‘Mantšali Phakoana
Lesotho on Tuesday commemorated World Radio Day under the theme ‘Radio: a century informing, entertaining and educating’.
Radio this year celebrates 100 years as a medium of information exchange among members of society. Lesotho celebrates 60 years of radio since establishment of its first state-owned Radio Lesotho in 1964.
In a statement yesterday, Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) said Lesotho’s radio industry has grown leaps and bounds in the last two decades.
MISA noted that exponential growth came about when the government took a bold decision in 1997 to liberalise the airwaves. This opened a window of opportunity for private radio stations in the country.
“Today, there are 27 radio stations licensed by the communications regulator – Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA). Among these are six community radio stations.
“When radio operates at the local level, it enriches the cultural heritage of that particular society and promotes inclusivity, which is a stepping stone towards social cohesion. Social cohesion is a springboard for good governance and a pillar of democracy.
“Community radio has been able to reduce the urban-rural divide regarding access to information. People at community level identify with radio as it brings fresh information to their doorsteps,” the statement said.
MISA further mentioned that of all the media, radio has stood the test of time around the world as a reliable, accessible, affordable as well as spontaneous medium of information exchange.
However, the organisation noted that challenges including radio’s weak capacity to perform its fiduciary responsibilities to the level expected and the absence of clear training plans for staff was a threat to the sustainability of the sector.
MISA also indicated that the shortage of proper broadcasting skills for radio broadcasters, particularly anchors of some major current affairs programmes, is a matter of great public concern.
MISA Lesotho applauded the LCA for working hard to bridge the skills gap prevalent at most private radio stations.
“To arrest the acute skills shortage, LCA recently partnered with the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology to re-skill a selection of radio broadcasters,” it added.
