Details

The 2022 symposium runs under the theme “Perspectives On Community Radio Broadcasting Sustainability” and aims to interrogate the existing Broadcasting Act with the view of advancing ideas that support a sustainable model for community broadcasting. Deliberations at the symposium will be informed by a ZCMIL-KAS commissioned study on models for media sustainability in Zimbabwe.

Surveys done by the Zimbabwe Association for Community Radio Stations (ZACRAS) indicate that recently licensed community radio stations do not have strong sustainability mechanisms in place. If the sustainability question for community radio in Zimbabwe is not addressed, the newly licensed stations risk shutting down, a situation which media stakeholders fear would reverse some of the gains of the country’s media reform agenda. Community radio is important for the public and the government. Its role is to disseminate information so that local populations are always informed on what is happening around them, participate in the debates that shape their lives and become agents of good governance and social progress. However, the current Broadcasting Services Act does not seem to support sustainability for community radio stations. For example, the Act prohibits advertising and foreign direct investment. This, media stakeholders argue, will make it hard for community radio stations to survive unless the provisions of the Broadcasting Services Act are repealed. Fortunately, the Broadcasting Services Act Amendment Bill (‘the Bill) provides some glimmer of hope. For example, the proposed amendments, if passed into law, would allow foreign direct investment, and promote funding from Zimbabweans and international organisations that will work through the regulatory authority. In addition, the proposed Broadcasting Fund in the Bill will also support and ensure sustainability of community broadcasting. Our proposed symposium will thus help contribute to the debates and engagements around the Broadcasting Services Amendment Bill before its tabled in the Parliament for debate. 

The one-day symposium will be held in-person. ZCMIL will carry-out a study to explore perspectives on community broadcasting sustainability ahead of the symposium. The study whose findings will be published in a booklet will inform debate at the symposium. The symposium will adopt a round-table format which will kickstart with a summary of the findings of the study. The research summary presentation will be followed by an overview of the community broadcasting environment and deep-dive presentations on community broadcasting policies and progress made on reforming the Broadcasting Act and panels on emerging sustainability approaches for community radio. The symposium will conclude with recommendations.

Goal: To actively contribute to the ongoing media reform agenda by ensuring that provisions that support the sustainability of community broadcasting are included in the Broadcasting Services Act Amendment Bill under consideration.

Objectives

To take stock of the Zimbabwe media policy reform agenda with a special focus on community broadcasting.

To interrogate and propose relevant media regulatory mechanisms for community broadcasting.

To have a conversation on and propose innovative sustainability models for the community media sector with a special focus on newly licensed community radio stations.

Here you will find the program for download: Program ZCMIL.pdf