By Frank Kamuntu
Sheillah Gashumba, who formerly hosted a celebrity show on NTV Uganda dubbed ‘The Beat’, has no kind words for her former bosses at the station; she has since lifted the lid about the frustrations and financial struggles her colleagues in the industry go through, because she suffered the same when she was still a TV presenter.
After suffering silently for a long time ever since she quit her TV job, Sheillah recently tweeted that during her days on TV presenters were actually earning peanuts despite the glamour and fame.
“Can’t wait to do a whole YouTube video about this! Young girl and boys! Don’t let the world fool you!! Being famous in Uganda through TV is a myth” Sheillah advised.
She also revealed that these journalists are working yes, but their payment is just fame, not money because many of them are underpaid by media houses.
“These journalists are working yes but their payment is not money; just fame, of which fame doesn’t pay your bills but money does, this is the paining truth,” she tweeted.
The slim beauty queen, who until January 2019 was hosting a music and a fashion show on NTV, revealed that in some instances the production manager would offer about Ugsh105, 600 per show.
“Imagine Shs100,000 for a fashion and style show lol that’s 400,000 per month ( five days a week) because it’s one show a week. Lol jokers. Some stations should be ashamed of themselves. Come on. My makeup per show is 80,000 do the maths ps; minus my outfit head to toe..Lol NAH FAM!!! I would rather sell samosas a whole month than be a TV presenter. Why pay too little for the talent you front? I used to get paid more when I was on Tnation than when I was on The Beat (music show),” she said.
The 24-year-old joined media at the age of eight and was first employed by WBS TV where she hosted a couple of kids shows during which she earned Ugsh per show.
Sheillah admitted she was naive at the time even though she moved to NTV hoping for a much heavier cheque but the situation was almost the same despite her big name.
“The first TV show that employed me was WBS and it used to pay me Ugsh 50000 a show when I was eight. Don’t tell me about who made me because I clearly know everyone who made me, my father, junior school, WBS, my former NTV boss Cathy Mwangi,” she went on.
She urged other aspiring and practising journalists to be all round and be able to understand their worth before falling for exploitative employers in the name of giving them exposure.
“I’m so proud of the TV presenters in the industry but you all know you deserve more!! You know it deep down!! I have so much respect for you all and you know that because I know what it means to chase a dream but you need to be paid your worth,” she noted.
In general, she noted other jobs are way better than being a TV presenter in Uganda adding that there was no point in being known by the whole world when you actually broke in life.
“Imagine Ugsh 10,0000 per show for style project lol, That’s Ugsh 400, 000 a month because it’s one show a month. My makeup per show is Ugsh 80000 minus my outfit. Do the maths please. No, fam, I would rather sale samosas a whole month than be a TV presenter,” she joked.
However, the Management of NTV has since remained tight-lipped about her allegations and our efforts to contact them were futile because they refused to answer our repeated calls.
