US embassy cable - 02HARARE1355

UNCLAS HARARE 001355 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/S, AF/PD 
 
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
 
PARIS FOR NEARY 
 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, KPAO, ZI 
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT PUULS PLUG ON SEMI-INDEPENDENT TV 
BROADCASTER 
 
 
1.   The government of Robert Mugabe refused to re-new 
    the broadcast license of semi-independent television 
    broadcaster "Joy TV" and the station ceased operations 
    on May 31.  The following report from the Zimbabwe 
    office of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) 
    offers an accurate summary of the sad case of Joy TV. 
 
2.   Begin Text: 
 
CURTAIN COMES DOWN ON JOY TV 
 
Zimbabwe's privately owned broadcasting station, Joy 
TV, started in July 1998, closed down on 31 May 2002, 
bringing down the curtain on Zimbabwe's botched 
experiment with broadcasting diversity and carrying the 
same dream down with it. 
 
Joy TV closed down after a lease agreement it had with 
the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) was 
canceled on the grounds that Joy TV had violated the 
Broadcasting Services Act that was enacted in 2001. 
Joy TV was leasing ZBC's second station, generally 
known as TV 2. 
 
The closure of Joy TV leaves the state-controlled ZBC 
as the sole broadcasting voice in Zimbabwe. Although 
the Broadcasting Services Act was enacted in 2001, 
purportedly to regulate the entry of other players into 
the industry, no private station has been licensed to 
date.  The ZBC therefore maintains its "monopoly". 
 
The short but eventful life of Joy TV faced stern 
challenges, especially direct interference from the 
government.  This manifested itself in a direct order 
for the station to drop the BBC news bulletin it 
broadcast everyday.  Joy TV was also never allowed to 
produce local news except musicals and apolitical 
documentaries.  The station's reliance on the ZBC for 
transmission was a contributing factor to its demise. 
The government could switch it off at any time, 
effectively preventing Joy TV from producing any 
programming that challenged the status quo. 
 
The closure of Joy TV underscores the need to license 
other players to enter the broadcasting industry.  MISA- 
Zimbabwe believes the Broadcasting Act needs major 
amendments if private players are to survive in the 
industry. 
 
The government has largely ignored the calls to amend 
the Act, which makes it virtually impossible for 
private players to enter the industry.  Among the many 
blemishes in the Act are the prohibition on foreign 
investment in the broadcasting industry and the 
requirement that broadcasters adhere to a strictly 
defined programme content. 
End text. 
SULLIVAN