THURSDAY, 11.30AM:
THE Independent Broadcasting Authority is coming under fire for irregular actions in awarding the first free-to-air television licence to Midi TV.
Losing consortiums and commentators in the broadcasting industry are alleging that the IBA bent the rules of the registration process to allow Midi to alter its business plan after registration. “The IBA made the rules, then broke them,” one commentator said.
The IBA admitted that Midi was allowed to submit the name of its foreign partner, Warner Brothers, on the second day of its application, and allowed Midi to alter its business plan after the hearings. It denied, however, that there was any subterfuge in this allowance, and said the business plan was made public knowledge.
Vague allegations that the IBA’s decision to award the licence to 80% black-owned Midi was politically motivated were also denied by the authority.
The losing consortiums, however, are leaving no stone unturned in a bid to challenge the IBA’s decision, and some have reportedly slated the IBA for not revealing that Midi’s chief Jonathan Procter was suspended from his former position as head of BopTV, on allegations of treating workers unfairly.
IBA chair Felling Sekha brushed off these accusations, saying that as they were never substantiated, the IBA felt they had no bearing on Midi’s bid.
Sekha also said the IBA is expecting legal action from losing applicants. “We look forward to the court action,” she said. “[It] could set the groundwork on legal issues that affect the whole broadcasting industry.”