Monday, November 25, 2024

Government sets up Media Support fund

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Information and broadcasting Service Permanent Secretary Ngosa Chisupa
Information and broadcasting Service Permanent Secretary Ngosa Chisupa

Information and broadcasting Service Permanent Secretary Ngosa Chisupa says his ministry has set up a Media Institutions Support Fund (M.I.S.F) to help in addressing operational challenges that media institutions in the country were facing.

Speaking on his familiarisation tour of media houses in Ndola , today, Mr. Ngosa Chisupa said the Fund would only be given media houses with identified needs.

Mr. Chisupa added that facility was open to both private and public media institutions, countrywide.

The Permanent Secretary also called for enhanced developmental reporting for the citizenry to appreciate what government was doing.

He said it was important for media personnel to have capacity in various areas of specialized reporting like census which was underway this year, elections reporting,climate change, the environment, politics, tourism and human interests stories.

Mr. Chisupa urged the media fraternity in the country to be more innovative in attracting more resources.

Except for the three daily newspapers Post, Times of Zambia and the Zambia Daily newspapers Limited , respectively, the country has seen a number of weekly tabloids which have gone into oblivion due to the operational costs.

Howver, the country has also a notable increase in the number of community , television and web site news papers in this of Information Communications and Telecommunications (ICT) era.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ngosa says he is quite impressed and happy with Times Print-Pak’s gender balance.

Speaking on his familiarisation tour of media houses in Ndola , today, Mr. Ngosa Chisupa says he was quite impressed with the gender balance taking place at one of the country’s oldest newpaper printing company.

He said it was also gratifying to note that the Deputy Editor in Chief was a woman so that even at top management level the issues of gender were taken on board.

This is on of the first tours undertaken by Mr. Chisupa as new Information Permanent Secretary a position he took over from Mr Timothy Nyirenda who has since retired.

And Times of Zambia Managing Director John Phiri said the equipment that was currently printing the newspaper was old and could breakdown any time as it was acquired 27 years ago.

He said the age of the printing machine has led to poor quality of the print competing with other better printed materials on the market.

He said the Company was in the process of acquiring a new equipment from Taiwan and an initial deposit has already be made to start the process.

He said distribution was also another challenge that his Company was grappling with because even though the Company had a good product but it was not reaching the intended target on time.

ZANIS

25 COMMENTS

  1. Good Evening

    This is OK. The first step in achieving anything through the Media is to have a enough funds. The next step is to keep the nation well informed.

  2. this chap is too vague, “to help in addressing operational challenges that media institutions in the country were facing.” which are? he needs to pin point at least a couple of them so that we can hold him acoountable if he fails to deliver. He is being a typical politician. To me i think the media needs freedom more than funds. Give the media freedom and stop hoodwinking pipo with semantics

  3. A wave of kafwafwa unfolding towards PACT implosion

    ‘PF UPND pact to collapse’

    CHIEF Mwanachingwala of the Tonga people in Mazabuka has predicted that the Patriotic Front/United Party for National Development (PF-UPND) pact will collapse soon after it announces a presidential candidate.He said the PF-UPND pact has no future because its co-leaders are not telling the people who the presidential candidate will be in the 2011 elections.

    Chief Mwanachingwala said the formation of the PF-UPND pact has strengthened the MMD and that the ruling party will easily win the 2011 tripartite elections.He said if the PF-UPND pact does not adopt Mr Hakainde Hichilema as a presidential candidate, most of the people in Southern Province will vote for the MMD.

  4. The chief said he has known PF president Michael Sata for a long time and that the two have been friends.He said Mr Sata cannot be the best president for Zambia without a supervisor.“Mr Sata is my friend and I have always told him that he can never make a good president. He is the best man when he is being supervised. And this country is not for President Banda but for Zambians.Therefore, we must help him as he works to make the lives of many better,” the chief said.He described as uncustomary for traditional leaders to use language which is disrespectful, divisive and offensive against President Banda and his Government.The chief condemned some traditional leaders in Southern Province who have been attacking President Banda and his Government.

  5. He said traditional leaders could easily discuss pressing issues with Government without running to the press.He said even when the chiefs are an important factor in contemporary politics, they must engage in political debate with respect and without malice.Chief Mwanachingwala said traditional leaders, as custodians of traditional values, should avoid falling into the temptation of using vulgar language against political leaders because they are their subjects.He said chiefs in Zambia belong to the government of the day and, therefore, it is wrong and untraditional for them to engage in politics of insults.“Even if traditional leaders are an important factor in contemporary politics, we must at all times avoid engaging in political debates with ulterior motives and malice.

  6. Chiefs belong to the government of the day and it is our duty to advise political leaders because they are our subjects.
    “But for a traditional leader to abdicate his responsibilities and begin using language which is offensive against the government, it is uncustomary and it is a recipe for breeding hatred. Traditional leaders, especially those in Southern Province who have been demonising President Banda, should find the wisdom of being the custodians of traditional values and stop the insults against the current Government,” Chief Mwanachingwala said.

  7. He said traditional leaders have unlimited access to the presidency and that if they see that something is wrong, they are always free to meet and counsel the Head of State.Chief Mwanachingwala said traditional leaders should be peace-makers if the country has to continue enjoying peace and harmony.He said most of the chiefs in Southern Province know their responsibilities and will not reduce themselves to cadres and sing praises for the opposition political parties which have not proved that they can be the alternative government.

  8. “President Banda has not committed anything wrong against these traditional leaders who are now making disparaging remarks against him as a person and as a Head of State. It is not good to cheat as a chief that President Banda has failed when there are a number of developmental programmes being implemented in your chiefdom.“I think for me the hatred is based on the fact that some chiefs have deliberately chosen to be blind to what is taking place in their areas because of political affiliation,” Chief Mwanachingwala said.

  9. More fight Lubansenshi MP

    Opposition Patriotic Front (P.F) cadres in Lubansenshi constituency in Luwingu district have supported the suspension of the area Member of Parliament Lazarous Chota from the party.

    And PF cadres,who included ward councillors, have asked the PF provincial leadership to stop interfering in the affairs of the constituency officials as they were duly elected leaders.

    Speaking on behalf of the cadres, Katopola ward councilor Frank Malama said Mr. Chota deserved to be suspended from the PF because he did not follow procedure in dissolving executive committees for Lubansenshi constituency.

  10. Mr. Malama charged that it was wrong for the MP and some Provincial PF officials to gang up and hold illegal elections without the blessings of the PF national leadership.

    He described the outcome of Lubansenshi constituency as not being credible because most of the wards in the area were not represented and a quorum required to hold constituency elections was not formed.

    Mr. Malama has since appealed to PF secretary general Wynter Kabimba to urgently intervene in the matter before it gets out of hand.

    He further warned that the opposition risk being embroiled in protracted wrangles if the current impasse regarding the illegal dissolution of the PF Lubansenshi constituency committee was not resolved quickly.

  11. Meanwhile, Luwingu district PF chairman Kapambwe Nkole has confirmed receiving the letter of suspension of Lubansenshi MP Lazarous Chota from the party.

    Mr. Nkole told ZANIS that his executive would soon meet to discuss matter.

    He however refused to give further details on Mr. Chota’s suspension from the PF and referred all queries to the party secretariat in Lusaka.

  12. # 2, you gpot a point. Is this chap talking about the public media? What are the specifics of this fund? Is he talking about “the brown envelope” doctrine of buying journalists or what? If he’s including the private media being given public funds, that doesn’t make sense. Once they buy you, that’s it – you’ve been bought. About time the Times of Zambia and The Daily mail were privatized, though.

  13. As for Kuku, thanks for the info. You would do well with with your own website, grandpa. It doesn’t cost that much. Call it “Kuku News.”

  14. As Sata is busy barking, Vedanta Resources is to invest another $1.5 bn in Zambia

    the metals and mining major headquartered in London and promoted by non-resident Indian Anil Agarwal, plans to invest
    $1.5 billion in Zambia to expand its production of copper cathodes to half a million tonnes by 2013.

    The single largest foreign investor in Zambia, Vedanta has already invested $1.5 billion and is also looking at foraying into power generation in that country.

  15. The company has several businesses in India, having acquired Bharat Aluminium for Rs 550 crore (Rs 5.5 billion/$110 million) in 2006, and later picking up Hindustan Zinc for Rs 600 crore (Rs 6 billion/$120 million). It also owns iron ore producer Sesa Goa, and last June bought the Dempo group’s mining and maritime businesses in Goa for Rs 1,750 crore (Rs 17.5 billion).

    This apart, it has aluminium smelters at Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu and Jharsuguda in Orissa. However, its plans to mine bauxite from the Niyamgiri hills in Orissa, for which it has sought lease of nine mines, have met with stringent opposition by local residents.

  16. kuku get a life. imagine if all this effort you have used to post your nonsense would have been used for something constructive.Zambia would be a much better place

  17. I think patriotic, veteran, senior citizen have changed their names since they exposed as government employed losers you blog on Rupiahs behalf and usually talk about issues that are not related to the article.So now KUKU, Ndobo are born.

  18. I hope the first money goes to the post as they need to help cover all Rupiahs unnecessary trip abroad and at home.

  19. #16 shi muchita panono…
    you have a small heart, you can’t trade punches with me..nakukanina!, if i tell you the truth about yourself, you run crying to LT to delete my comments…typical a chicken in you

  20. #17 shi muchita panono…
    you have a small heart, you can’t trade punches with me..nakukanina!, if i tell you the truth about yourself, you run crying to LT to delete my comments…typical a chicken in you

  21. #17
    Dream on and get more confused when the victory crusade is getting visibly consolidated while you are busy dreaming if not insulting. CHIEF Mwanachingwala has more wisdom and predictive faculties than you. RB and MMD are heading for a landslide victory in 2011.Buts its your right to wastefully align with the insulting club of the fragile and deluded PACT. Veteran is veteran and I remain very much around whenever I have time to blog. Be advised that i blog when i feel like choking and teasing PF kaponyas, otherwise, i have the responsibility to keep building my financial security from the many opportunities ingenious people are seeing.

  22. Vet, Senior shitizen and Kuku be serious guys, you cant be always blogging contrary to the issue at hand. Why so mwemashilu mwe ala!!!!!

  23. Wow! My friend Ngosa from the old school is now a PS…..the goo ol’ days when we used to have fun on the call in programs on ‘Radio Zambia’. Ati abena Tony.. lol!

  24. Its no doubt that Veteran is suffering from an intellectual difficiency. Thats why his master RB found it easy to use him. Only a person like Veteran can say what Veteran is saying. Please learn to dweal on the subject. This article has nothing to do with what you are commenting on. You are just expossing your shallow thinking together with those who sponsored you.

    Back to the topic. #2 i agree with you 100%. This charp is being politcal. Secondly, where he otten the money to fund media houses? i say so becouse his own ZNBC, times of Zambia and daily mail have no funds. This is just in response to PAZA which is receiving help from PFCP. Has paliament approved of this move? Its sad to have pity minded PSs like this charp who can annouce what they will not sustain.

  25. #24
    Free at Last
    You must be either too young or you are deliberately twisting history.Easterners are the most tribalistic people in Zambia. When Kapwepwe stood as Unip/Republican Veep and won by defeating Reuben Chitandika Kamanga the Unip members from Eastern Province decided to leave Unip and coined the now infamous phrase Kumozi ku mawa. The action forced Kapwepwe to leave Unip and form UPP. Just recently I have seen those friends of mine who were anti MMD have changed there stance towards the party because Mr. Rupiya Banda -their son/father is now President under MMD. Infact when a Ngoni, Tumbuka, Nsenga, Senga etc becomes a manager of a company, all the employees will be from the East. You can just how the chief from there have ganged up against Micheal Sata.Ma bad aba bantu

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