A list of all the 12 gossip TV shows that UCC has ordered to be aired past primetime

The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has ordered eleven TV stations to switch their adult-themed gossip programs from evening hours to between 10 pm and 5 am which is ideally past primetime. This order commenced yesterday 20th October this week and if these TV stations want to retain their programs on-air, they would have to comply.

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The stations will still have to ensure that their programs comply with the Minimum Broadcasting Standards, the Ag. Executive Director of the Uganda Communications Commission said in a letter to the stations on 18^th October 2021.

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The affected programs, known for broadcasting mostly gossip and celebrity news, are:

1. NBS and Sanyuka TV’s Uncut Sabula
2. NBS and Sanyuka TV’s Uncut Kalakata,
3. Spark TV’s Live Wire,
4. Urban TV’s Short Circuit Sonsomola,
5. ABS TV’s Evening Zone,
6. Baba TV’s Poko Poko,
7. BBS TV’s Roundabout
8. Dream TV’s Tik Taka Sesetura,
9. Kingdom TV’s Kapyaki,
10. STV’s Select E-Buzz,
11. BTM TV’s Access,
12. Top TV’s Kachumbali.

This follows a meeting between UCC officials and representatives of eleven television stations at the Commission head office in Bugolobi on 7^th October 2021.

During the meeting, it was brought to the attention of the invited station managers, producers, and presenters that members of the public had raised concerns about the programs for violating Minimum Broadcasting Standards.

Whereas the TV stations agreed to address compliance of their programs, the Commission has not observed any improvement in the nature and quality of the programs, hence the action is taken.

Having reviewed and investigated the nature of the content, UCC observed the following:

• The programmes contain adult content, sexual innuendos and profanity, with the potential to disturb and harm some members of the public, especially children.
• The stations don’t adequately warn their audiences about the nature of content often contained in the programmes.
• The presenters of the programmes often appear on air when dressed indecently in skimpy outfits.
• The language and statements used by the presenters and guests during the programmes are often abusive, demeaning, derogatory and contain unsubstantiated claims against different personalities.
• The programmes often contain inaccurate, misleading and unverified content, which often defames other individuals.
• The content in the programmes often invades the privacy of individuals, contains unbalanced reporting, and denies the persons reported against the right of response or an opportunity to reply against the allegations made against them during the programs.

To protect children and adults who find the content objectionable, the Commission directed the stations to stop broadcasting the programs during the watershed period (5.00 am – 10.00 pm). The move is in line with the Uganda Communications Act 2013 and Regulation 28 of the Uganda Communications (Content) Regulations 2019.

If the stations wish to continue broadcasting the said programs after the watershed period, the Ag. Executive Director advised, they must “institute deliberate measures to ensure that the content broadcast during the said programs complies with the Minimum Broadcasting Standards, the Uganda Communications (Content) Regulations 2019, and other laws including but not limited to the Data Protection and Privacy Act 2019, and the Computer Misuse Act 2011.”

Failure to comply with the directive would attract appropriate regulatory sanctions, including possible suspension of the station’s broadcasting license in accordance with Section 41 of the Uganda Communications Act 2013.