The announcement of names of successful broadcasters comes barely a week after the Malawi Chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA-Malawi) wrote MACRA expressing concern on the delays in granting broadcasting licenses.
Making the announcement in Malawi’s southern city of Blantyre on Wednesday, July 25, MACRA Director-General, Charles Nsaliwa, said the regulatory authority had received thirty-six applications for broadcasting licences (Radio and Television) in 2010, out of which twenty-three were successful.
“We received thirty-six applications and only twenty-three have been successful but the announcements have been done in phases. Those applicants that have not been successful should still wait until the next advertisement,” he said.
Television licences have been awarded to Times Television, a subsidiary of The Times Group; Zodiak Broadcasting Station; Chancellor College Community; Adventist; Timveni; Good News and Beta TV.
Some of the applicants that have been awarded radio broadcasting licenses are Central African Presbyterian Synods of Blantyre, Nkhoma and Livingstonia; Chancellor College Community; Matindi; Mwandama and Bua FM.
Present at the press briefing was Minister of Information, Moses Kunkuyu, who said that liberalisation of the broadcasting industry in the country was one of the less publicized goals of the new Joyce Banda administration.
“It is a clear manifestation that government has set its priority towards empowering Malawians through information knowledge. Government will ensure that diversity of views in the media is guaranteed. One way of doing this will be the continued granting of broadcasting licences to independent television and radio stations,” said Kunkuyu.
The minister further explained that the prospective broadcasters are expected to roll out within twelve months for television and six months for radio.
Commenting on this development, MISA-Malawi Chairperson, Anthony Kasunda, applauded government for promoting media freedom and media pluralism but was quick to ask the benefiting media houses to roll out in the scheduled time to prevent their licences from being revoked.
“MISA-Malawi is glad that the development will create employment to media professionals and our expectation is that the awardees will roll out within the stipulated time in their licenses. We also expect them to operate within the parameters stipulated in their licences,” Kasunda said, noting that this development was a key milestone in the history of broadcasting in Malawi.
Currently, the country has one public and two religious television stations. The new licenses bring the total of broadcasters in the country to over fifty.
Post published in: Africa News