South Sudan invites Diaspora to invest in FM radio production
Wednesday 18 July 2007 06:10.
By Isaac Vuni
July 17, 2007 (JUBA) - The Southern Sudan minister of information has invited the Diaspora to invest in the development of information and particularly in the FM radio, saying it is a lucrative business.
Samson Kwaje
The GoSS minister for information and broadcasting, Samson Kwje, has called upon southern Sudanese in Diaspora to take leads of investing in FM radio production in the ten states of southern Sudan, as a business and his ministry will give the first priority than other investors when it comes to issuing them with a licence to operate.
The minister said that radio was and is still an effective tool for informing, educating and entreating large groups of audience; however, at peace time now. Kwaje stated that GoSS is facing many challenges of professional trained information officers that could matches the new information technology of the dot com generation and acquisition of modern equipments among others.
He revealed that the Government of southern Sudan will soon tune to beaming its radio and TV program through satellite transmissiontechnology, the cheapest, says Kwaje. He went on saying that plans are in advance stage and by December this year the Diaspora would be able to monitor GoSS programs through the satellite transmission.
In a speech at the First SPLM Chapter Leaders International Conference at Juba bridge yesterday, Kwaje said the only condition his ministry would impose on FM owner is to allot a free air time of about 18 to 20 minutes to the state government programmes.
FM radio will cost about $7000 and addition of about $ 3000 will be needed for simple but productive installation and construction of studio. Currently there are only five FM radio stations; three in Juba, one in Yei, and one in Rumbek and they are making good money, Kwaje remarks.
Finally, Kwaje, who presented an assessment of SPLM media policy at the time when he was the SPLM spokesperson, said it was rather easier to manage the media during the war time than in peace time. During war truth and fictions are mixed as an effective propaganda and it does not require highly qualified personnel to handle such campaign, he observed.
(ST)
(Source: Zacharias Liangas, Greece/Cumbre DX)