Rumbek radio station off-air due to technical problem

By Manyang Mayom

June 7, 2009 (RUMBEK) – The Lakes state government-owned Radio Rumbek
FM-98 has been off-air since June 1 and may remain so for 45 days or
more, allegedly due to a technical problem with the transmitter.

Radio director Mr. James Magok Chilim affirmed last week that “The
problem is going to be solved in about 45 days and above.”

Meanwhile, an SPLM official in the Lakes state secretariat office said
that the target date for renewing transmissions will also immediately
mark the start of programming for the SPLM general mobilization
campaign for the election.

This installation of the station on February 3, 2007 and move on-air
the following morning was seen as the first major achievement of local
authorities in the media field since the signing of Comprehensive
Peace Agreement (CPA).

The Lakes State government officially opened Radio Rumbek FM-98 on
March 20, 2007 when the inauguration was attended by Governor Daniel
Awet, advisors, MPs and state ministers during the period when Adak
Costa Mapuor served as minister of Information, Communication,
Culture, Youth and Sport. Adak, who ran the ministry since the term of
former Governor John Lat Zechariah, was shortly thereafter ousted by
Governor Awet in 2007.

Initially, the state managed to train 20 news reporters and to recruit
some staff for each directorate of information, culture, radio,
telecommunication and youth – sport.

But since then, pay cuts and downsizing of the work force led to the
resignation of several local reporters at Radio FM-98, including heads
of the Arabic Desk and English Desk who left accusing the radio
director of not being loyal to staffs.

The state intends to develop the information directorate but faces
several challenges, mainly material but also lack of qualified staff.
The state plans to promote local press and media with the support, in
term of capacity training, of the Government of Southern Sudan and
international institutions like BBC World Trust and UN Radio Miraya.

In her current rule as Information Minister, Mrs. Agad Chol Mabuong
has imposed restrictions and punitive measures on local journalists
for exceeding their mandate by engaging with outside media.

Nowadays, the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) Radio Miraya
FM-101 is broadcasting to the state from just a distance of ten
kilometers outside Rumbek Central County, though Miraya cannot reach
the faraway counties of Lakes state community.

In the aftermath of Radio-98 going off-air, the state government has
returned back to square one using a public address microphone system
were the government to have an important message to deliver to the
public.

Since the radio shut-down occurs just as the Southern Sudan ruling
party the Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) is on track to
launch its political campaign, a few SPLM officials accused the radio
director of conspiring to prevent the campaign, but the radio director
insists that it is only a technical problem.

(ST)