THE FUTURE OF COMMUNITY MEDIA IN ZAMBIA

1st April, 2014

The Director

Press and Media Development

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services

Government Complex

Lusaka, Zambia.

Dear Sir,

RE: SUBMISSION TO THE ZAMBIA NATIONAL INFORMATION AND MEDIA POLICY

Here below is my submission to the development of the national information and media policy currently underway with your ministry:
1.       CONTEXT

The national information and media policy is fundamental tool for the operationalisation of freedom of expression and access to information which is a crucial tenet of democracy and a key recipe for national development.

Freedom of expression is guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Zambia which also includes receiving, imparting and communicating information and press freedom. However, Zambia still has “claw back laws” and other pieces of legislation such as the 1931 Penal Code Cap 169 of the laws of Zambia, the Official Secrets Act and the Printed Publications Act Cap 161 of the laws of Zambia. These provisions tend to weaken the effectiveness of this Constitutional provision.

Zambia has signed various international accords that guarantee access to information, media freedom and freedom of expression such as the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (1981), Windhoek Declaration (1991) and SADC Protocol on Culture, Information and Sport (2000) (Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Foundation, 2011).

The development of a national media and information policy is desirable to create an enabling environment for the domestication of these international and regional frameworks. Zambia came out of the 2011 general elections with a new party in government with a different ideology on media that centred on making the media more self reliant and with wider editorial independence. The national policy shall therefore provide a means to reach consensus on how best these policy measures proposed in the party manifesto can be realised.

2.       COMMUNITY MEDIA

2.1   Definition:
“Community media” are those interest or faith-based communication initiatives which serve a specific group or geographical area, are accessible to all and actively encourage and support community participation. They are “small-scale” decentralized broadcasting initiatives which are easily accessed by local people, actively encourage their participation in programming, and which include some element of community ownership or membership.

This definition is adopted from the Zambia Community Media Forum (ZaCoMeF) and Myers (2000:90
2.2   Ownership

The ownership of community media shall be classified as follows:

2.2.1          Cooperative community media – This is a community radio or print media institution that may be established and owned by a cooperative. A cooperative being a formal structure bringing together community members sharing a common interest to improve their social-economic wellbeing and improve the welfare of their communities and families collectively.

2.2.2          Civic Society community media - A non-governmental organisation or local community based group may establish a community radio station. This would be a platform for sharing its objectives and for facilitating wider community dialogue on matters of development.

2.2.3          Religious owned community media – A religious group may establish a radio station to enable it reach out to its members in the community in the wider context of the main goals of broadcasting which are to inform, educate and entertain.

2.2.4          Public community media. – Members of the community may come together and establish a community media house to serve their community. They will establish an independent board to oversee its operations and may access public funding for its operations.  The funding model for public community media may be outlined in a statutory instrument or in an amendment of the Independent Broadcasting Authority.

General principles on ownership of community media

ü  Community media may not be owned by individual shareholders. It will always be a product of evidence of community consultations.

ü  No community radio station shall operate for profit.

ü  There shall be no limitations on cross-media ownership. For instance a community radio station board may decide to open a newspaper as a way of expanding their reach and broadening their income, this will be encouraged.
Investment structure

Zambians are at liberty to establish community radio stations and mobilise resources within and outside the country for the establishment and operation.
No person of foreign origin may sit on a board or management of a community radio. Where community radio is promoted by foreign organisations they shall engage locals to establish and run it.
Financial backing for the establishment and running of a community media institution shall have to be matched by atleast 10% local resources. Community support shall have to be mobilised and established in writing prior to the issuance of full broadcasting license.

Content
Community radio shall have to use atleast 75% of local language in its programming with 25% broadcasting in English.
Community radio news will consists of 65% local news content and the rest for national and international news.
The promotion of culture, local music and arts shall be an integral part of the community radio’s operations and this will be a requirement for the processing of licenses.

Funding
Community radio may access funding from local and international sources for its establishment and operation. This funding is subject to the conditions under ownership. The community media will also collect revenue from advertising and shall have no restrictions in the manner they do so.

 Role of government
The government through the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting services will play the following roles:
Provide a supportive legal and policy framework to guide the operations of the community media industry.
  • To support community radio to produce and air programmes that correctly interpret government policies and programmes to the public in order to solicit community participation in national programmes. This role will be performed in collaboration with ZANIS.
  • To put in place programmes designed to improve the capacity of the community media to produce and broadcast quality programmes for community education.
  • To conduct research in community media and related issues in order to inform public policy and guide stakeholders in their planning with regards to working with community media.
  • Establish a community media fund from which community media can be supported to establish and run public community radio stations.

Role of Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA)

·         The IBA shall play a regulatory function to community media as does so to the other forms of broadcasting media established.

·         The IBA shall issues licenses to community media and set the conditions required for each category and monitor for compliance.

·         Shall collaborate with ZICTA to ensure technical support services are provided to community media.

BRUCE CHOOMA
JOURNALIST,  LUSAKA

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