Director General of National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mallam Is’haq Modibo Kawu, has warned the FM Radio stations which have defaulted in the area code coverage to revert to the approved city based coverage as agreed at the 2010 NBC broadcasting code review in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.
Kawu made this remark in his address to the stakeholders at a meeting on FM Radio Transmitter Power and Coverage Area in Lagos, adding that the problem of illegal transmission beyond area of coverage is prevalent among FM Radio stations, using higher power transmitters, leading to jamming in the airwave in the country.
He underscored that the former regime allowed impunity to thrive as the Commission never worked with the authority at the Port to inspect equipment before they were allowed to be installed, adding the present regime will ensure that the listed 89 FM Radio stations operate according to the licencing instructions or be decommissioned.
He mentioned that the other culprits are the Campus Broadcasting Stations which were established for teaching of Mass Communication students and research, but have now gone commercial in their operation which is outside their licence in the first instance.
“FM station after two years have not complied with the new regime directive as licensees installed transmitters beyond their terms of licence. NBC is committed to a new law governing regime of broadcasting and to work with all relevant authority at the Port to help to sanitise the airwave,” he said.
Director General of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Alhaji Ladan Salihu, in his goodwill message, noted that if there was an agreement in 2010 about area of coverage and the licencees did not comply, then NBC should invoke the regulation to decommission the broadcasting stations.
“It is not in our interest for stations to be jamming one another by someone not observing the rules,” DG FRCN added.
“It is not in our interest for stations to be jamming one another by someone not observing the rules,” DG FRCN added. On his part, Dr. Bassy Oko of Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Imo State, in a question and answer section, informed the Commission that even though the institutions’ Radio stations were not supposed to be used for commercial purpose, it will be unfair to them because the institutions are charged to generate their revenue.
In his response, the DG NBC reminded him that when the Campus FM Radio stations came for licence, they knew the rule was that they shall not take advertisements, so the Campus Radio stations cannot change the rules at the middle of the game.
The Chief Engineering and Technology of NBC, Engr. Caleb Ruth, pointed out the FM Radio stations’ technical breaches include Intentional deviation from assigned frequency, transmitting beyond approved coverage area, installing and operating transmitter above transmitter power, consistently transmitting low and poor quality content, signal interference, and station went off air and came back without apology amongst others.
