Govt targets 51 radio stations

Nyore Madzianike-Senior Reporter

THE Government is targeting to register 51 radio stations, with 18 licences expected to be issued by year end as it moves to expand access to broadcasting services.

Permanent Secretary for Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Mr Nick Mangwana said they were targeting to have a broadcasting station in every administrative district to ensure citizens were kept informed on issues that directly affect their lives.

He said this during a meeting between his Ministry, the Zimbabwe Media Commission, the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe, Transmedia, New Ziana and the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Media, Information and Broadcasting Services at the New Parliament Building in Mt Hampden.

“We will have 51 community radio stations, including campus radios,” he said.

“The target is that every administrative district must have a community radio station. Community radios have been effective.

“Information packaged must be relevant to specific communities. That is why we are prioritising these community stations.”

However, Mr Mangwana bemoaned delays in the release of funding by Treasury, saying this was stalling progress in implementing various programmes.

He said his Ministry, as Chair of the Information and Publicity Cluster on the National Taskforce on Anti-Drug and Substance Abuse, had a funding gap of ZiG15 million.

Mr Mangwana said there were also funding gaps for national hero burials, anti-sanctions campaigns, World Radio Day, Cultural Day and other events on the national calendar.

“Some of them are United Nations-based, some are UNESCO. All those days, for us to be able to deliver on our mandate, we need an extra ZiG2 million on top of what they have allocated to us.

“You may remember that we always have a cultural month. The ministry is at the centre of making sure that everyone in the nation knows about that, and we have a role to play there.

“For World Press Freedom Day, we need ZiG508 922. I am talking gaps here; that’s what we need extra,” he said.

Mr Mangwana also said there was a ZiG5 million funding gap towards the modernisation of studios.

“Let me speak a little bit on the modernisation of studios.

“One of the ways we want to raise money is to modernise our studios so that independent content creators can use them to produce content,” he said.

Part of the funding would be used to capacitate content creators.

Transmedia chief executive Engineer Adonia Mushosho said the organisation was bidding to have five transmitters installed in the first quarter of next year, with another five to be added as the year progresses.

“For FM Radio transmitters, we have done very well,” he said.

Eng Mushosho said they were preparing to install transmitters in Mt Darwin, which are similar to those in Bulawayo.

The meeting was also attended by Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation chief executive Mr Sugar Chagonda and Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe CEO Engineer Matthias Chakanyuka.

Source: Govt targets 51 radio stations – herald

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