Text of report by Angolan news agency Angop
On 3 July, Deputy Social Communication Minister Manuel Miguel de Carvalho “Wadijimbi” gave the reasons for Radio Ecclesia being denied permission to broadcast countrywide.
Replying to MP Sapalo Antonio’s query in Parliament, the minister explained that the law states that only state broadcaster Angola National Radio (RNA) may broadcast on short wave. Other privately-owned radio stations must transmit in FM, setting up stations in a given province. Radio Ecclesia may wish to be heard countrywide, but it is only allowed “to transmit to an area where it has set up a station, for example, the broadcasts from Luanda.”
On 4 July the Lusa news agency reported that Radio Ecclesia complained that it has equipment going to waste throughout Angola as the station waits for the government’s decision to authorize it to broadcast countrywide. There were great expectations that the Pope’s recent visit to Angola would lead the government to allow the station to transmit to the provinces, but this did not occur.
(Source: Angop news agency, Luanda, in Portuguese 8 Jul 09 via BBC Monitoring/R Netherlands media Network Weblog)
