On Tuesday, December 12, 2023, Lango Radio Owners and Managers Association (LAROMA), an umbrella body that brings together all 17 radio stations in the Lango sub-region, held its Annual General Meeting for 2023 at Pacific Grand Hotel. The meeting discussed the association’s strategic plan for the next three years and also delved into the challenges faced by the broadcast industry in Lango sub-region.
During the meeting, LAROMA elected its new executive that will steer the association for the calendar year 2024. Those elected include Charles Odongo, co-Director of Unity FM, as Chairperson, Donny Apio as Vice Chairperson, Bonny Otim Ogwal as Secretary-General, Lazarus Okello as Administrative Treasurer, Kenneth Okello as Secretary for Publicity, and Fr. Lawrence Sunday Ogwang as an advisor.
The new chairperson, Charles Odongo, in his remarks, asked the member radio stations to ensure that they enforce professionalism in their work, as communication is a public good. According to Charles, more than 80 percent of the people in Lango rely on information from radio stations, and the stations should always try their best to deliver credible and accurate information to the public to avert the looming challenge of misinformation and disinformation fabricated by some unscrupulous individuals, especially in the new media.
He also asked the government to reduce taxes on imported radio equipment for rural broadcasters and revise the annual licensing fees charged by the regulator, Uganda Communications Commission.
Ken Okello, the association’s secretary for publicity, says the association has made significant strides in fighting for the challenges faced by the industry, including but not limited to irregular power outages and capacity building for member staff, among others. Okello asked for continued cohesion among member radio stations to strive for the fast growth of the media industry in Lango.
Due to the increasing cost of operations faced by member radio stations, the association also revised its advertising rates as follows: spot messages UGX 10,000 per spot for local advertisers, Corporate/Institutional announcement UGX 20,000 per reading, Personal announcement/notices UGX 10,000, meanwhile, death announcements will be aired at UGX 5,000 per reading.
This was announced in a press release on Tuesday evening by the LAROMA Secretariat in Lango. For more inquiries on this story, contact 0772541449.
