August 4, 2021
By Aruna Kamara in Bo
Managers of Radio Stations in Bo have threatened to slam a total news blackout on the activities l NaCOVERC/ and DiCOVERC for failure to settle bills incurred over a period of time
Radio Managers and their representatives from Voice of Faith, All Out Radio, Classic Radio, Radio New Song, SLBC, among others, catalogued the litany of challenges faced ranging from lack of money to pay for renewal of licenses, electricity generation mostly from their aging generators requiring huge fuel monthly and the constraints in meeting the monthly salaries of staff
They said they generate revenue to respond to their financial obligations/ from airtime allocation to customers and partners adding that they are frustrated over the nonpayment of their monies by NaCOVERC. They are stressing that it’s from these accrued monies that they use to settle all financial issues of their respective radio stations.
Bo DiCOVERC Social Mobilization Manager, Hon. Eric Jumu has in a recent engagement with Radio Station Managers in Bo on 2nd August 2, 2021 appealed to them to join the Corona Emergency Response in order to cut the chain of new transmissions.
He made this statement in response to growing discontent among radio stations in Bo who have resolved to join colleague managers across the country to give news blackout to all COVID 19 programmes,
The stations are claiming that it is about seven months since the IRN/SLAJ Corona radio programmes aired,
Hon. Jumu said that he allegations of non-payment of outstanding bills for airtime for corona sensitization by NaCOVERC cannot be ignored as media are critical to the fight which cannot be derailed at this time of the third wave.
He implored all present to consider Covid as a national health emergency.
He particularly stressed the issue of raising awareness on the vaccines rollout to people above `8.
Bo DiCOVERC District Coordinator, David Fortune while also speaking on this issue, noted the indispensable role of the media in the Covid 19 response.
He promised to relay the concerns raised by the Media practitioners to NaCOVERC. He said the station managers must reconsider the action as awareness raising on the virus is actually a national call to service.
With words of consolation by the DiCOVERC Staff to the aggrieved radio managers, it was resolved that the media should work concertedly with DiCOVERC to inform the people about the dangers of the Indian Variant, create the needed awareness for administration of vaccines to those above 18 years.