broadcastingcorporationofthebahamas

For the governing party, former Press Secretary Clint Watson is a tool in its propaganda war.

As he transitions to general manager at the country’s national television broadcaster ZNS, it is hoped he will assert the political might of the PLP and expand its influence on the national airwaves.

When Watson was recruited from Eye Witness News after he vehemently lambasted the Minnis-led administration and pushed the PLP’s messaging in the run-up to the general election in 2021, he parroted the government’s perspective from the Office of the Prime Minister and he will do the same from his position as general manager of ZNS, hoping to attract thousands of Bahamians to a dying station as he promotes PLP’s virtues, deflects criticisms and advances the government’s talking points.

Expect the government’s propaganda tool to intensify in its campaign.

An anonymous source told the Tribune that Watson could assist in pushing the government’s message to the public after developing a close relationship with Prime Minister Philip Davis and his administration.

Minister of State with responsibility for ZNS Myles Laroda seemingly used a defense mechanism to deflect the appointment, saying, “I could confirm that, that decision was made by the Board of Directors,” he told the media on Tuesday after months of speculations.

“You know, the public will make up its mind when they see the product of ZNS. Clint Watson has worked at various agencies and I don’t think we’re gonna disqualify individuals because they work at OPM,” he said after reporters questioned Watson’s ability to be neutral.

The Progressive Liberal Party has taken a page out of an old propaganda playbook that uses recognizable faces with well-paid jobs to become propaganda spinners. This comes after the governing party depleted media houses of journalists and positioned them in government offices after it took control.

As the party seeks to hold onto power and aims to be re-elected in the 2026 General Election, it is increasingly concerned about its public image since public opinions are growing more hostile due to increased crime, booming migrations, and the high cost of living.

The PLP now realizes it needs to improve its media strategy, using ZNS, a crucial battleground, as its mouthpiece.

Watson’s success will be determined and graded by his ability to disseminate narratives that amplify the governing party’s propaganda and weaken the party’s competitor, the Free National Movement.

The board of directors at the Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas is hitting back at the International Election Observation Group and is denying allegations of unbalanced coverage of the Progressive Liberal Party.

The board of directors said in a statement that it “categorically denies and refutes the allegation” and “finds it to be disturbing and unacceptable” that the OAS Election Observation Mission did not first reach out to the Corporation before “utter[ing] such disparaging and damaging allegations.”

The big picture

Former Prime Minister of Jamaica Bruce Golding led the group to the Bahamas to observe the General Election. He claimed that ZNS refused to take political advertisements from the PLP, even though it offered to pay off its debt, a claim made by the PLP.

Golding admitted that his group was not able to determine the accuracy of the allegations.

What ZNS said happened

ZNS said it decided several months before the General Election that it would not air any new advertisements for the FNM or the PLP until payments were made to settle outstanding debts since the 2017 campaign season.

The FNM paid off its debt, while the PLP made only one small payment towards it, reducing its debt of over $100,000.00.

When the election was called, ZNS said the PLP offered to make a payment of $75,000 over a period of time, which would have left almost the same amount owing.

ZNS said it told the PLP that it would have to pay off its debt in full since the FNM had done so as a pre-condition to new advertisements being accepted.

The PLP agreed and the Corporation accepted the offer with the balance of approximately $37,000.00 being divided by the number of slots it wished to take, and the resulting amount to be paid at the same time as payment for each advertisement – so that, on payment of the last slot, the entire debt would end up being repaid, the corporation said.

However, the PLP soon pulled out of the deal and said it would not be advertising with ZNS during the remaining 2021 campaign season.

Talk show host Darold Miller appears to have abandoned his show Darold Miller Live on ZNS TV-13 on Friday morning, citing his gripes with the Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas.

In a video clip circulating on social media, the talk-show host asserts that management at the Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas is “myopic,” because it did not permit him to air the opening of the Turks and Caicos Island’s House of Assembly.

“Effective as early as possible, ZNS radio and television, here at the Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas will no longer be the exclusive broad distributor of the Darold Miller Live unless the Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas corrects its destructive posture.”

He continues, “Darold Miller Live is solely owned by me and I have decided that this present arrangement is not working out.

“The management is myopic and threatened to reduce the revenue for this corporation by not allowing us to do what we want to do such as carry the live opening of the House of Assembly in the Turks and Caicos Islands.”

While speaking, Miller looks toward the producers of the show and says, “He getting ready to cut right? That’s what I thought.”

Soon after, his voice is cut and Miller is seen passionately pointing his finger in that direction.

Miller gets up from behind the microphone, pushes his chair behind the desk, gathers his hat, books and newspapers, and appears to be cleaning his desk. The show then transitions to an advertisement.