SOME Radio Stations in the country are appealing to the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) to consider reducing the newly hiked annual radio broadcast licence fees.
The IBA recently increased the annual radio broadcast licence fees for Commercial and Community Radio stations.
IBA Director General Josephine Mapoma said a few community radio stations had requested her organisation to consider reducing the new revised fees.
Ms Mapoma said IBA was still waiting for Byta FM of Choma to submit its request in writing which would be taken to the board.
“A few community radio stations have requested IBA to reduce the licence fees but those submissions will be tabled during the board meeting,” she said.
Byta FM proprietor Joe Pandwe made the appeal to IBA to consider reducing the increased fees recently when Information Minister Kampamba Mulenga toured the Radio Station.
Mr Pandwe said the fees were too much for a commercial Radio Station considering the fact that they were in Choma which was a peri-urban area.
He said IBA should come up with different fees for Radio Stations that operate out of Lusaka because they had a smaller market compared to Lusaka.
He said Byta falls in a category of commercial radio stations and for this category the fees were increased from K2,000 to K20,000.
“We are in a rural set up and only able to broadcast in Choma but how can we be paying the same fees with other Radio Stations that have a wider radius compared to us who are in one area.
“We are disadvantaged at least let them come up with a flat fee for Radio Stations outside Lusaka,” he said.
Apart from Byta FM, other Radio Stations in Choma were YGF, Choma Maanu and Macha Radio.
Why would anyone feel happy to pay such excessive fees when the pf government continue to abuse freedom of expression of independent media. Lungu must fall
It appears everything has gone up. My brother runs a few trucks out there and he tells me that the toll fees have gone up from k60 to k150 for a truck & trailer. He now spends k600 from k240 for a round trip from Ndola to Lusaka. As a result, he’s sacked all drivers and is selling the trucks as he can’t break even.
Umwana ashenda atasha nina ukunaya ubwali. The toll gates are a brilliant project. Ditto travel, don’t just stay in Kuku compound. We need to remove certain bad vehicles like those of your brother out of the road.
I agree with Byta FM radio station situated somewhere in Choma with a brilliant focused broadcasting agenda, that is Agriculture and Health. They deserve to be heard by the IBA. NOT hired radio stations full of hate and wild phone in programmes propagating divisions in our country. Hammer them.
Fees do not discriminate on content basis. Those who propagate partisan views probably do better than those who support social issues. People who propagate hate, like Michael Sata did, always seem to get a better hearing from the gullible masses.
Complaining about an annual..dont these stations advertise or they are student stations?
They don’t want independant radio stations that they cannot tell what they should broadcast – by increasing fees they are hoping some will close down..
…all the same the increase has to be sensible and reasonable…how do you justify an increase from K 2000 to K20 000…
scrutinizerer it is the dollar factor k2000 (2015)> k20,0000 (2017)