KIU to Hold Public Lecture to mark 30 years of FM Radio in Uganda

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Summary:

• Kampala International University’s Department of Journalism and Media Studies will host an online public lecture to celebrate 30 years of FM radio in Uganda, exploring its history, impact, contributors, challenges, and future, with an annual event planned to assess industry progress.

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The Department of Journalism and Media studies at Kampala International University (KIU) on Monday will hold a public lecture to mark 30 years of FM Radio in Uganda.

The country currently has over 300 FM stations, but the journey started on Saturday, December 18, 1993, when Radio Sanyu 88.2 FM started broadcasting from Naguru Hill in Kampala.

The station owned by the Katto family pioneered independently owned FM radio broadcasting in Uganda. Prior to its launch, Uganda had, since 1954, lived with Radio Uganda, the state owned broadcaster, for thirty-nine years.

Now, according to Dr. Joel Isabirye, the head of the journalism and media studies department at KIU, the public lecture, which will be held online, will explore the legacy of FM radio in Uganda.

“Radio is an important medium in the lives of Ugandans. Equally, the thirtieth anniversary of FM Radio in Uganda gives us an opportunity to recognise the contributions of the medium, its practitioners, its media houses that have played a pivotal role in shaping the socio-cultural, economic and political development of Uganda over this period. The lecture also gives us an opportunity to reflect on areas of improvement for radio and how its future looks like,” Dr Isabirye told this news website.

“When the government liberalised the electronic media, it intended to allow private players to contribute to national development. The lecture will show the extents to which this aim has been achieved,” he added.

Isabirye further reveals that the lecture will be held every year to take track of the progress of the industry in the contemporary situation.

“Having reached a milestone of the thirtieth anniversary, we would want to hold this event annually to assess the progress of the sector amidst a changing media landscape,” says Dr Isabirye.

The lecture shall focus on the history of its development, its impacts on Uganda, the major contributors to the medium, i.e., personalities and institutions, the challenges encountered by FM and the challenges it has poised for Uganda, and the future of FM Radio amidst a rapidly changing media environment.

The lecture shall feature some of the University’s accomplished lecturers like Ms. Rehema Nakalema, Ms. Sumayah Naggadya, Ms. Janette Nanyondo and Ms. Maureen Komugisha, who will present on different topics.

The presenters will tackle one section related to 30 years of commercial radio in Uganda centering discussions on the history of FM radio, the impact of FM radio, the contributors to FM radio, the challenges encountered by FM radio and the future of FM Radio in Uganda.

The institution which is ranked the leading private university in Uganda, prides in having trained some of the best media practitioners in the country.