Malawi media owners form body

Media owners from Malawi’s private sector have formed a new body called the Association of Media Owners (AMO) to promote their interests.

A press statement from AMO dated August 11 2012 said the organisation intends to play a greater role in the transformation of the country.

The statement said AMO, which will be established as a trust and will seek affiliation with international organisations such as the Africa Media Initiative (AMI), is being headed by Nation Publications Limited (NPL) after its chief executive officer (CEO), Mbumba Achuthan, was elected the body’s first chairperson at a meeting of media owners and managers in Blantyre on Friday.

Other member organisations that were elected to the AMO executive committee include Blantyre Newspapers Limited (BNL), which was represented by its managing director (MD) Leonard Chikadya, Malawi Institute of Journalism (MIJ) represented by its executive director Dalitso Nkunika, Galaxy Media Consultants represented by its MD Benson Nkhoma-Somba, Capital Radio Malawi Limited represented by its MD Alaudin Osman, Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS) and Story Workshop which was represented by its executive director, Kent Mphepo.

The statement said AMO has several objectives, which include acting as a catalyst for change in promoting social transformation for economic growth and democracy in Malawi.

It is also aimed at ensuring accountability of the media to the public, including its common goal of protecting the public.

The statement said AMO will also be protecting its members, provide a forum for business issues for media organisations, act as a lobbying platform for media organisations, support media watchdog organisations such as the Media Council of Malawi (MCM) and the Malawi Chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (Namisa), and ensure sustainability of the media in Malawi.—Mana