Uganda Broadcasting Corporation Act, 2004", which merged the operations of Uganda Television (UTV) and Radio Uganda. It started broadcasting on November 16, 2005. [1]

Contents

The Uganda Broadcasting Corporation Act stated that the UBC should be funded by the levying of a television licence fee. Collection of a licence fee set at USh  20,000/= (around €8.40 or US$10.80) started in 2005. However, collection was subsequently halted by President Yoweri Museveni. There has since been pressure to reinstate the licence fee to maintain UBC's independence. [2] UBC operates the UBC TV channel and five radio stations. [1]

Until May 2011, Edward Musinguzi was the managing director. He was fired along with all of the governing board for "massive corruption" involving unpaid salaries, the sale of land owned by the corporation, and advertisements sold during the 2010 World Cup. [1]

Location

The broadcast studios and main offices of UBC are located at plot 17–19 Nile Avenue, Nakasero Hill, in Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. The geographic coordinates of Uganda Broadcasting Corporation headquarters are: 0°18'59.0"N, 32°35'21.0"E (Latitude:0.316389; Longitude:32.589167). [3]

History

Radio Uganda

The British colonial administration set up the Uganda Broadcasting Service in 1954. The primary goal was to support the colonial agenda of the then-current government. The station primarily broadcast news from the external service of the BBC and other programmes. UBS was also instrumental in silencing the pro-independence movement at the time. After independence, UBS was renamed Radio Uganda. [4] Up until the 1980s, both radio and television units were seen as government mouthpieces. [4]

Uganda Television

In 1963, a year after the independence of Uganda, Uganda Television service was set up. Much like the Uganda Broadcasting Service that came before, the station was built with European engineers. The station was initially housed at the Nakasero facilities, that were later demolished to make room for a Hilton hotel. [5] Bob Astles was appointed head of the outside broadcast unit in 1963, [6] a position he held until 1971 when Idi Amin took over the government. Amin wanted Astles to continue working for UTV, but was subsequently refused as Astles supported Obote and was subsequently jailed. [7]

Idi Amin's rule oversaw massive changes to Uganda Television, which was his first target. UTV was already a propaganda tool for the Obote government, something that was heavily retooled under the new leader. Network head Aggrey Awori was beaten up and fled to Kenya, his deputee James Bwogi took his place. He demanded to reform the broadcaster with the aim of introducing current affairs programmes reflective of his plan to make UTV a medium of discussion. Thanks to his reorganisation, UTV started housing opinions from "an increasing number of people", often showing opinions that never pleased Amin. Subsequently he was abducted and Amin reformulated UTV again. The main news lasted for one hour, in four languages, English, Swahili, French and Arabic, per a presidential decree, even though French and Arabic were never official languages in the country. [8]

Passage of the UBC Act and early years of the new corporation

The new UBC was formally launched on 19 April 2006 under the new corporate tagline "Bigger, Better". [9] The channel was also made available on the JumpTV platform shortly after, aiming at the diaspora. [10]

Re-organization

When he assumed office in 2016, Frank Tumwebaze, the Information and ICT Minister, established an ad-hoc committee to look into the affairs of the broadcaster. The ad-hoc committee found that UBC was in debt and had too many employees, whom it paid poorly and utilized them sub-optimally, among other infractions. [11]

A team was set up to address the short-comings. The pay-roll was reduced from 525 to 349 people. To weed out the 176 who need to be let go, all 525 members of staff were instructed to re-apply, if interested. Those who opt for retirement or early retirement would be provided with appropriate retirement packages. [11]

The changes, which were expected to take effect starting July 2018, were projected to reduce the wage bill from USh 4.5 billion (approximately US$1.25 million) annually to USh 3.5 billion (approximately US$955,000). [11]

In October 2018, the company hired Maurice Mugisha, formerly "Head of News Production" at NTV Uganda, to serve as its new Deputy Managing Director. [12]

Operations

The Uganda Broadcasting Corporation owns five radio stations, three of them general and two of them exclusively over FM (Star FM in Luganda and Magic FM which started in mid-2008). The three core networks were the Red network (North/West Nile, in English, Alur, Kakwa, Kinubi, Lugbara, Madi and Luo), the Blue network (Central/Southern, in Runyoro-Rutoro, Luganda, Rwamba, Rukonzo, Urufumbira and Ruruli) and the Butebo network (East/Northeast, in Lusoka, Nyakarimojong, Ateso, Kumam, Lumasaba, Lunyole-Lusamia, Lugwe, Adhola, Kupsabiny and Lugwere). These networks are grouped according to the primary languages spoken in their respective areas. [4]

UBC operates one television channel, UBC TV. As of the late 2000s, the channel's terrestrial network was received in 60% of the country, the widest coverage compared to its private competitors. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kampala</span> Capital and the largest city of Uganda

Kampala is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,600 (2020) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Rubaga Division.

There are a number of systems of communication in Uganda, including a system of telephony, radio and television broadcasts, internet, mail, and several newspapers. The use of phones and the internet in Uganda has rapidly increased in the last few years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Idi Amin</span> President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979

Idi Amin Dada Oumee was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. He ruled as a military dictator and is considered one of the most brutal despots in modern world history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milton Obote</span> Ugandan prime minister and president (1925–2005)

Apollo Milton Obote was a Ugandan politician who served as the second prime minister of Uganda from 1962 to 1966 and the second president of Uganda from 1966 to 1971 and later from 1980 to 1985.

John Ssebaana Kizito was a Ugandan businessman, economist and politician. He was the president of the Democratic Party (DP) in Uganda from 2005 to 2010. Kizito was a member of the University Council of Ndejje University. He was reported to be one of the wealthiest people in Uganda, having sizable holdings in real estate and insurance.

Robert Astles, BEM was a British soldier and colonial officer who lived in Uganda and became an associate of presidents Milton Obote and Idi Amin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fall of Kampala</span> Battle in the Uganda–Tanzania War, April 1979

The Fall of Kampala, also known as the Liberation of Kampala, was a battle during the Uganda–Tanzania War in 1979, in which the combined forces of Tanzania and the Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF) attacked and captured the Ugandan capital, Kampala. As a result, Ugandan President Idi Amin was deposed, his forces were scattered, and a UNLF government was installed.

The 1971 Ugandan coup d'état was a military coup d'état executed by the Ugandan military, led by general Idi Amin, against the government of President Milton Obote on 25 January 1971. The seizure of power took place while Obote was abroad attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Singapore. Amin was afraid that Obote might dismiss him, and installed himself as dictator.

Kikosi Maalum, also known as the Special Battalion or the grand coalition, was a militia of Ugandan exiles formed in Tanzania to fight against the regime of Idi Amin. The unit was founded by and loyal to former Ugandan President Milton Obote, and served as his de facto private army. It was commanded by former army officers David Oyite-Ojok, and Tito Okello. Kikosi Maalum took part in the Uganda–Tanzania War, fighting alongside the Tanzanian military against Amin's forces. In course of this conflict, the militia was nominally unified with other Ugandan rebel groups, forming the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) in 1979. After the fall of Amin's regime and Obote's return to power, Kikosi Maalum became the core of Uganda's new national army.

TrueVisions is the biggest provider of a cable analog television (CAtv) and digital satellite television (DStv) gateway operator’s in Thailand. So, TrueVisions is one of subsidiaries business department of True Corporation. Until February 2007, it was formerly known as United Broadcasting Corporation (UBC), United Television Cable Network (UTV) under MCOT licensed and International Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) under CAT Telecom licensed

Before Uganda's independence in 1962, the main banks in Uganda were Barclays ; Grindlays, Standard Bank and the Bank of Baroda from India. The currency was issued by the East African Currency Board, a London-based body. In 1966, the Bank of Uganda (BoU), which controlled the issue of currency and managed foreign exchange reserves, became the central bank and national banking regulator. The government-owned Uganda Commercial Bank and the Uganda Development Bank were launched in the 1960s. The Uganda Development Bank is a state-owned development finance institution, which channeled loans from international sources into Ugandan enterprises and administered most of the development loans made to Uganda.

The National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) is a water supply and sanitation company in Uganda. It is wholly owned by the government of Uganda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Absa Bank Uganda Limited</span> Commercial bank in Uganda

Absa Bank Uganda Limited, formerly known as Barclays Bank of Uganda Limited, is a commercial bank in Uganda. It is licensed by the Bank of Uganda, the central bank and national banking regulator. The bank is a subsidiary of Absa Group Limited, a financial services conglomerate, based in South Africa, with banking subsidiaries in 12 African countries and representative offices in two other African countries. Absa Bank Group, whose shares trade on the JSE Limited, was reported to have total assets in excess of US$91 billion, as of October 2019. 

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheraton Kampala Hotel</span> Building in Kampala, Uganda

The Sheraton Kampala Hotel is a hotel in Kampala, the capital of Uganda and its largest city. It is one of the three Five star hotels in Kampala, as rated by the Uganda Tourism Board in June 2015.

Jehoash Ssibakyalyawo Mayanja Nkangi or Joash Mayanja Nkangi was a Ugandan lawyer, civil servant and politician. At the time of his death, he was the immediate past chairman of the Uganda Land Commission. He previously served as a cabinet minister in several ministries in the Cabinet of Uganda.

Irene Birungi Mugisha, is a Ugandan entrepreneur, broadcaster, and columnist who works as a private secretary for the administration at the office of the president of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, effective September 2017.

Josephine Karungi, is a Ugandan journalist and television personality who works as a media and communications consultant at the World Bank Uganda, based at their offices in Kampala, Uganda's capital city. Before that, from 1 October 2018 until 30 March 2021, she served as Head of News, at NTV Uganda, in acting capacity. In that role, she reported directly to the general manager, Editorial, Daniel Kalinaki.

Maurice Herbert Mugisha, is a Ugandan journalist, broadcaster and corporate executive who works as the deputy managing director of the government-owned media company, Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC), effective October 2018.

Andrew Joet Mukooza was a Ugandan military officer who served as the last head of the Uganda Army Air Force before its destruction during the Uganda–Tanzania War of 1978–79. Born in eastern Uganda, Mukooza joined the air force during the presidency of Milton Obote. In 1971, army commander Idi Amin assumed power in Uganda. Mukooza stayed firmly loyal to Amin's regime, and consequently rose in the ranks. He possibly helped Amin to defeat a coup attempt in 1977, drawing the ire of Uganda's opposition. When the Uganda–Tanzania War broke out, Mukooza initially flew missions as fighter pilot and became head of the Uganda Army Air Force when the latter began to disintegrate amid combat losses, defections, and desertions. Following the defeat of Amin, Mukooza surrendered to the new Tanzanian-backed government of Uganda, but was murdered under uncertain circumstances.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Olupot, Milton (21 May 2011). "Broadcasting Corporation Managing Director Sacked". New Vision via AllAfrica.com . Kampala. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  2. ↑ Mufumba, Isaac (7 August 2006). "Uganda: Scribes Call for Reconsideration of TV Fees". Daily Monitor via AllAfrica.com . Kampala. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  3. ↑ Google (24 April 2018). "Location of the Headquarters of Uganda Broadcasting Corporation" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "On Air: Uganda" (PDF). Open Societies Foundation. 1 July 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  5. ↑ "UBC's 50-year long journey". Monitor. 9 January 2021. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  6. ↑ "Bob Astles". New Vision. 23 January 2013. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  7. ↑ "Bob Astles – The years of terror with President Amin". Paul Vallely. 10 December 1985. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  8. ↑ Kabeba, Don (1979). "Uganda: No Censors Needed". Index on Censorship. 8 (2): 18–21. doi:10.1080/03064227908532896. S2CID   143863530. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  9. ↑ "Bigger, Better UBC". New Vision. 24 April 2006. Archived from the original on 19 December 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  10. ↑ "Uganda: Diaspora to Watch UBC". AllAfrica. 24 April 2006. Archived from the original on 2 May 2006. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 Misairi Thembo Kahiungu (24 April 2018). "350 jobs up for grabs as govt restructures UBC". Daily Monitor . Kampala. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  12. ↑ Agencies (12 October 2018). "Revamp: Uganda National Broadcasting Television poaches NTV's Maurice Mugisha". Kampala: PML Daily. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.