Radio Stations Turn Off Besigye and Otunnu: Fear CBS-Like Shutdowns
Why won't radio stations upcountry host opposition candidates?
Presidential candidates Kizza Besigye and Olara Otunnu have faced serious radio problems in their campaigns recently. The highlights…
-On Tuesday, Feb. 9th, Fort Portal station Better F.M. radio canceled his show at the last minute, breaching their contract with the FDC, who had been advertising the show heavily the week before. Read more about the cancelled show here.
-Besigye says radio managers are too scared to host him in the Acholi sub-region. Pader District’s Luo FM suddenly canceled the opposition leader’s scheduled 8-10 pm talk show at the end of January, due to “orders from above.” The radio managers said they had received orders not to host any opposition candidates, and were scared of being shut down like CBS last September. Smaller broadcasts have been intimidated by Uganda’s radio closures last year by the government, since they lack the political and economic clout to get turned back on if they are shut down. Last November, Besigye was also blocked from speaking at a radio station in Karamoja, on Nenah FM. The Daily Monitor reported this story on Feb. 1st. Read more here.
-UPC contender and former top U.N. official Olara Otunnu, who got into a disturbing accident last December in northern Uganda with the Presidential Guard Brigade, said he hasn’t been able to purchase airtime on radio stations in Western Uganda to host political shows. When he would try to schedule time on stations, Otunnu says managers refused to put him on air, and said they were following “orders from above.” Read more here from the Daily Monitor.
Government-CBS Standoff:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwkctSR3W7
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