MIDWEEK REPORTER
BEITBRIDGE-Great Zimbabwe University Campus Radio director and Media Institute of Southern Africa regional chairman, Golden Maunganidze has urged the Government and its departments to support community radio stations with adverts for sustainability.
Maunganidze urged the Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services to allow companies and Government departments to advertise with community radio stations for them to be able to sustain themselves in order to improve their community reach and quality of service.
“We are very grateful that you continue to open up the airwaves as per your Ministry’s promise that you will continue to issue more licences for community radio stations and you have an open door policy.
“We once again come to you and request that you allow us to take commercial adverts for us to be sustainable as community radio stations at universities and the community.
“We appeal to you to help us in this regard so that we diligently serve the community and local listeners.
“The local companies would be very grateful to see their companies being advertised in their own language and by one of their own, so Minister we kindly ask you to allow us to take adverts from private companies and Government departments in support of community radio stations,” said Maunganidze.
Maunganidze was speaking in the border town of Beitbridge in Matebeleland South Province during the World Radio Day celebrations which were held under the theme ‘Radio for Peace’ by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on Friday last week.
He also said this will enable the universities to continue to churn out more radio broadcasters as they will be running as commercial entities who will in turn be employed by community radio stations.
A veteran publisher who preferred anonymity for professional reasons said there was no better way than to get equal treatment on adverts from Government and private companies.
“How does a company in the lowveld where GZU Campus Radio is the most listened station but they give their adverts to national papers yet those people identify more with their community radio station.
“The same applies to quasi government companies like NSSA, ZIMRA where they get contributions from over 21 000 Tongaat employees, who listen and read community radio stations and newspapers but you rarely find them supporting local media.
“To the locals what is national is the community newspaper and radio station which addresses their issues at local level hence these companies should take a leaf from that and advertise with community media in order to reach more people,” she said.
The Deputy Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, Kindness Paradza a veteran journalist and former publisher is on record urging Government departments to support local media organistaions by advertising with them just as they do at national level.
By not supporting local media the Government is shooting itself in the foot as most of its programs and activities are not known and understood by the grassroots people hence a lot of people will be left behind added, the veteran journalist.
“President Mnangagwa says nobody should be left behind, but if the ordinary person does not have information he or she is not empowered yet information is power, people need to know about the Vison 2030, the National Development Strategy 1 etc, but how do they know about those when the media that should feed that information is not capacitated to disseminate the information,” she asked.
Maunganidze urged community radio stations in the country to take advantage of universities like GZU which offer short courses on professionalism and media ethics for the locals.
“I am happy that today as GZU Campus Radio we are broadcasting from Beitbridge and our presenters today are our students from this area who speak and understand the local culture and language.
“I say to you second your presenters to us for short courses on ethics and professionalism in broadcasting so that they meet the basic standards of the job.
“We will also continue to do our part by training local broadcasters for community radio stations as the radio has been found to be the most powerful medium of communication especially in Africa.
“Radio is the main medium of communication ahead of all other platforms in Africa, it can foster peace and development in the developing world,” said Maunganidze.
This year, Zimbabwe veteran broadcaster, John Masuku was appointed UNESCO World Radio Day commemorations coordinator for the event in over 195 countries across the globe.
Masuku is a revered broadcaster with over 50 years of experience in the field having practised for private, international and public media houses. UNESCO member state proclaimed February 13 as the World Radio Day on November 3, 2011 and the actual commemorations began in 2012.
This was in recognition of radio as a developmental tool with the capacity to change lives and the way people think and see things.
This year’s commemorations under the theme ‘Radio for Peace’ underscores radio’s importance as a pillar for fighting conflicts and peace building in communities and among nations.
In Africa the concept of community radios started in Kenya as an experiment but has grown to spread all over the continent with countries like Tanzania and South Africa having over a thousand of them catering for almost every ethnic group and different societies.
Experts say radio can be used to fight the scourge of drug abuse, family conflicts, rehabilitation of prisoners like the Tilda Moyo Show on Star FM, education like reading of books on Hevoi FM, solving family conflicts and sex education like Tete Kuda on National FM just to to mention a few.
