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Statement on the call for applications for free to air local commercial radio broadcasting services
Zimbabwe Association of Community Radio Stations (ZACRAS)
November 30, 2011

The Zimbabwe Association of Community Radio Stations expresses its concern on the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe's sincerity to liberalise the airwaves.

In the Sunday Mail of November 27-December 3 2011, the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ), flighted an advert calling for the submission of applications for free to air local commercial radio broadcasting services in 14 urban areas.

The advert states that applicants are required to pay the following, an application fee of US$2500; a public inquiry fee of US$7500 and a basic license fee of US$50 000.

In a spirit of transparency and accountability, the Zimbabwe Association of Community Radio Stations (ZACRAS), calls upon BAZ to state the factors taken into consideration when setting broadcasting fees. Pegging broadcasting fees at such astronomical levels, in an economy which is struggling to find its feet, will deter individuals and organisations with a genuine need to offer broadcasting services from applying , thereby shrinking the number of commercial broadcasters.

In a move which was widely criticised, BAZ recently awarded licenses to ZimPapers' Talk Radio and AB Communications. ZACRAS still maintains that BAZ should publicize the qualifications, requirements and adjudication results which led to the awarding of licenses to the two successful applicants.

Publicising the results of the process will enable the public to ascertain if the licenses where awarded to deserving applicants .It is also from these results that it can be determined whether ZimPapers Talk Radio and AB Communications had paid all the required fees payable to the authority, prior to their being awarded licenses.

ZACRAS maintains its call for the licensing of community radio stations. It is ZACRAS' firm conviction that, only when communities have access to information and can freely express themselves can their participation in governance issues be enhanced. Increased community participation will augment communities' social inclusiveness, promote transparency and accountability.

The ZACRAS Harare Declaration of 2011 defines community radio as being "for, by and about the community, whose ownership and management is representative of the community, and pursues a social development agenda, and is non-profit making". As such, the regulatory authority should ensure that real community radios with a clear mandate of advancing community developmental issues are licensed.

The Association maintains its position that, the licensing of community radios is consistent with the democratization and development of Zimbabwe, and should be accorded the due attention that it deserves.

Visit the ZACRAS fact sheet

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