Professor Jonathan Moyo, who was Minister of Information in Zimbabwe from 2000-2005, claims that VOA Studio 7 is operating illegally from Botswana, in contravention of the rules of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Writing in the pro-Zanu (PF) newspaper The Herald, Professor Moyo says “Studio 7 is illegally broadcasting on a medium wave frequency which the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has allocated to the sovereign Republic of Zimbabwe in accordance with the applicable international treaties and protocols. In other words, the Voice of America which broadcasts Studio 7 is squatting on a frequency that the ITU has set aside for Zimbabwe’s national use.”
Professor Moyo continues: “The fact that Studio 7 uses a medium wave frequency reserved for Zimbabwe via medium wave transmitters in Botswana means it has illegal national coverage within our territorial boundaries. This is why it is a pirate station; it is broadcasting in blatant violation of both Zimbabwean law and international law as governed by the ITU.”
(Source: The Herald)
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 14:03
This professor can claim that the Botswana station is a pirate, but let us face facts.
The Zimbabwe government is a pirate government, disrespecting all humanitary laws, leaving his country and people in shambles.
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 21:17
But does the ITU really allocate/reserve MW frequencies like this for specific countries? Cite source, please.
And if so, was it ex-post-facto, after the VOA operation started from Botswana.
on Jul 28th, 2010 at 07:06
Jonathan Moyo stands guilty of crimes against humanity for his role in propagating hate speech and being responsible for the persecution of journalists in Zimbabwe. His time before a tribunal is coming.
on Jul 28th, 2010 at 09:08
Glenn,
The ITU itself does not allocate specific frequencies, but (in theory) provides a means for countries to coordinate their requirements. When the new Geneva frequency plan in regions 1 and 3 came into force in 1975, the ITU published the so-called Blue Book, listing every requirement that had been registered. Even at that stage, many of the entries did not match what was actually happening. Of course, it is hopelessly out of date now. We had a copy at WRTH, but I don’t know what happened to it. It may even be stuffed away in a box. The answer to your question might be in there, if anyone has a copy they can check.
on Jul 28th, 2010 at 11:11
Andy, Glenn,
Like Andy, I also used to have a copy of the full original 1975 Geneva Plan, but also cannot locate it now!
In any case, the GE75 plan is irrelevant here. Rhodesia was not a signatory to the plan as it was at the time under the control of the illegal Ian Smith regime. In theory, the UK, as the nominal legitimate authority for Rhodesia, could have negotiated and signed on its behalf, but both political and practical reasons would have ruled that out.
I found a copy of the WRTH listings for 1979 (the first year after the plan was implemented) at http://www.wabweb.net/radio/listen/LWMWeu78.pdf. It doesn’t show either Botswana or Rhodesia as having an allocation on 909 (Studio 7’s frequency), though both neighbouring Malawi and Zambia do.
The list shows 14 entries for Rhodesia (RHS), all of them except one on pre-GE75 channels (i.e. not multiples of 9 kHz).
It’s possible that Zimbabwe sought MF registrations with the ITU after it gained legitimate independence in 1980. However, Zimbabwe gave up all MF broadcasting in the 1980s and so there would have been little need to do so.
I’m sure that ITU regulations do not provide for countries to register a channel, not for their own use but simply to deny another country the right to use it.
ITU regulations DO prohibit jamming, which Zimbabwe has been guilty of!!
on Jul 28th, 2010 at 11:22
Thanks Chris. So it does appear that Professor Moyo’s claim on the frequency of Studio 7 is tenuous, to say the least
on Aug 8th, 2010 at 20:21
I’ve been told what a more recent ITU document says about 909 kHz: Malawi has a registration for 20 kW and site Simlemba “recognized” in 1975, Zambia one for 50 kW from Solwezi “recognized” in 1982 (still shown as in use in WRTH 1994, with a power of 10 kW). And likewise Botswana has a registration for 500 kW with directional antenna from Selebe-Phikwe “recognized” in 1993, so of course it has been filed especially for the USIA (or whatever IBB predecessor was in charge for it) transmitter project.
I don’t know what “recognized” means in detail, presumably just the registration by the ITU. Anyway the legal status of the Botswana signal is identical to the previous ones from Zambia and, if it ever existed, Malawi. And apparently Zimbabwe never filed an own registration for 909 kHz.
It should be added that GE75 does not provide for external broadcasting on mediumwave, so all these transmissions take to some degree place in a grey zone. But nobody can seriously challenge a view that such frequency use is a de facto standard practice.