KBN TV/FOUR OTHER STATIONS SUSPENDED BY IBA

By Francis Chipalo The Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) Board has suspended the broadcasting licences of four stations — three for non-payment of Annual Operating Fees and one for breaching the 2026 Election Coverage Guidelines. IBA Director General and Board Secretary, Webster Malido, announced in a statement issued today that 3FM Radio of Chipata, Mungu FM […]

By Francis Chipalo

The Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) Board has suspended the broadcasting licences of four stations — three for non-payment of Annual Operating Fees and one for breaching the 2026 Election Coverage Guidelines.

IBA Director General and Board Secretary, Webster Malido, announced in a statement issued today that 3FM Radio of Chipata, Mungu FM Radio of Mongu and Healing TV of Lusaka have been suspended for 30 days with immediate effect for failing to settle their 2026 Annual Operating Fees which fell due on 1st January 2026.
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Malido said the decision was made during the 56th Special Board Meeting held on 23rd September 2026 after the Authority exhausted all laid-down regulatory procedures contained in the Guidelines for Enforcement and Handling of Compliance Breaches.

He said the stations were given an opportunity to be heard during hearings held on 16th February 2026 and were subsequently given a grace period up to 30th April 2026, but still failed to comply with licensing conditions under Section 22(4) of the IBA (Amendment) Act No. 26 of 2010 which requires licensees to pay annual fees as determined by the Board.

The suspensions are subject to settlement of the outstanding fees.

During the same meeting, the Board also suspended KBN TV for 30 days with immediate effect for breaching the 2026 Election Coverage Guidelines and other broadcasting standards.

Malido said KBN TV’s licence will remain suspended for the full 30-day period and during this period the station is required to undertake in-house capacity-building for its staff on basic programme moderation skills and ethical broadcasting practices, and to review and strengthen its editorial policy to clearly spell out acceptable broadcast language and matters of etiquette.

He said the station was cited for failure to conduct discussions in a balanced, fair, accurate and objective manner, broadcasting unsubstantiated claims by both guests and hosts, broadcasting unverified information, failure to present alternative viewpoints, failure to provide the right to reply, and failure to effectively moderate a programme by allowing use of inappropriate language by a guest on air.

Malido said the Board also considered KBN TV’s compliance record, noting that the station appeared before the Board four times and was cautioned in writing six times between 2023 and 2026 for similar breaches.

He said KBN TV is at liberty to appeal to the Minister of Information and Media within thirty days under Section 31(1) of the IBA (Amendment) Act No. 26 of 2010.

Malido said the Authority recognizes that freedom of expression is a fundamental constitutional right, but its exercise in broadcasting carries responsibilities and broadcasters are expected to operate within licence conditions and applicable standards to safeguard public interest.

“KBN TV was among seventeen stations cited for breaching Election Coverage Guidelines following the Authority’s regulatory assessment of the 2026 General Election coverage,” he said.

In May 2026, the Authority issued the 2026 IBA Election Coverage Guidelines to guide radio and television stations on responsible coverage of the electoral process and conducted workshops to strengthen broadcasters’ understanding of the Guidelines.

The Authority determined that five stations out of seventeen had severe breaches and were invited for compliance hearings, while twelve had minor infringements.

The suspensions have been imposed in accordance with Section 29(1)(i) of the IBA (Amendment) Act No. 26 of 2010 which mandates the Authority to suspend a licence when a licensee fails, in spite of written notice, to comply with licence conditions.

Meanwhile, the Board has cautioned sixteen stations for breaches of the 2026 Election Coverage Guidelines identified through its election-monitoring exercise.

The breaches include failure to adequately probe guests, verify or seek supporting evidence for serious allegations, inadequate moderation of programmes, failure to provide balancing responses or sufficient context to election-related matters, failure to uphold standards of accuracy, fairness, balance, neutrality and editorial responsibility, airing content that could incite public panic or violence, airing content with hate speech and tribalism, failure to provide the right to reply, promoting misinformation, broadcasting unsubstantiated claims and use of insulting language.

The cautioned stations have been directed to undertake corrective measures, including targeted capacity-building for staff and submitting reports to the Authority on actions taken.

Malido said the Authority will continue to engage broadcasting stations to promote compliance and strengthen responsible broadcasting practices while taking appropriate regulatory action where breaches are established.
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