Malawi's Joy TV censored
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Joy TV- a sister company to Joy Radio has been held up in the wrangle with the country’s communications regulator after it challenged Macra Board in court describing it as illegal.
In the recent development, Joy TV’s Project Manager Tailosi Bakili expressed surprise over the directive saying the TV station had applied for a court injunction stopping Macra from blocking its operations. According to Macra’s letter addressed to the station Manager, the regulator expressed concern that Joy TV was carrying out transmissions when it does not have a Television Radio license that it said expired on March 31, 2007. “Carrying out such an activity without a licence is prohibited and amounts to a criminal offence under the Communications Act of 1998, you are hereby ordered to immediately stop any television broadcasting or related activity until you apply for and are issued with appropriate radio and broadcasting licences under the Act” read the letter The letter further warned that if the station flouts the directive, Macra would proceed to take appropriate measures against it, as stated under the same Act. Joy Television Limited is expected to be Malawi’s first private TV station with only one state-owned Television station, Television Malawi (TVM) in existence. BACKGROUND The development comes a month after the same Joy TV wrote the regulator on August 28 2007 complaining that they had delayed in giving them a Studio Transmission Links (STL) Frequency which could have allowed the station to conduct studio broadcasting. Macra had its board dissolved following a lawsuit sought by the TV’s sister company Joy Radio, describing Macra’s board as unlawfully constituted with lack of institutional memory. The tit-for-tat battle between the Joy proprietors and the Regulator started early this year when Joy, through their lawyer got a High court injunction restraining Macra from blocking its operations. Joy argued that Macra could not transact any business to do with communications because it lacked the mandate to enforce and regulate communications in the country. The High Court in Blantyre nullified Macra board because, among others issues, its members were unqualified and that the appointment of the members was not gazetted as required by law. President Bingu wa Mutharika appointed the Macra board alongside others to various boards of statutory corporations on March 1st 2006. There is a strong link between Joy Radio and Television with the former President Bakili Muluzi where it is believed that he owns the two institutions. Currently Muluzi is not in good terms with President Bingu wa Mutharika whom he accused of betrayal for ditching Muluzi’s United Democratic Front, (UDF) party after it ushered him into power. Ends Source: MISA |
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