The core function of the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation's (NBC) newsroom is to inform, educate, and unite the nation through credible, localised news coverage.
Over the past 35 years, the NBC has grown into a multimedia news hub, delivering content across television, radio, and digital platforms to audiences throughout Namibia.
As the national broadcaster marks its 35th anniversary, we look back at one of the milestones in its history – the first NBC television main news bulletin, presented by the late Sackie Namugongo.
When Namibia attained independence in 1990, the national broadcaster embarked on a new journey of telling the country's story through the eyes and voices of its people.
The main news bulletin was 30 minutes long and included seven local stories, four international ones, a sports segment with five stories, and economy and weather reports during its standard prime-time broadcast slot.
Among the pioneers who helped shape television news was the late Sackie Namugongo, who presented the first NBC main television news bulletin on the 7th of June, 1991. He was 39 years old then.
In that bulletin, the lead story was of the then Minister of Information and broadcasting, Hidipo Hamutenya, denying that the government was attempting to rob certain ethnic groups of their ancestral land. The same bulletin also reported the shooting and killing of three gang members suspected of robbing a jewellery shop in Wanaheda.
On the international front, there was a story on the first-ever elections in 70 years in the Soviet Union's Russian Republic, which were set to be held a week later on the 12th of June, among others.
The late Sackie Namugongo later joined the Ministry of Environment and Tourism as a Deputy Director for Parks and Wildlife Management.
He died in April 2018 at the age of 66.
Over the years, NBC's newsroom has evolved with changing technology and audience demands, expanding its reach across multiple platforms while remaining committed to accurate and balanced reporting.
Now 35 years down the line, NBC's main news bulletin is 45 minutes long, with the weather being presented by meteorologists.
Sports has its own slot and are not included in the main bulletin.