Govt confidence licensed community radio stations will go on air this year

By a Correspondent
THE government has expressed confidence that all licensed community radio stations will go on air before the end of 2022.
Speaking during a Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF) in Victoria Falls, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services deputy minister Kindness Paradza said most stations were putting final touches to meet the deadline.
“A lot of them were given 18 months to set up shop so they have to meet their deadlines. As a ministry through BAZ we are assisting them to make sure that those who don’t have studio equipment, we give them,” said Paradza.
“We are assisting them not to fail because we don’t want to take these licences away from them as we will only withdraw the licences from those that really can’t assist themselves but we want to assist them so that they are on air.”
In 2020, the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ), licensed six community radios in 2020 and eight the following year.
The licensed stations include Nyangani Community Radio Trust trading as Nyangani FM, Radio Bukalanga, Matobo Community Radio Trust, Lyeja Nyayi Development Trust, Chimanimani Community Radio Station Trust, Ndau Community Radio Trust, Vemuganga Community Radio Trust, Chiredzi Rural Communities Development Initiative Trust t/a Avuxeni FM, Ntepe Manama Community Radio Initiative Trust, Twasumbuka Community Radio Trust, Kasambabezi Community Radio Trust t/a Kasambabezi FM, Beitbridge- Shashe Community Radio Broadcasting Trust, Mbembesi Development Trust t/a Ingqanga and Madziwa FM Community Radio Trust.
Midlands State University and the University of Zimbabwe were granted campus radio licences.