Zimbabwe could issue the first licence to an independent broadcaster before the end of this year, Leo Mugabe, chairman of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Communications, said on Wednesday. Mugabe said the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) had assured the committee that the airwaves would be opened up by the end of the year to allow independent players to participate. “We were told that BAZ would, by the end of August, advertise for independent players to establish broadcasting companies, a process that is expected to be completed by November, leading to the granting of the licences then,” said Mugabe.
He said BAZ would flight new advertisements in the media for applications for national television, national radio stations and community radio stations. Mugabe said, however, that BAZ still needed to address “legislative hitches” within the Broadcasting Act, citing sections that were unclear on foreign funding. No comment was immediately available from BAZ.
In 2004, BAZ invited applications for 15 national commercial free-to-air radio broadcasting licences, but no licences were issued. Of the five applicants, four - Matopos FM, Media Integration, Voxmedia Productions and Radio Dialogue - were disqualified, mostly on the grounds of ownership.Only MABC Television was shortlisted, but it also failed to make the grade reportedly due to lack of proof of adequate funding to undertake the project.
(Source: Financial Gazette/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)