The Independent Media Commission (IMC) that investigated the impasse between the SLPP Unity Radio and that of the ministry of Information and Communications yesterday presented its report to journalists at a press conference, stating that the SLPP radio legally acquired its licence.
IMC chairperson, Mrs Bernadette Cole, said the issue regarding the permission to resume broadcast by Unity Radio was looked into by the technical committee of the IMC whilst that dealing with the closure of the station was dealt with the complaint committee.
Presenting the recommendations from the committee, Mrs Cole said the commission’s drew the attention of the SLPP’s Unity Radio of the media code of conduct of the of their change in the power output of the new transmitter to 1000watts stating the maximum transmission to 250watts.
The commission however stated they had no objection to the change of Radio Unity’s coordinate, despite understanding the dispute of the antennae on state land.
The complaints committee, according to Mrs Cole, refuted the earlier claim made by the ministry of Information that the SLPP did not go through the right procedures in terms of regulations and was operating illegally.
The commission found out that to be incorrect as the Unity Radio legally acquired its licence and frequency from the IMC and the National Telecommunications Commission (NATCOM). Also the commission looked into the complaint that the SLPP radio installed their antenna across other antennas at Leicester Peak using private engineers without the knowledge of the ministry of Information.
The commission explained that the SLPP Secretary General, J.J.Saffa, said they requested in writing to SLBS for permission to locate their antenna at Leicester Peak, for which permission was granted.
The IMC recommended that SLBS failed to duly convey the agreement between them and Radio Unity to the ministry of Information and therefore advised that the SLBS swiftly forward all relevant documents to the Information minister.
The IMC also recommended that since the SLPP Unity Radio was legally registered it had the right to operate and they should operate on not more than the maximum of 250watts as prescribed in the media code of conduct.
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