The Media Liaison Committee (MLC) has noted with sadness a notice by Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) to all broadcast media houses to furnish the IBA with recordings broadcast media programmes every two weeks.
The MLC find this notice as another example of the increasing anti-media activities towards the broadcast media sector by the IBA, which if left unchecked will kill the media sector.
The MLC also notes with sadness the poor timing of these IBA actions that happen during the months that journalists are either celebrating world press freedom or deliberating on important matters of improving the media sector.
Last year in May during celebrations of Press Freedom period, the IBA suspended licences of 12 selected media houses and revoked the license of Copperbelt TV. This year around the same period the IBA has suspended licences of Prime TV, Valley FM of Nyimba, Ngoma Radio in Luanshya and Kafue Radio of Lusaka.
The IBA’s notice for the media to provide media recordings every 2 weeks come barely a week after the Zambian media returned from a two- day Insaka where momentous decisions were made at improving the media regulatory framework and harmonising existing media regulations including the IBA and the ZNBC Acts. Among the issues deliberated on included the complete overhaul of the IBA system to make broadcast media self-regulated like any print and online media
The MLC therefore find this notice which falls outside the IBA’s mandate and statutes as a clear provocation and harassment of the media sector. The MLC finds this notice also anti-media and aimed at killing the media industry through the unnecessary inconvenience and added cost of recording and shipping these media recordings to Lusaka from far flung areas as Mwinilunga, Mwandi, Nakonde and Lundazi just to mention a few. The MLC also find this directive an un planned cost to the poor community radio and TV stations
It is the duty of the IBA to spend money monitoring media activities through their Inspection Department but not their mandate to pass on this cost to poor and overregulated broadcast media sector, especially community radio stations.
The MLC therefore calls on the Ministry of Information and Broadcast Services to provide clear oversight on the IBA through the following:
Appointing as a matter of urgency of a new IBA Board to modernise IBA and give it a new management team that understands the role of broadcast media in good governance and democracy in the new era of media freedoms and self-regulation
Repeal the IBA Act and remove anti-media growth clauses that restrict media freedoms, income generation activities, editorial independence and professionalism, especially among community media.
Transform the IBA and make them a protector of media freedoms and media professionalism in these times of media attacks and journalists harassments in the line of duty amidst hostile political and public environment.
Harmonise the IBA and ZNBC Acts to allow for statutory media self-regulation of the Broadcast Sector
Compel the IBA to use technology and cloud services to create online mail drop boxes for the media to quarterly save their recordings for any interested party and researchers to access at no cost to the media.
The MLC and through its newly formed Media Self-Regulation Technical Committee stands ready move forward the agenda of media self-regulation and instilling media peer review and ethical conduct in the performance of the media sector towards serving the Zambian public as its watchdog.
The MLC and through its newly formed Media Self-Regulation Technical Committee also stands ready to engage with the IBA, Ministry of Information and Broadcast Services and the Media Houses in moving forward this agenda of actualising the Golden Peacock Media Insaka resolution of media self-regulation backed by law.
Issued by Enock Ngoma
Chairperson – Media Liaison Committee (MLC)
Ludicrous
Thanks
BB2014,2016
There is nothing independent about the “IBA”.
If only this PF government was as good in governing, as it is in oppressing its citizens…
Better to close everything, let those girls go get better jobs, like teaching. Zambians misuse talents, they get a distinction in English, a 1, and go use it at Komboni radio??
Go work as a teacher and have a noble life.
Zambians never learnt anything from the closure of Prime TV …you need to sort out the governance issues at IBA, just look who is on that table on the photo; you have Kasolo who is handpicked PS by LAZY LUNGU and he is a seasoned PF cadre he looks like he is in charge there, the other two Josephine is just happy she has a job and the old man to her right is just an empty suit.
Opposition as usual are busy snoozing waiting for 2021 when foooolish Hakainde and BUFFOON CK will be complaining and crying that the press are not covering them, this is the time to push for reforms …learn from your colleagues in Kenya.
???????????????????????? IBA dont have the personnel to handle the kind of workload. Unless they are saying that this will bring about new jobs at IBA.
LAZY LUNGU has heard that Hakainde is on CB he too has followed for a three day visit starting on Friday through to Sunday….really laughable ….how did we end with this empty tin with no plans whatsoever..he has gone for a jogging event and plead with MUZ you wonder what this BUM can not send his ministers to CB.
The BUM has not flown for a two weeks in his $80 million Gulfstream his hands and backside has started itching terribly. What a disgrace..no vision no plan.
Wasted LUNGU Years!!
Sad reading. What does tjis body what to achieve. Two weeks in today’s world……
Headline is misleading. This is a reaction to the IBA s stoopid announcement. It’s not the announcement No!
Oh dear there are really Draconian regulatory requirements, the white colonialist treated Zambians better than this PF coated IBA
This is all political monitoring of wanna be dictator lungu and Davis Mwila
To add insult to the dictatorial moves of political monitoring , this hopeless corrupt band of PF thugs, they are passing the responsibility of presenting these monoitoring recordings to the media houses , after spending $ 265 million on a so called most advanced digital migration , they can not even workout the technicals of using this digital network to gather the so called evidence them selves ….. people , this is how hopeless lungu and his gang are.
Everywhere a new digital broadcasting network is built , all masts and transmitters are supposed to be interconnected for synchronisation of frequencies.
The connections are there , this GRZ of lungu is just too inept at everything
LT, There’s a difference between “2 weeks in advance” and “every two weeks”. Select recordings on economic management and send them to Lungu instead of IBA, maybe he will have a clue on running a country more than jogging.This PF government is nauseating! Kaunda was more repressive and brutal, ask him what happened to him in October 1991.
LT would do well to send its own articles even two hours in advance…. to a qualified editor! Imagine with all the unemployed graduates out there LT can’t do better than this.
Few weeks ago I was watching 19.30 Prime TV news in the lounge with my family. One clip of insults that were broadcasted on TV just was not acceptable. Surely there must be a way of editing such. No pre warning that they are going to show us insults. PrimeTV should improve…they never learn.
This is all ECL trying to consolidate his position behind the scenes. That also includes the NDF project scheme. I’ts part of the process of the: ‘7 Steps to Becoming a Dictator’by Anjana Ahuja. It’s will make a good reading for politicians and those in NGOs and Human Rights groups.
This IBA risks losing it’s credibility, if at all It has any. Stifling freedom of speech is the worst thing that can happen in our nation. IBA should leave the air waves free of manipulation. Ours is not a one party dictatorial hegemony. If IBA has failed to live by it’s objective and mandate, let others run it professionally. They should know that recordings cost money. If whatever stations record each week are presented to IBA, most radio stations will fail to meet wage bills for workers. You have killed Times of Zambia,now,you want to kill radio stations. This is myopic way of thinking. Zambia is a democratic state which should be governed by the rule of law. I expect radio stations to take legal action against such a decision. Dictatorship is slowly creeping in.
Since when has it had credibility?
There is too much false and dangerous news being produced by these medias. They should be checked otherwise they can cause tension in society. Some of these media houses think that they are above the law. They are so irresponsible in their reporting that if that goes unchecked we are in big trouble. Look at all the insults being hurled at leadership via these same media. One wonders if the media owners share the same disgruntled views as their reporters. I really want them to be accountable to what they report..
Your mindset is dangerous
Why are you people troubling yourself. The so IBA is just dancing to PF & it’s government directives.
The job seekers at IBA are just dancing to their master’s tunes, period.
BUT IS IT DIFFICULT TO SUBMIT WHAT YOU ARE PRODUCING TO THE RELEVANT AUTHORITY? ONLY THE GUILTY ARE AFRAID. IF YOU KNOW THAT WHAT YOU PRODUCE IS DEFENDABLE , DO NOT BE AFRAID. THE LAW WILL PROTECT YOU AND IBA CANNOT HARM YOU. PERIOD
Read the complaint …….it’s about IBA dodging responsibility of collecting this material them selves ……why can’t they record this material themselves ???
What is so hard about doing that ???
Do you know how expensive courier services are ??
Lazyness
.
The very fact that they have transferred the cost of monitoring to the media houses means that they are not independent. IBA must not be independent but must be SEEN to be independent.
meant must be independent
meant must not only be independent but must be seen to be independent. ..
Story tells us ‘ furnish the IBA with broadcast media programmes every two weeks.”
Headline says’ IBA demands media houses provide recordings 2 weeks in advance’
LT respect your readers. Give them quality not trash like this
Anyone with just a little sense, knows whom the IBA represent.
Yes men of Lungu