Police Interrogate Hot Fm Presenters Police have summoned Hot FM staff for views expressed on a live radio programme commenting on the debate about President Michael Sata’s death. The two presenters Hope Chishala and Chi who popular for their morning show going under the stage name of Kawalala party are currently at Lusaka Police Headquarters undergoing interrogation. Private commercial station asked to run apology for discussing President’s health. Here is the background to the arrest shockingly championed by the Independent Broadcasting Authority: The Independent Broadcast Authority (IBA) has asked a private commercial radio station called Hot FM Radio to run an apology during their breakfast show and all prime time programmes for the next one (1) week retracting the contents which were deemed offensive by ‘state house’. Further HOT FM Radio, which is based in the Capital City of Zambia, has been instructed by the IBA to send an apology to State House and copy the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) in the said correspondence. The Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) sent letters on 27 and 29 May 2014 to Hot FM in which it alleges that remarks were made live on air about the health of the head of state on Hot FM Radio Frequency 87.7. The alleged remarks were made during the breakfast show that runs from 6am and 9am In the same letters, the IBA requested Hot FM to provide a recording of the said show which the station availed. The IBA has since deemed the content of the show as unethical and inappropriate. The IBA informed the radio station that discussions of health status were personal issues and should not be done in the Public domain regardless of the social standing of the individual involved. It also told the station that it had acted contrary to the code of practice developed by broadcasters. The station has however refused to apologise to the unknown complainant and has since asked the IBA to state which words were deemed defamatory during the programme. Background The Zambian President’s health has been a subject of concern in the country and many stakeholders have been asking the government to inform the nation on the matter. The President himself stated on 31 May 2014 that Zambians had the right to talk about his health. However, the IBA has gone ahead to issue the sanctions on Hot FM Radio to run an apology and retract any offensive words. zambiareports/2014/06/04/police-interrogate-hot-fm-presenters/
Posted on: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 08:43:29 +0000
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