News / Press Release
Zimbabwe Freelance Journalists Association: Press Statement on Awarding of Broadcasting Licenses
29 Nov 2011 at 13:22hrs | Views
PRESS STATEMENT ON THE AWARDING OF BROADCASTING LICENSES TO ZIMPAPERS' TALK RADIO AND AB COMMUNICATION
THE Zimbabwe Freelance Journalists Association wishes to congratulate Zimpapers and AB Communications for winning broadcasting licenses from the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe and to put it clearly that that those against the granting of license are either sincerely wrong or handled by some dark forces against media freedom and opening of airwaves.
The licensing of the two broadcasters has come under heavy and unjustified criticism by the Media Institute of Southern Africa, Voluntary Media Council, the two Movement for Democratic Change formations, civic society groups and surprisingly some journalists.
This has been to a larger extent premised on the view that the composition of the BAZ board and its adjudication process was biased towards pro-Zanu PF functionaries that allegedly applied for same. However petite evidence, if any, has been proffered to justify why those that did not get the license for example VOP or Studio 7 deserved the granting of same.
As an association we wish to state categorically hereunder that:
Trying to condemn BAZ at this stage comes late in the day because it is the same BAZ that invited for applications and no-one contested that.
Interested parties were listed and out of 15, four were shortlisted, little noise was raised because some people thought that there was a chance that either or both VOP and Studio 7 were going to get licenses, that is, if their applications were fit.
It is surprising that MISA suddenly has decided to resurrect the issue of the constitution of the BAZ board now and it goes without saying that many outstanding issues under the "expired" Global Political Agreement including swearing in of governors, the Zimpapers board composition etc have since been rendered water under the bridge.
Practically and politically to argue about the BAZ constitution will not take any sober person further than that, thus the shouting and shouting of the two MDCs, ZASCRAS, MISA and other like-minded activist serves to confirm that they are aggrieved that their ideal broadcasters failed to make it.
Need we ask? Is there a single person who has condemned Dr Tafataona Mahoso et al for being Zanu PF who does not belong to and or act for a political party? We are dead sure that our fellow scribes and other noise-making interested parties are not daring us to reveal which parties they belong to!
Worse still and embarrassingly so, is that what everyone is not talking about is the composition and content of the applications by AB Communications and Zimpapers and the other applications whether shortlisted or not, to be able to condemn the adjudication process from an informed stand point.
To condemn and or attack in the air the adjudication process and awarding of licenses by BAZ without reading any papers and or seeing any video as Supa Mandiwandzira is offering smacks of hypocrisy of the highest order and depicts that some people just not being rational but too emotional.
Prejudging AB Communications and Zimpapaers before they even broadcast anything is too foul for anyone claiming to be an agent of fairness especially after Supa Mandiwandzira has come out clean that he owns the Financial Gazette whose content is public knowledge and some of its editors are Njabulo Ncube, a notable complainant in this saga.
The correct focus is to urge Government and BAZ to open more space for other players because clearly in a democratic society like Zimbabwe, we need more players in the media.
Zimbabwe has not only the potential but also has the capacity to open up airwaves to other independent layers.
Lastly it is sad that it appears that some of the noise-makers who are very prominent media organizations, lawyers and scribes seem to be confusing a community radio station, a commercial radio station and a public broadcaster – perhaps some reading of the differences and cross checking what AB Communications and Zimpapers applied for and got, would assist in having informed debates.
Congratulations AB Communications and Zimpapers: We trust you will do well!
Issued By :
Busani Ncube
Acting President
Zimbabwe Freelance Journalists Association
Bulawayo.
+263 9 73191
+ 263 778 230 665
Email: matigari2004@justice.com / ncube.busani@gmail.com
THE Zimbabwe Freelance Journalists Association wishes to congratulate Zimpapers and AB Communications for winning broadcasting licenses from the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe and to put it clearly that that those against the granting of license are either sincerely wrong or handled by some dark forces against media freedom and opening of airwaves.
The licensing of the two broadcasters has come under heavy and unjustified criticism by the Media Institute of Southern Africa, Voluntary Media Council, the two Movement for Democratic Change formations, civic society groups and surprisingly some journalists.
This has been to a larger extent premised on the view that the composition of the BAZ board and its adjudication process was biased towards pro-Zanu PF functionaries that allegedly applied for same. However petite evidence, if any, has been proffered to justify why those that did not get the license for example VOP or Studio 7 deserved the granting of same.
As an association we wish to state categorically hereunder that:
Trying to condemn BAZ at this stage comes late in the day because it is the same BAZ that invited for applications and no-one contested that.
Interested parties were listed and out of 15, four were shortlisted, little noise was raised because some people thought that there was a chance that either or both VOP and Studio 7 were going to get licenses, that is, if their applications were fit.
It is surprising that MISA suddenly has decided to resurrect the issue of the constitution of the BAZ board now and it goes without saying that many outstanding issues under the "expired" Global Political Agreement including swearing in of governors, the Zimpapers board composition etc have since been rendered water under the bridge.
Practically and politically to argue about the BAZ constitution will not take any sober person further than that, thus the shouting and shouting of the two MDCs, ZASCRAS, MISA and other like-minded activist serves to confirm that they are aggrieved that their ideal broadcasters failed to make it.
Need we ask? Is there a single person who has condemned Dr Tafataona Mahoso et al for being Zanu PF who does not belong to and or act for a political party? We are dead sure that our fellow scribes and other noise-making interested parties are not daring us to reveal which parties they belong to!
Worse still and embarrassingly so, is that what everyone is not talking about is the composition and content of the applications by AB Communications and Zimpapers and the other applications whether shortlisted or not, to be able to condemn the adjudication process from an informed stand point.
To condemn and or attack in the air the adjudication process and awarding of licenses by BAZ without reading any papers and or seeing any video as Supa Mandiwandzira is offering smacks of hypocrisy of the highest order and depicts that some people just not being rational but too emotional.
Prejudging AB Communications and Zimpapaers before they even broadcast anything is too foul for anyone claiming to be an agent of fairness especially after Supa Mandiwandzira has come out clean that he owns the Financial Gazette whose content is public knowledge and some of its editors are Njabulo Ncube, a notable complainant in this saga.
The correct focus is to urge Government and BAZ to open more space for other players because clearly in a democratic society like Zimbabwe, we need more players in the media.
Zimbabwe has not only the potential but also has the capacity to open up airwaves to other independent layers.
Lastly it is sad that it appears that some of the noise-makers who are very prominent media organizations, lawyers and scribes seem to be confusing a community radio station, a commercial radio station and a public broadcaster – perhaps some reading of the differences and cross checking what AB Communications and Zimpapers applied for and got, would assist in having informed debates.
Congratulations AB Communications and Zimpapers: We trust you will do well!
Issued By :
Busani Ncube
Acting President
Zimbabwe Freelance Journalists Association
Bulawayo.
+263 9 73191
+ 263 778 230 665
Email: matigari2004@justice.com / ncube.busani@gmail.com
Source - Zimbabwe Freelance Journalists Association
