Minister: Terry is in charge!

On Super Tuesday the Minister of Information called a joint meeting of both radio and TV staffs. This is no small undertaking since the combined staff is more than 400 people.
In the whirlwind that is Mohamed Nasheed, there was no time to take a picture. He left no doubt that the transition from government-run media to public broadcasting is underway. TV and radio must work together to achieve convergence. And then he said... "Terry and her team are in charge for the next two months."
Imagine a US newsroom in which the General Manager suddenly announces that the consultant is now the boss. And everyone should be prepared to lead, follow or get out of the way.
The radio and TV chiefs added their supportive comments. The staff reaction was what I interpreted to be stunned silence. A few of the people I have come to know managed to catch my eye and exchange a smile. Badru, the radio chief, hosted a reception of "short eats" (what we would call hors d'oeuvres") in the courtyard. No time to take a picture as I was surrounded by the youngsters from the TV morning meeting, bursting with ideas.
Later, I found them holding their own meeting. By contrast, the slightly older and more experienced radio folks were more reserved. It doesn't help that one of the most supportive radio managers, Jina, is leaving to cover President Gayoom's overseas travels over the next ten days. He must be a good reporter because he has discovered this blog. And he didn't read about it on News Blues. I welcome him and anyone else who takes the time to read these posts to find out what I'm up to. We're all in this together and there's nothing to hide. I hope they will feel free to comment or approach me with their concerns.
Here's the scary part: the minister made it clear that he expects to see results. That means I have seven weeks to show a visible improvement in the on air product. Although in some ways it would be hard to make it worse, it won't be easy to make it better. At this moment I have only been in the country for three days and I don't even know where the station bathrooms are. I don't speak the language. But my team now has the power to make major changes in the broadcast media of an entire nation. Stay tuned as we start with the TV anchor lineup.