NATION REPORTER
MANY private media houses are not making enough money to sustain their businesses, the Media Owners Association of Zambia (MOAZ) has stated.
MOAZ president Costa Mwansa said this is because people go to government owned media houses to advertise because they are afraid to be associated with what some deem as “opposition.”
Media houses are struggling with operation and to fulfill salary obligations because of to many challenges.
“We sit down with MOAZ members and say there is a problem. But the current dispensation is that it is very difficult to run a media institution where you are none compliant. I will tell you where it gets worse,” Mr Mwansa said. He said the Post Newspaper was closed on tax issues and in today’s business environment, no media house or business could easily survive. “When you look at religious or community media houses, the Catholic Media Service have created employment. But the mandate for community media houses is very clear that is not to make money through commercial advertising. These are people who employ volunteers. “The challenge we are seeing now is that is that how are you going to take care of your volunteers? Through tithe? Or selling of holy water? It is not a sustainable business,” Mr Mwansa said.
He said there were issues like NHIMA and NAPSA which no employer could run away from because. Mr Mwansa said in certain newsrooms people rotate to go for workshops just to earn an allowance. “We are in this battle together The Mast, KBN, Diamond TV was called out. Apart from ZIJ, IBA called us out. There is a difference between editorial and editorial space.
If they want editorial space, let them pay but if they are going to use blalizo, as a means of wanting their story to be published, imagine K200 for a space worth K10, 000? How are you going to get paid on time if you sell space worth K10, 000 for K200?” he wondered. Mr Mwansa said it was not easy to run a media house and in most cases employees face challenges to even be properly remunerated. “It is not easy to run a media house. There are a lot of challenges and the industry currently is not well paying,” he said.
Meanwhile MOAZ secretary general Ibn Kafwanka, Mr Kafwanka said it is very unfortunate that the Media Liaison Committee attacked and accused the Swedish embassy of fanning confusion in the media industry in the country.
