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UNZA Radio Faces Closure
INFORMATION and Broadcasting Services Permanent Secretary, Amos Malupenga has warned UNZA Radio management that his Ministry will close the station if it continues to violate license provisions.
Mr Malupenga, who summoned UNZA Radio management yesterday, said his Ministry would withdraw the broadcast licence if the station continued to depart from its intended purposes.
According to a statement released by the Ministry’s Press and public relations unit, the Ministry was concerned with the radio station’s non-compliance with the provisions of the broadcast licence in its programming.
He told UNZA Radio management, led by acting Head of the Department of Mass Communication, Gerald Mwale, that the Ministry was concerned that the radio station had departed from its original mandate of being a teaching facility to a platform for advancing partisan interests.
Mr Malupenga said the Ministry would not watch UNZA Radio depart from the basis for which the licence was issued which was to serve as a teaching aid for media students.
“What is going on at UNZA Radio is against ethical requirements of good journalism. As far as we are concerned, UNZA Radio is a laboratory station for media training.
“As such, UNZA Radio’s primary interest is to the media students at the University and not the community at large,” he said.
He said if the station wanted to abandon its original plan to serve as a teaching tool for media students, management was free to apply for a community radio licence so that it could operate like any other community radio station.
Mr Malupenga said as a university station, UNZA Radio should lead by example by adhering to high professional and ethical standards of being factual, balanced, objective and fair in programming.
He said the station should not be involved in rumour mongering, maligning and defaming others and publishing unsubstantiated statements and claims.
“If you don’t want to adjust, we shall have no choice but to revoke your licence,” he said.
He also cautioned other private and community radio stations against overstepping their mandate in informing, educating and entertaining the public.
The Permanent Secretary said his ministry would take corrective measures against any radio station that violated provisions of their licences.
He said while Government supported freedom of the Press, it would not allow illegality to thrive in the media industry under the guise of freedom of information.
“Press freedom is equidistant to responsibility and professionalism on the part of the media. The media cannot have more of one and less of the other,” he said.
Posted by Editor
on September 5, 2012. Filed under LATEST NEWS.
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am a serious PF DIE HARD.
September 5, 2012 at 9:40 am
OOH Vice president for UPND was featured a day before.
ukwa2
September 5, 2012 at 10:15 am
Thes chaps used the same radio wen thy were in opposition.Bafikala kasnhi tumatole twen 1 by 1.will jst go to levy mwanawasa stadium 4soccer & sex.mind u am not a poor man bai.d.i.o.t
Zeb Mpingannjira
September 5, 2012 at 11:57 am
UNZa Radio has been abused, management may be weak because those boys they leave to present Lusaka Star have no ethics at all. The host people of one sided views, always pro-UPND and then the callers will follow, Proud, clout Mr. Kasope, Bo Imbua and others, any other view is cut off.
The so called analysts like Max Muwe have also not helped the station. An analyst is expected to be someone neutral, but that is not what these guys have been, their understanding os most issues also leave much to be desired.
The advice from the Permanent Secretary is long overdue and they should just change their programming and make people know they are not just a UPND mouth piece.
How can an entire University media house espouse partisan views and advance those at this rate????
rb
September 5, 2012 at 11:58 am
the whole unza is contaminatd by the reportd faeces
Phill - One
September 5, 2012 at 12:26 pm
@ RB its true mwandi amafi fye yekayeka
truth pains
September 5, 2012 at 12:42 pm
chanda chimba III told u dat soon freedom of press will be taken away from you. freedom of the press under RB was far much better than what we see today..
muko
September 5, 2012 at 12:43 pm
How about the anti UPND Post newspaper??? … just thinking…??? hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
manu4life
September 5, 2012 at 1:15 pm
I can’t imagine that this is coming from Amos Malupenga. When he was at the Post during the MMD government, he never saw things this way.
heyshii!!
September 5, 2012 at 1:31 pm
@rb LOL!!! awe sure!!! total confusion at UNZA
Game
September 5, 2012 at 2:49 pm
Just because the radio station reminds the PF government of its promises…..u want to close… Ba Amos just behave well…not like a cadre…
BAD BIFF!!
September 5, 2012 at 3:52 pm
just close it!!!!!
Kamlumbilo Wamusaku
September 5, 2012 at 3:54 pm
You are even wasting time, just close it!!
Tupac
September 5, 2012 at 4:08 pm
Ukwa itole chikala, musula,mabolo yobe waba amafi mucinyo tonganyoko.Go to hell mathafacka if it exist.
Ukwa
September 5, 2012 at 4:49 pm
ukwa is very unpredictable.
Nico
September 5, 2012 at 6:01 pm
Mmmm.. ba Malupenga! Kanshi this hatred for UPND is real!! Just featuring an opposition leader is causing all this? Where is freedom of speech and information?? Elyo mwali ku Post you were PF thru and thru and now cabipa? Awe bane and i thought you were a gentleman? Take it easy. You have just been appointed and one day you will need that same UNZA press. Please be level headed. This hatred of the opposition is not good. Awe teifi iyo. Kanofye nimwe??
Higher Taller
September 5, 2012 at 7:20 pm
Malupenga grow up!!!! Come back to earth.. Bu PS is making you think you are riding on very high horses that make you forget what journalism stands for. It stands for freedom of speech. We did not expect you to start brandishing censorship machine guns like you have started to do. The College media are not meant for the consumption of college students only but for all the public. Stop patronising students. Now that you are on the other side you have become Adolf Hitler.
Higher Taller
September 5, 2012 at 7:39 pm
UNZA Radio lets start gathering legal minds at the University to challenge this impending closure of our hard won licence. All UNZAlaw students and lecturers and Mass com students lets gather and defend the right to freedom of speech. This is our future in our nation… not Malupenga’s
wada chovu
September 5, 2012 at 8:19 pm
Gogogogog UNZA Radio I know malupenga wants to be information minister so kwambila limo tuchawa
kakolwe
September 6, 2012 at 4:03 am
You do not need the courts or demos (vivas) to tell PS that UNZA radio is within the confines of its licence decrees. Political science studentd will learn from divergent views, not just PF or UPND aligned. So Malupenga, shut yo trumpent
mojo
September 7, 2012 at 10:18 am
Nomba iwe Amos,how do u expect the student to learn how to cover politics and policians?Leave unza alone if they defame anyone let the law take its course.chilin’ngafye ur job is very very very very veryx100 temporal under mcs.
The Sea Eagle
September 7, 2012 at 1:39 pm
The people who voted for the pf made the greatest error of judgement.Just see the choking nonsense that is coming out of this objectionable govt.who does malupenga think he is?