[kictanet] CITIZEN, NTV, KTN LAST MINUTE COURT APPLICATION FAILS TO STOP ANALOGUE SWITCHOFF

[James Mbugua]

Listers,

Looks like Media owners might have lost this one for good.

The only issue was whether the interpretation to continue with digital
migration while saying licenses will not be cancelled can be construed as
cancelling the license to broadcast in Nairobi.

CITIZEN, NTV, KTN LAST MINUTE COURT APPLICATION FAILS TO STOP ANALOGUE
SWITCHOFF

Analogue TV signals in Nairobi and its environs will be switched off
tonight at 11:59PM or after the Presidential New Year address industry
regulator Communications Authority has vowed.


This is despite a court application by the three media houses of Royal
Media (Citizen), NMG (NTV) and Standard Group (KTN) to allow them to keep
broadcasting in analogue until they have their infrastructure in place.


But tough talking Ministry of Information and CAK officials said in a press
conference that the switch off timetable as issued in a gazette notice by
Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i, remains in place.


Despite obtaining orders from the Supreme Court Vice President Kalpana
Rawal certifying their application as urgent and maintaining status quo
until the hearing set for January 5, Lawyer Wambua Kilonzo acting for CAK
and Mr. Mwangi from the Attorney General's office, said their
interpretation of the court orders was that the digital migration process
was not stopped.


"I have advised CAK not to cancel the licenses of the media owners but this
does not stop the digital migration process from going on," Kilonzo said.


Kilonzo in a position supported by the AG's counsel, said the Supreme Court
did not grant orders to prayer number 2 of the media houses for the digital
migration process to be stopped in the meantime.


According to CAK Consumer and Public Affairs director Mutua Muthusi, the
channels set for switch off tonight include:


Citizen (Channels 34, 39)

KTN 59

KBC 23

K24 26

GBS 47

NTV 42

QTV 12

Family 9

ETV 62

KIss TV (Channel 55)


Muthusi said Kenyans are ready to migrate and cited sales figures of set
top boxes which have ballooned in the last month.


"STB sales have more than doubled in the month of December," he said adding
that this trend was taking place even outside Nairobi.


http://nairobitech.blogspot.com/2014/12/citizen-ntv-ktn-last-minute-court.html
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/pipermail/kictanet/attachments/20141231/1ef7b2cc/attachment.htm>