TV CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. Journalists from across the continent on a Big Brother Naija TV junket with MultiChoice Africa showed off their dazzling feeding frenzy as they 'selfie'd just about everything - except for actually reporting the news and about the business of Big Brother.

If you thought there were going to be reams and reams of detailed, timeous stories as well as comprehensive reporting from the group of journalists from across Africa who went on a week-long TV tour with MultiChoice to Lagos, Nigeria to cover the launch of the 4th season of Big Brother Naija, you thought wrong - and haven't been keeping track of the trash level of what's passing as (non)coverage and reporting of Africa's entertainment and TV industry.

What we did get were selfies - lots and lots of them - food videos, what they drank, their gifts, their nightclub escapades, their dazzling pouting and even their red carpet strutting - because so-called journalists want to be photographed appearing on the red carpet themselves these days, instead of behind the rope line covering it.

While the gaggle of journalists that The MultiChoice Group invited enjoyed their multi-day stay at the Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel on Victoria Island in Lagos last week in the lead-up to the live show launch event of the 4th season of Big Brother Naija on Sunday, you'd be hard-pressed, even days later, trying to find any story or any actual incisive reporting from any of the multiple media sessions or studio and set tours they did.

What exactly the return on the investment is for MultiChoice when so-called journalists from across Africa go on a week-long media junket and do little to absolutely nothing except taking selfies to make themselves look good, is anyone's guess.

For journalism and entertainment journalism, and in terms of reporting about the TV industry on the continent, it's however once again highly embarrassing - besides looking like a massive MultiChoice waste of money.

FOOD FOOD FOOD 🤸🏿‍♂️🤸🏿‍♂️💃.
##bbnaijaexperience19 @DStv_Ghana @GOtvNg @MultiChoiceGRP pic.twitter.com/1Uhh9o5U47

— Entertainment chic 👌🏿: @adwoaloudgh (@adwoaloudgh) June 28, 2019

Journalists did a media session with John Ugbe, MultiChoice Nigeria CEO; Femi Odugbemi, the West African director of the MultiChoice Talent Factory and students; Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, M-Net West Africa channels director; as well as studio and set visits of SuperSport and M-Net's prime time soap Tinsel.

They saw, stayed in, and got to personally experience the Big Brother Naija house. They attended the new season's live launch event and afterparty on Sunday night.

The normal expectation is that there wouldn't and shouldn't just be at least one story about each of those, but multiple stories about all of it since journalists got on-location access as well as access to several TV executives, producers and on-screen talent over days.

Instead journalists did almost nothing - besides visibly pandering social media selfies and show-off videos like opening Big Brother Naija gift boxes (ooh, 12 spices!), their meals, their drinks, showing off their dressing up for nights out to have dinner and going to nightclubs - essentially anything but covering and reporting on Big Brother Naija and what they've seen, heard and were told about MultiChoice and its TV operations.

Where is the return on the investment? Where is the duty to the public?

Is Insta-posts from TV Tour, with the swirl of FX-glitter for effect, the level we've fallen to and all that the public get now when access media forsake what they're supposed to be there for?

Are you ready for the hottest season of #BBNaija starting this Sunday on @DStvUganda!?! My #bbnaijaexperience just got hotter with this welcome gift from Big Brother! pic.twitter.com/Z468beuMB4

— Charlie Denzel Mwiyeretsi 🇺🇬 (@DenzelUG) June 27, 2019

It's hugely problematic when on a TV junket, it's more publicly known that journalists went to Lagos' Lekki market, visited Freedom Park in downtown Lagos, visited the Nike Art Centre for Art and Culture and had a night out at N-tyce, than what it is to find any actual reporting on what the journalists were there to cover and report on workwise about the latest African version of the Endemol Shine Group's reality format show.

MultiChoice literally gave journalists the experience of staying over for a night in the newly-created Big Brother Naija camera-filled house - the first time in 13 years (since 2006) that a Big Brother production has been done from inside Nigeria, while M-Net and SuperSport gave access to their studios and shows.

Scour the interwebs and try and find stories from the overnight experience or the various other productions and what was said or seen there.

Beyond the lack of first-hand reports about the Big Brother Naija stay (of which there should rightly be several), there are no reports about the design, the construction, the production behind-the-scenes, the new broadcasting set-up from Lagos, or what went into the creation of the house.

Where is the coverage?

It's as if some people were simply picked for a multi-day holiday in Lagos as part of a week of self-entitled feeding, frolicking and having fun without doing the work - which is to represent the hundreds or thousands of readers, listeners or viewers, and to report on the business of broadcasting and the business of Big Brother Naija.

It's inexcusable.


ALSO READ: From a male stripper to a lawyer and a police officer working in Londen are part of the 21 Nigerian housemates competing in the 4th season of M-Net West Africa's Big Brother Naija on DStv that is now done from a studio in Lagos.
ALSO READ: IN IMAGES. 50 photos from inside the house of the 4th season of Big Brother Naija and its colourfully designed interior.

The 2 big reasons why MultiChoice Africa and M-Net West Africa decided to switch production of Big Brother Naija from South Africa to Nigeria.

Two big reasons have been the natural impetus behind MultiChoice and M-Net's move to switch production of its reality competition series Big Brother Nigeria from South Africa to Nigeria - both having to do with the pay-TV operator's intent to improve local TV production quality and standards in sub-Saharan Africa outside of South Africa.

This week MultiChoice Nigeria and M-Net West Africa announced that Big Brother Naija has been renewed for a 4th season that will kick off after the conclusion of the upcoming Nigerian general elections.

MultiChoice Africa and M-Net however also surprised by revealing that the new season would be produced in Lagos instead of Johannesburg, South Africa where the existing Big Brother house in Linden, production facilities and production company Red Pepper Productions are based and that had been used so far for Big Brother Naija as well as the continental Big Brother Africa versions.

Previous seasons of Big Brother Naija in 2017 and 2018 were done in South Africa with contestants, family members and some Nigerian crew flown in, and then broadcast to Nigeria and across Africa on a dedicated Big Brother channel for DStv subscribers.

MultiChoice Nigeria and M-Net West Africa repeatedly explained that producing the show in South Africa is cheaper, safer, easier and ensures higher production values for viewers across the continent than what is possible in Nigeria where constantly interrupted electricity supply, hard to find TV technical skills, security issues, and other production issues make Big Brother Naija impractical and would make production costs soar.

Behind-the-scenes however two crucial things changed, that combined led to MultiChoice and M-Net deciding to switch production of the Endemol Shine Group's reality series from Johannesburg to Lagos.

Firstly, with a long-term view, MultiChoice and M-Net saw the sense in trying to expand the existing TV production capacity in Nigeria and West Africa to try and raise over time both the physical studio floor space available to use for multi-production of various shows for the region, but also over time production quality and standards.

Secondly, MultiChoice Africa decided to launch its MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) initiative in mid-2018 - a sub-Saharan film academy providing year-long internships for talented filmmakers in 3 hubs: Zambia for Southern Africa, Kenya for East Africa, and Nigeria for West Africa.

Having a dedicated real-world studio and studio space available in Lagos, Nigeria would help and provide a hands-on practical sphere where the intern filmmakers from across West Africa could observe, learn and hone their skills next to working production crew.

This lead to the decision to re-purpose an existing facility into new studio space in Lagos that will serve a dual purpose.

"Over the past two Big Brother Naija seasons, MultiChoice took a business decision to use the existing purpose-built facility in South Africa - which was not only cost-effective but also enabled the team to meet tight production deadlines without compromising on quality," Mokgadi Seabi, MultiChoice Africa spokesperson told TVwithThinus.

"This period also gave us time to start the process of replicating the set infrastructure and processes in Nigeria that we believe will deliver the same unmatched production quality that our valued customers have come to enjoy."

"The past two seasons gave us time to start building the infrastructure in Nigeria which, in the long term, will benefit our viewers as we will have a state-of-the-art studio to continue producing some of Nigeria and the continent's best-loved series, variety shows and sports programmes."

"It's also best to note another important factor - the MultiChoice Talent Factory. The West Africa MTF academy is based in Lagos, Nigeria and having this new purpose-built studio with varying functionalities in close proximity to them, will allow the MTF Academy's 20 West African students an opportunity to gain some valuable hands-on experience in various production techniques, through a live show production," says Mokgadi Seabi.

Red Pepper Productions will be the consulting production company in Nigeria, alongside a local production workforce featuring locally-sourced suppliers and in-house experts, says Mokgadi Seabi.

John Ugbe, MultiChoice Nigeria CEO says "this fourth season of Big Brother Naija promises to be even bigger than previous editions and underscores MultiChoice's position as the biggest investor and driver of entertainment content on the continent".