The Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe says it has not licenced new radio and television stations because applicants are failing to meet the “stringent criteria”, the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Communications heard yesterday.
The committee took the authority to task for failing to effectively monitor licenced operators, including the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings television and radio stations who were not complying with the 75 percent local content legislation.
BAZ chief executive Mr Obert Muganyura told the committee that “We gave the projection that we would by this time (have) licenced new players on the understanding that the Broadcasting Act would have been amended but it has not yet.”
The authority had invited applications for licences but ”not a single applicant has managed to meet the required licencing” he said, adding that the Broadcasting Act had several inconsistencies inconsistencies and barriers included the shareholding structure required as well as prohibition of foreign funding and donations.
The committee also quizzed BAZ what it had done to address the failure by Transmedia to provide broadcasting services to the nation. “We have tried to push Transmedia to ensure broadcasting services are available in all areas but they are saying they have problems with funding,” Mr Muganyura said.
The committee also questioned why BAZ was silent on the ZBH’s failure to meet the 75 percent local content and 25 percent independent producers programming as required by law.
(Source: Zimbabwe Herald/R Netherlands Media network Weblog)
