By Louise Jobe
King Fm at Talinding and Home Digital Fm in Brikama are still out of operation after their Radio licenses was said to have been suspended or revoked by Government in a public announcement, since last Sunday’s ‘3 Years Jotna’ violent demonstration on the 26th of January 2020. This reporter made a follow-up on the matter and visited the Records Office of the Gambia Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), the authority empowered under Section 228 of the PURA Act to regulate radio and television broadcast stations in the country, but was not provided with any such record to show the revocation of license regarding the above stations.
According to PURA’s Human Resource Director Momodou Lamin Darboe, he is not allowed to talk to the press unless he has approval from the Director General of the authority; that this is part of the policy of PURA.
He further said that he was not in a position to elaborate much on the issue. However he told this reporter that the Authority is doing something about the matter and will write a press release which will be sent to all media houses for public consumption; that as for that moment, it is the DG who can say something about the issue; but that he has not received any record or brief about the issue of closure of radio stations.
The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) which is the authority empowered to regulate radio and television broadcast stations in the country under Section 228 of the PURA Act, is required to set acceptable standards for program and advertisement and to monitor compliance on standards, according to the conditions of their license. PURA is the authority mandated to receive complaints of violations and advise the Minister on such violations.
