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| Fr. Cleophas Lungu |
The Zambian Episcopal Conference (ZEC) has finally been granted a license by the Independent Broadcasting Authority of a television construction permit to operate a Catholic TV Station.
According to the ZEC spokesperson Fr Paul Samasumo the granting of the permit to construct a television station is a culmination of a long pursuit for the station, dating back to 2002 when ZEC initiated the first application to the authorities and since then has been following up the matter.
The Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) of Zambia through its chairperson, Mr Emmanuel Mwamba formally announced on 18 October 2013 the granting of the television construction permit and it is therefore anticipated that the new Catholic television station will in fact belong to both Catholics and non-Catholics, meaning all Zambians. This will be in keeping with the approach of the Catholic Church towards its public institutions such as hospitals, schools and other similar institutions. These institutions are readily accessible to the public regardless of their religious persuasion.
Fr. Samasumo further stated in his letter that establishing a television station is a mammoth and expensive undertaking and the Catholic Church in Zambia is under no illusion in this regard. With support and cooperation from all Catholics and all Zambians of goodwill as they rally around the idea of a Catholic TV, the station will truly provide a change that will promote the best of Zambian values and become the preferred television channel of wholesome family viewing, on account of appropriate programming.
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| Fr. Paul Samasumo |
The Zambia Episcopal Conference remains equally committed to three other radio projects that are still in the offing and which will be spearheaded by different dioceses. These include the establishment of a diocesan community radio station in Kasama, Radio Lutanda as well as Sesheke FM to be established in Sesheke. Similarly, Chipata Diocese hopes that now that the Independent Broadcasting Authority is in the process of clearing a backlog of radio applications for frequencies, the pending request (lodged with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services in 2008) to turn Radio Maria into a national radio station will be favourably considered. Unlike other Catholic radio stations in Zambia, Radio Maria is predominantly a faith radio that promotes prayer in Christian homes.
During an exclusive interview with AMECEA Online News, in Nairobi where he had attended the AMECEA Workshop on Strategic Pastoral Plan, Fr. Cleophas Lungu, the ZEC Secretary General said that the conference received the much awaited license on 18th October 2013.
Fr. Cleophas said that the Zambian Catholic Media Center has all along been producing TV programs at Yatsani Studios, which are broadcast by the national TV station and this has been very expensive. Yatsani studio is owned by the conference and is situated at the premises of St. Dominic Major Seminary.
Fr. Lungu is very optimistic that with the issuance of the license, they will be able to promote the work of evangelization through media broadcast, which indeed has a lot of impact on the people
Source: AMECEA Social Communications and ZEC