Base FM falls silent
Radio announcers at Base FM claim that the community station is a shambles.
Presenters at Katutura Community Radio, also known as Base FM, have decided to take matters into their own hands and have stopped presenting until the station's board members sit down with them.
The presenters have unanimously agreed to go off air and the frequency currently only airs playlists.
They say serious matters have to be settled. Some of the issues that the presenters are unhappy about include unexplained changes to the Deed of Trust by individuals, nonprocedural managerial appointments, financial matters and lack of any activity from the board.
“The issues are not new and they have been going on for a while. It is time that the public knows what is happening behind the microphones,” said Nathan Mbatia, the presenters' spokesperson.
They believe that the issues led to two board members and the station manager resigning, which left the institution under acting manager Patricia du Plessis, who was a cleaner, Unomengi Kauapirura and Kae Matundu, who is the chairperson.
“The Deed of Trust stipulates that the station must be administered by not less than three trustees and not more than eight at any given time but that has not been practised,” said Mbatia. The last AGM was held in 2012 and the board has not been re-elected since.
One of the most recent activities that caused distress was the appointment of a new station manager and how the board went about the matter. Some presenters received phone calls from somebody called Moses Karimuti, who informed them that he was the newly appointed station manager.
“We as presenters were shocked because no one had informed us, so we called the board members on Monday to discuss the appointment and many other issues. Matundu, the board chair, responded saying he had no obligations to explain to anyone, including the staff, board decisions and that he had no time for the meeting with the station staff,” said Mbatia.
Namibian Sun contacted the newly appointed station manager, who confirmed his appointment.
Karimuti said he was not invited to the press conference and was disappointed with the way matters were being handled.
“I was appointed with immediate effect on 12 January but there was no official handover done for me to start my duties. The presenters are holding the community hostage by refusing to go on air.
I have inherited the situation as it is and I don't know the presenters' grievances, but as soon as the handover is done I will resolve matters,” Karimuti said.
The new station manager said there was a lot of work.
“I plan on putting it in a better financial position. There is no community-based content and I want to bring the station back to the community. Base FM is meant to give media students a platform for internship and my plan is to introduce that again,” said Karimuti.
The presenters will engage the Communications Regulations Authority of Namibia (CRAN) and the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology on these issues to find lasting solutions.
JUNE SHIMUOSHILI
The presenters have unanimously agreed to go off air and the frequency currently only airs playlists.
They say serious matters have to be settled. Some of the issues that the presenters are unhappy about include unexplained changes to the Deed of Trust by individuals, nonprocedural managerial appointments, financial matters and lack of any activity from the board.
“The issues are not new and they have been going on for a while. It is time that the public knows what is happening behind the microphones,” said Nathan Mbatia, the presenters' spokesperson.
They believe that the issues led to two board members and the station manager resigning, which left the institution under acting manager Patricia du Plessis, who was a cleaner, Unomengi Kauapirura and Kae Matundu, who is the chairperson.
“The Deed of Trust stipulates that the station must be administered by not less than three trustees and not more than eight at any given time but that has not been practised,” said Mbatia. The last AGM was held in 2012 and the board has not been re-elected since.
One of the most recent activities that caused distress was the appointment of a new station manager and how the board went about the matter. Some presenters received phone calls from somebody called Moses Karimuti, who informed them that he was the newly appointed station manager.
“We as presenters were shocked because no one had informed us, so we called the board members on Monday to discuss the appointment and many other issues. Matundu, the board chair, responded saying he had no obligations to explain to anyone, including the staff, board decisions and that he had no time for the meeting with the station staff,” said Mbatia.
Namibian Sun contacted the newly appointed station manager, who confirmed his appointment.
Karimuti said he was not invited to the press conference and was disappointed with the way matters were being handled.
“I was appointed with immediate effect on 12 January but there was no official handover done for me to start my duties. The presenters are holding the community hostage by refusing to go on air.
I have inherited the situation as it is and I don't know the presenters' grievances, but as soon as the handover is done I will resolve matters,” Karimuti said.
The new station manager said there was a lot of work.
“I plan on putting it in a better financial position. There is no community-based content and I want to bring the station back to the community. Base FM is meant to give media students a platform for internship and my plan is to introduce that again,” said Karimuti.
The presenters will engage the Communications Regulations Authority of Namibia (CRAN) and the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology on these issues to find lasting solutions.
JUNE SHIMUOSHILI
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