The Tribune

By CELESTE NIXON

Tribune Staff Reporter

cnixon@tribunemedia.net

UNION leaders are expected to meet with ZNS executives today following the recent staff shuffling at the Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas, said Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union president Bernard Evans.

As the changes within the ZNS newsroom officially took effect this week, sources inside the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU) say former reporter Clint Watson is a BCPOU area vice-president – an executive position – and as such, should not have been removed from the news team without consultation.

While Mr Evans did not discuss the claims or what action will be taken by the union, he said he has set up a meeting with ZNS to discuss the position changes.

“I have gathered what has transpired – I have set up a meeting with ZNS for tomorrow morning, we are going to meet with their top branch to go over what happened,” he said.

The Tribune understands that several union executives are agitating for action to be taken over the recent restructuring at ZNS.

Inside sources say several senior officials under Mr Evans plan to demand that action be taken according to union rules.

It has been claimed that the staff changes, which are a part of the company’s restructuring exercise, were politically motivated and amounted to “victimisation.”

While not addressing claims of victimisation directly, earlier this month executive chairman Rev Dr William Thompson said that ZNS’s restructuring was designed to make its television programming more appealing to the public and regain the viewing audience it had lost over recent years.

As for the shifting of newsroom personnel, Rev Thompson suggested ZNS was attempting to bring fresh faces to the fore to enhance its nightly news product.

“In order to bring a fresh focus to news, several staff adjustments will be made, including new hires to replace those persons reassigned to television production and programming,” he said.

Management had met with the affected staff members individually on August 16 to advise them of the impending adjustments.

ZNS will not terminate any of its staff, nor will staff suffer salary reductions or benefit changes as the government-run radio and television entity undergoes restructuring, Rev Thompson added.

In an earlier interview, however, one insider said: “No matter what they claim, I believe they are targeting people perceived to be FNMs. In the case of Clint and Shenique, it’s just because they covered the FNM rallies.”

Another source said: “Isn’t it ironic that everyone removed had been assigned to cover that campaign?”

This week, as many as six senior journalists have been reassigned to make way for new personnel, according to sources within ZNS.

Prominent TV personalities Shenique Miller, Clint Watson, Syann Thompson and Carla Palmer were transferred to local programming. Instead of news, the employees reportedly will now be responsible for creating television shows and programming.

Former new director Beverly Curry has been moved to Head of Research.

Julian Reid, a previous employee of ZNS and the brother of the PLP’s public relations co-ordinator, has been rehired and will be in charge of local programming.

News reporter Andrew Knowles, a former Jones Communications employee, is the first of many “new, fresh faces” to be hired, sources say.

Andrew Burrows, the former PLP webmaster, also began his new position as executive news director this week.