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KISS FM cries foul over adjudication of broadcasting licence bids
MISA-Zimbabwe
May 11, 2012

KISS FM representatives on 10 May 2012 bemoaned the adjudication process employed by the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe in the awarding of television broadcasting licences. The representatives were giving oral evidence before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Media, Information and Communication Technology during a committee meeting held at parliament building in Harare.

Also appearing before the same committee were the recently licenced Zimpapers Talk Radio and AB Communications. The meeting was chaired by the committee's chairperson, Honorable Settlement Chikwinya.

KISS FM directors Sharon Mugabe and Phibion Gwatidzo indicated that they felt the adjudication process was not fairly carried out mainly due to the fact that the other competing parties had an opportunity to sit in and listen to their presentation and go back to rework any aspects they had not addressed.

The KISS FM directors further noted that in terms of finances, human resources and experience, they were better placed as compared to their competitors, some of whom were finally awarded the licences.

Meanwhile, the two companies that were awarded the licences, were also given an opportunity to present their roll out plans and other related issues. Zimpapers Talk radio which was represented by Justin Mutasa, Admire Taderera and Pikirayi Deketeke will start broadcasting within the next two months according to the trio.

Upon being questioned on the autonomy of the broadcaster's editorial content given its close affiliation to Zimpapers, Dekateke responded saying that the radio's operations would be influenced by economic forces than any other assumed forces.

When AB Communications took the platform one of the legislators asked whether the licence given to the company was not awarded on the basis of political links, which allegation Supa Mandiwanzira dismissed as speculative.

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