Namibia: New Radio Station to Cater for German Market

A NEW commercial radio station targeting the German-speaking population, Hitradio Namibia, will hit the airwaves during the first week of July.

"This has been a life-long dream of mine. Radio has always been my passion and I have gained many years of experience at NBC, Radio Kudu and 99 FM," said Namibian-born co-owner and CEO of the radio station Wilfried Hähner.

The other owner and financial director of the station is Sybille Rothkegel, also a Namibian.

The station will broadcast from studios in Olympia.

Hitradio will first broadcast in central Namibia on 99.5 FM and at the central coast on 97 FM. The broadcast range will be expanded to other parts of the country at a later stage.

The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (Cran) announced the issuance of the station's broadcast licence in the Government Gazette on May 15.

Hähner said the station will concentrate on news, actuality programmes and music, with 70 per cent of the programme content in German.

He said the station would endeavour to objectively inform about happenings, especially in Namibia, and to support the Namibian Government by informing the German-speaking community in Namibia about the achievements and challenges of Government's various development plans.

"Our emphasis will be on news dissemination and nation-building," said Hähner.

"We are overwhelmed by the positive responses we have so far received from both Namibians and people abroad and the station, which can also be heard via internet stream, will be an important marketing tool for Namibia," commented Rothkegel.

Cran's head of communications, Lelanie Basson, said the regulator is considering other applications for broadcasting licences.

Two other commercial broadcasting licences have been issued to Carol-Ann van der Walt and Parktown Investments 76 CC.

A moratorium was placed on the issuance of all new licences and spectrum allocations during the transition process of the Namibia Communications Commission (NCC) to Cran.

Basson said the audit has been completed, and Cran is now preparing to publish the final notice on the existing broadcasting spectrum in the Government Gazette.

 

(Source : The Namibian via allAfrica.com)