This cut deep! The communications Authority of Kenya has recently revoked 75 broadcast licenses of radio and television stations across Kenya. This is a stark pointer to the challenges media houses face in our context, particularly media targeting the less economically empowered rural populace.
The reason given for the revocation of the licenses for 65 of the stations is this, noncompliance. The remaining 10 were revoked at the licensee’s own request. The truth is that some stations, knowing revocation cannot be avoided anyway, make a request to the authority to take back the license, many times after many letters of violation of one requirement or other.
There are a number of reasons why a station can be declared non compliance including; nonpayment of frequency fees, nonpayment of operating license, lack of delay device, lack of times stamp, using equipment that is not type-approved or lack of compliant handling procedure guidelines, to name just a few.
In the last 16 years that I have dedicated to the setting up and running of community-based FM stations, I have a story to tell of a regulatory framework that makes this business (and ministry for us at Trans World Radio -Kenya) an uphill task and a reserve for only those with deep pockets.
We have spent time with my management team looking at some of the factors that influence media management. One of the major factors is the regulator, in our context the Communications Authority of Kenya.
The authority makes visits to the stations across the Country, sometimes on short notice to check on the compliance status and after each visit, the station owners get a status report, highlighting the areas where they have complied and where they are in violation. The media house is then expected to response with the plans in place to remedy the situation.
The list of licensed media houses includes Community-based radio, a great tool in the attainment of Sustainable Development goals, and community development. You only need to visit the ASAL regions of Kenya and talk to the listeners to fully understand the power of community media and its role in community transformation. You not only get to understand the impact of community radio but also the sacrifices, hurdles and challenges that owners of these stations go through to remain on air. Community radio is hampered by a milliard of challenges,
slowing down its efforts to inform, educate and entertain its largely poor audiences.
Whether operating a Commercial radio or community radio, regulation is a reality that we cannot ignore. Community radio is ideally allowed to cover only an 8 km radius and is run by community members. For a community radio to be allowed to cover a bigger radius, it is automatically registered as a commercial radio and subjected to commercial rules and rates. The license fees and compliance levels are high and prohibitive for non-commercial radio stations such as ours. The high fees charged, and high compliance threshold has led to the closure of many community- based radio stations. Recently the license fees went up by 20% in the harsh economic season notwithstanding. Regulation is a Reality that we must embrace. We have no choice but to operate within the legal framework as stipulated, but we must also engage and call out the regulations that derail the much-needed community impact.
I empathize with stations whose licenses have been revoked, especially the community based one, and pray that they will give it another try.