Bulawayo community radio aspires for licence

Published: 6 hours ago

Bulawayo-based aspiring community radio station, Youth Broadcasting (Y-FM), has expressed frustration over the latest call for community radio applications issued by the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (Baz), citing concerns over the continued reference to Section 10 of the Broadcasting Services Act (BSA) [Chapter 12:06] - a provision they have long petitioned to amend.

Y-FM director Philani Ncube said the radio station was particularly dismayed that Bulawayo was excluded from the list of eligible areas in Baz's call. "Are communities forced to accept anything decided by the State? Who won independence in 1980? It was the communities, not a few individuals," Ncube said, emphasising that local communities should determine where community radio stations are needed, rather than government agencies.

The latest Baz call stipulates that applicants must pay a US$400 application fee and an US$800 licence fee for a ten-year period. Eligible areas listed include Chivhu, Gokwe-Nembudziya, Chivi, Marondera, Kanyemba, Sanyati, Dande, Makoni, Gutu, and Uzumba-Maramba Pfungwe. Baz defines free-to-air community broadcasting services as non-profit operations providing programmes for community purposes, excluding political party broadcasts, and meeting other classification criteria under the Act.

Ncube noted that Y-FM had actively engaged in the legislative process, attending public hearings conducted by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Broadcasting Services in Bulawayo from December 16 to 21, 2024. Y-FM had also submitted a formal petition to Parliament in March 2021, after collecting signatures from local youth, urging the Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services ministry to amend the BSA.

The petition highlighted issues with Section 10 of the BSA, advocating for mandatory biannual licence calls subject to spectrum availability and raised concerns about overlapping radio stations, given the limited national frequencies. At the time, the ministry indicated that Baz faced technical constraints and that frequency allocation would occur in phases until digitisation was complete. Stakeholders, including Y-FM, were advised to submit licence applications as part of the phased process.

"Despite our continued engagement and recommendations through Parliament, it appears that the Ministry of Information is implementing politically motivated decisions rather than addressing the genuine needs of communities," Ncube said.

Y-FM's concerns underscore ongoing tensions between aspiring community broadcasters and regulatory authorities over access, inclusivity, and the equitable distribution of broadcasting licences, particularly in regions like Bulawayo, which remain excluded from recent licence calls.
- newsday

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