The NHBC

The New Harmony Broadcasting Company (NHBC) is the primary public television broadcasting network on Mos. It is a semi-public television studio funded through donation drives, sponsored product placement within its programing, and the sale of previously broadcast programing on physical media.

History

Originally a tool of propaganda and education by the original Mosi government, the NHBC and its broadcasting rights were bought out by Evanka Garadini and Gregory Semyonov in the aftermath of the rebellion. The two were journalists working for the network, and were both among the only surviving staff of the company operating the planet-side broadcasting station. The pair managed to keep the station running with the aid of volunteers and reported on vital news during the days after the rebellion, quickly establishing a reputation for unbiased reporting and a dogged pursuit of the truth. Then known as the New Harmony News Network (NHNN), the company adopted a schedule of 3 hours of news four times a day, filling its remaining time slots with calls to donate from the public, and old pre-rebellion and off world television reruns and old movies. The NHNN quickly became a staple of everyday life for the average Mosi living in or near New Harmony, and had the funding and public support to resist intimidation and influence from outside forces.

After ten years of operation the network decided to expand their reach beyond New Harmony. The plan was to create an extensive network of wired transmission towers and orbital satellites to extend their broadcast to the larger settlements. To fund this project Garadini and Semyonov opened the company to private investors, selling off thirty percent of the network to private citizens, and ten percent to the Mosi republic. The plan was a mixed success, with lines running along the Meme reaching as far as the Orasestra memorial station, but the project cost nearly double the projected budget. Reluctantly, and under pressure from the new investors, NHNN rebranded to The New Harmony Broadcasting Company, and expanded their line up of programs, and accepted both advertising and sponsorship deals.

Gradually, over the course of a decade the NHBC would slowly drift from its original shape into something we are more familiar with now. Compromises, budgeting problems, and the promise of funds to keep the news free and untampered with became too much for the network heads to resist. Gradually, more commercially geared content made its way onto the expanding line-up of channels, as did off world entertainment, and cheaply produced easily consumed programming. Mr Semyonov would die in a tragic grav-car accident in 53, leaving their voting power with co-founder Ms Garadini. Garadini would attempt to steer the ship of NHBC through the treacherous waters of corporate and private interference for twelve more years, before retiring in 65. At her retirement speech, Garadini lamented the changes that her company had undergone in the struggle to remain afloat and relevant in a changing world, and called for a return to integrity and a promotion of Mosi culture. Her parting words would become the guiding principles of the company ever since.

Programing

In accordance with the company’s mission statement NHBC must broadcast at least 40% original Mosi original programs, television and films each year. The company goes as far as funding local artists and directors to guarantee this quota is met, creating a small substrain of avantgarde, folksy, cheap to produce, or generally amateurish programing on the network each year.

Additionally, for every minute of broadcast time dedicated to advertisements or the sale of products, NHBC must air or produce an equal amount of educational programming. While the company has had trouble keeping this tradition in the past while balancing its budget, the executives have come up with two solutions. The first solution the company is very proud of, and is their long standing tradition of donation drives hosted by popular network celebrities and television hosts, raising funding for the continued existence of the network and their programming. The other method is more dubious, as several programs have been developed specifically to sell products and then provide tutorials and education about the use of the product, allowing the company to offset its quota by counting broadcast minutes of advertisements as broadcast minutes of educational programming.

The news does not count toward either the original programing or educational quotas, and NHBC must guarantee a minimum of 12 hours of unbiased, clearly labeled news programing each day. NHBC exceeds this quota by a large margin, with at least 3 channels dedicated to the news. NHBC has a shining record and reputation of journalistic integrity among the Mosi people, with their reporters historically having taken personal risks to their safety and lives in reporting the news. Famously, several reporters have been grievously injured or even killed in the pursuit of a story, a fact that the network somewhat ghoulishly wears as a badge of honor.

Popular programs

How its Done: A settlement renovation program, the most popular longest running show on Mos
Higher Caliber: Professional gunsmiths compete before a panel of experts to see who is the best gunsmith on Mos
Odevessa Empire: A fictional crime drama/soap opera set in the town of Odevessa following the Fedorova family
Midnight Makeover: A reality tv show program based on an old fable, where participants are biomantically transformed into an ideal form, and given until midnight to woo their chosen paramor.
Larkspurs: Blood and Freedom: A historical drama about David B Larkspur and the rebellion to overthrow the original colonial government
Steamy Tales of Richard’s Rock: A reality tv show following several hotel and brothel owners from Richard’s spring, with dramatic recreations of lurid stories from the town’s past.
Classics from the DB Opera: A program that films and broadcasts classic plays and operas from the DB Opera house in Barrows bounty
Stakers: A reality tv show about mineral surveyors, going on adventures to find and claim land to be sold for mineral extraction rights, mostly interpersonal drama between the hosts
The Unstoppable Detective Dudorov: A fictional crime drama following ace detective Durodov busting everything from high collar corruption to petty gang warfare, typically with at least one action scene
The Magnificent Lopatin the 3rd: A crime caper and comedy about the titular Lopatin III, his Queltl gunman companion Sigen, disgraced Court knight Goetric, and occasional fem fatale love interest Fyedora, as they romp around beacon space getting into dangerous and exciting high stakes capers and crimes
Binging with Babushka: One of the longest running shows in history, NHBC invites home cooks, professional chefs, and restaurateurs to join one or many Babushka hosts to see what they can do to prepare the most delectable dishes.
Judge Jalanea: Judge Jalanea Belova, a real small courts claims judge, presides over special arbitration cases in exchange paying the court fees and paying part of the settlement fees.
A Spoonful of Time: A popular children's show with two hosts and ‘Old man Moldy’ a talking wheel of cheese, explore a variety of fun materials to use decay effects on, in the model of a children's tv show