On 24 January 2000, the privately owned Radio Phoenix announced it was discontinuing a sponsored phone-in programme, “Let the People Speak”, allegedly because of pressure from the Ministry of Information and other people. The twice-weekly talk show, which is sponsored by Inter-Africa Network for Human Rights and Development (AFRONET), went on air on 11 January […]
On 24 January 2000, the privately owned Radio Phoenix announced it was
discontinuing a sponsored phone-in programme, “Let the People Speak”, allegedly because of pressure from the Ministry of Information and other people.
The twice-weekly talk show, which is sponsored by Inter-Africa Network for Human Rights and Development (AFRONET), went on air on 11 January and was due to run for 10 weeks. The couple of programmes that had been aired so far had all focussed on a strike and subsequent dismissal of medical doctors in Lusaka and Kitwe.
In a letter dated 24 January, Radio Phoenix general manager Elizabeth Pemba informed AFRONET that the talk show was being scrapped because of “several hiccups”, namely the refusal by Ministry of Health officials to appear on the same panel with striking doctors who had been fired.
“Several hiccups have been experienced along the way which attracted the public’s request for variety and also the intervention of the Ministry of Information and several public demands requesting the panel to be balanced with input from the Central Board of Health or the Health Ministry,” Pemba said.
Pemba explained that a number of invitations extended to the Ministry of Health to participate in the discussions had gone unanswered and as a result only the striking doctors’ view was being broadcast to the public, a situation which the station considered “unacceptable”.
“We feel this one sided representation is unacceptable and we have therefore decided to discontinue the series because the resident doctors on the other hand have exhausted their list of demands. The ministry’s refusal to proceed any further on the same panel as the doctors won’t offer us any tangible input,” she said. She further informed AFRONET that the last programme would be aired on 26 January, “with a final overview from the ministry (of health) and no participation from the resident doctors or the public”.
However, AFRONET Executive Director Ngande Mwanajiti said in reply that it was surprising that Radio Phoenix had arbitrarily decided to end the programme. “We find it odd that AFRONET being the organisation that contracted you to air this programme were not informed of your
concerns, as we would not have been against more participation from the Central Board of Health or the Ministry of Health,” he said.
He explained that “Let the People Talk” was designed to give everyone concerned with the strike, including the government, an opportunity to explain their position. If the government refused to participate then they only had themselves to blame for the perceived one-sidedness in the show. He rejected Pemba’s proposal that the final programme should feature only officials from the Ministry of Health with no participation from the public, saying if it went ahead, his organisation would not shoulder the cost.
Radio Phoenix Managing Director Errol Hickey confirmed to the Zambia Independent Media Association (ZIMA/MISA-Zambia), that he and Pemba had been to the Ministry of Information office where concerns were raised about the programme’s perceived bias. However, he added that the visit was part of normal consultations with the ministry over the station’s expansion programme.
“The permanent secretary expressed concern that we were being one-sided. She wanted us to give the other side of the story. When we got back to the station we decided that we would get the other side of the story,” Hickey said. But he insisted that the decision to end the programme was “entirely” the station’s, “Nobody pressured us to stop the programme”.
In a fax to ZIMA dated 25 January, Pemba said, “Radio Phoenix regularly visit the Ministry of Information and the Communication Authority for ‘guidance and assistance with our expansion
programmes’. This should not be seen as a problem, besides, should we encounter any problems, we know how to handle them or where to go. I personally accompanied the managing director to the Ministry on 20th January and several other places which does not warrant the intervention and protection from AFRONET.”
ZIMA Chairman David Simpson said in a statement that, “The government’s interference in the programming of a private radio station reinforces the recent call by ZIMA for the urgent establishment of an Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) with the mandate to issue licences based on professional criteria rather than political expedience and patronage”. He said ZIMA, in conjunction with MISA, had formed a steering committee to advocate for an IBA. Presently, the minister of information is the only person authorised to grant broadcasting licences in Zambia.
Radio Phoenix is the second largest radio broadcaster in Zambia after the state-owned Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation. Apart from the capital, Lusaka, it reaches listeners in the Central, Copperbelt and Southern provinces.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the minister:
– calling on him to move speedily to establish a truly independent broadcasting regulator to oversee the issuing of broadcasting licences and regulate the industry
– pointing out that such a body would prevent any suspicion of political bias or political patronage involved in the issuing of licences or the approval or re-broadcast or expansion licences
Appeals To
APPEALS TO:
Honourable Newstead Zimba
Minster of Information
P.O. Box 51025
Lusaka, Zambia
Tel: +260 1 251 766 / 260 1 251 767 / 260 1 251 769
Fax: +260 1 253 456 / 260 1 253 457
Copy appeals to:
Zambia Independent Media Association (ZIMA)
P.O. Box 32295
Lusaka, Zambia
Tel: +260 1 292 096 / 260 1 292 097 / 260 1 294 286
Fax: +260 1 292 096
E-mail: zima@zamnet.zm
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
