diff --git a/orderer/kafka/broadcast.go b/orderer/kafka/broadcast.go
index b45a4834c39..c32996f22bd 100644
--- a/orderer/kafka/broadcast.go
+++ b/orderer/kafka/broadcast.go
@@ -46,25 +46,17 @@ type broadcasterImpl struct {
 	prevHash   []byte
 }
 
-type broadcastSessionResponder struct {
-	queue chan *ab.BroadcastResponse
-}
-
 func newBroadcaster(conf *config.TopLevel) Broadcaster {
 	genesisBlock, _ := static.New().GenesisBlock()
-	return &broadcasterImpl{
+
+	b := &broadcasterImpl{
 		producer:   newProducer(conf),
 		config:     conf,
 		batchChan:  make(chan *cb.Envelope, conf.General.BatchSize),
 		messages:   genesisBlock.GetData().Data,
 		nextNumber: 0,
 	}
-}
 
-// Broadcast receives ordering requests by clients and sends back an
-// acknowledgement for each received message in order, indicating
-// success or type of failure
-func (b *broadcasterImpl) Broadcast(stream ab.AtomicBroadcast_BroadcastServer) error {
 	b.once.Do(func() {
 		// Send the genesis block to create the topic
 		// otherwise consumers will throw an exception.
@@ -72,6 +64,14 @@ func (b *broadcasterImpl) Broadcast(stream ab.AtomicBroadcast_BroadcastServer) e
 		// Spawn the goroutine that cuts blocks
 		go b.cutBlock(b.config.General.BatchTimeout, b.config.General.BatchSize)
 	})
+
+	return b
+}
+
+// Broadcast receives ordering requests by clients and sends back an
+// acknowledgement for each received message in order, indicating
+// success or type of failure
+func (b *broadcasterImpl) Broadcast(stream ab.AtomicBroadcast_BroadcastServer) error {
 	return b.recvRequests(stream)
 }
 
diff --git a/orderer/kafka/broadcast_mock_test.go b/orderer/kafka/broadcast_mock_test.go
index 6063581e5f6..acf698b9362 100644
--- a/orderer/kafka/broadcast_mock_test.go
+++ b/orderer/kafka/broadcast_mock_test.go
@@ -17,19 +17,47 @@ limitations under the License.
 package kafka
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/golang/protobuf/proto"
+	"github.com/hyperledger/fabric/orderer/common/bootstrap/static"
 	"github.com/hyperledger/fabric/orderer/config"
 	cb "github.com/hyperledger/fabric/protos/common"
 )
 
 func mockNewBroadcaster(t *testing.T, conf *config.TopLevel, seek int64, disk chan []byte) Broadcaster {
+	genesisBlock, _ := static.New().GenesisBlock()
+	wait := make(chan struct{})
+
 	mb := &broadcasterImpl{
 		producer:   mockNewProducer(t, conf, seek, disk),
 		config:     conf,
 		batchChan:  make(chan *cb.Envelope, conf.General.BatchSize),
-		messages:   [][]byte{[]byte("checkpoint")},
+		messages:   genesisBlock.GetData().Data,
 		nextNumber: uint64(seek),
 	}
+
+	go func() {
+		rxBlockBytes := <-disk
+		rxBlock := &cb.Block{}
+		if err := proto.Unmarshal(rxBlockBytes, rxBlock); err != nil {
+			panic(err)
+		}
+		if !proto.Equal(rxBlock.GetData(), genesisBlock.GetData()) {
+			panic(fmt.Errorf("Broadcaster not functioning as expected"))
+		}
+		close(wait)
+	}()
+
+	mb.once.Do(func() {
+		// Send the genesis block to create the topic
+		// otherwise consumers will throw an exception.
+		mb.sendBlock()
+		// Spawn the goroutine that cuts blocks
+		go mb.cutBlock(mb.config.General.BatchTimeout, mb.config.General.BatchSize)
+	})
+	<-wait
+
 	return mb
 }
diff --git a/orderer/kafka/broadcast_test.go b/orderer/kafka/broadcast_test.go
index 133c8b8c41f..86140ba8919 100644
--- a/orderer/kafka/broadcast_test.go
+++ b/orderer/kafka/broadcast_test.go
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ limitations under the License.
 package kafka
 
 import (
-	"bytes"
 	"strconv"
+	"sync"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
@@ -26,37 +26,6 @@ import (
 	cb "github.com/hyperledger/fabric/protos/common"
 )
 
-func TestBroadcastInit(t *testing.T) {
-	disk := make(chan []byte)
-
-	mb := mockNewBroadcaster(t, testConf, oldestOffset, disk)
-	defer testClose(t, mb)
-
-	mbs := newMockBroadcastStream(t)
-	go func() {
-		if err := mb.Broadcast(mbs); err != nil {
-			t.Fatal("Broadcast error:", err)
-		}
-	}()
-
-	for {
-		select {
-		case in := <-disk:
-			block := new(cb.Block)
-			err := proto.Unmarshal(in, block)
-			if err != nil {
-				t.Fatal("Expected a block on the broker's disk")
-			}
-			if !(bytes.Equal(block.Data.Data[0], []byte("checkpoint"))) {
-				t.Fatal("Expected first block to be a checkpoint")
-			}
-			return
-		case <-time.After(500 * time.Millisecond):
-			t.Fatal("Should have received the initialization block by now")
-		}
-	}
-}
-
 func TestBroadcastResponse(t *testing.T) {
 	disk := make(chan []byte)
 
@@ -70,8 +39,6 @@ func TestBroadcastResponse(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}()
 
-	<-disk // We tested the checkpoint block in a previous test, so we can ignore it now
-
 	// Send a message to the orderer
 	go func() {
 		mbs.incoming <- &cb.Envelope{Payload: []byte("single message")}
@@ -103,8 +70,6 @@ func TestBroadcastBatch(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}()
 
-	<-disk // We tested the checkpoint block in a previous test, so we can ignore it now
-
 	// Pump a batch's worth of messages into the system
 	go func() {
 		for i := 0; i < int(testConf.General.BatchSize); i++ {
@@ -158,8 +123,6 @@ func TestBroadcastBatch(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}()
 
-	<-disk // We tested the checkpoint block in a previous test, so we can ignore it now
-
 	// Force the response queue to overflow by blocking the broadcast stream's Send() method
 	mbs.closed = true
 	defer func() { mbs.closed = false }()
@@ -201,8 +164,6 @@ func TestBroadcastIncompleteBatch(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}()
 
-	<-disk // We tested the checkpoint block in a previous test, so we can ignore it now
-
 	// Pump less than batchSize messages into the system
 	go func() {
 		for i := 0; i < messageCount; i++ {
@@ -239,6 +200,8 @@ func TestBroadcastConsecutiveIncompleteBatches(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Skip("Skipping test as it requires a batchsize > 1")
 	}
 
+	var once sync.Once
+
 	messageCount := int(testConf.General.BatchSize) - 1
 
 	disk := make(chan []byte)
@@ -254,8 +217,6 @@ func TestBroadcastConsecutiveIncompleteBatches(t *testing.T) {
 	}()
 
 	for i := 0; i < 2; i++ {
-		<-disk // Checkpoint block in first pass, first incomplete block in second pass -- both tested elsewhere
-
 		// Pump less than batchSize messages into the system
 		go func() {
 			for i := 0; i < messageCount; i++ {
@@ -268,6 +229,10 @@ func TestBroadcastConsecutiveIncompleteBatches(t *testing.T) {
 		for i := 0; i < messageCount; i++ {
 			<-mbs.outgoing
 		}
+
+		once.Do(func() {
+			<-disk // First incomplete block, tested elsewhere
+		})
 	}
 
 	for {
@@ -301,8 +266,6 @@ func TestBroadcastBatchAndQuitEarly(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}()
 
-	<-disk // We tested the checkpoint block in a previous test, so we can ignore it now
-
 	// Pump a batch's worth of messages into the system
 	go func() {
 		for i := 0; i < int(testConf.General.BatchSize); i++ {