In a desperate move to continue dominating the airwaves, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings is reportedly planning to introduce two community radio stations and a television channel soon, before the commissioning of the much awaited Zimbabwe Media Commission.
Sources within the state controlled broadcaster said two community radio stations, Sunshine radio based in Harare, and Skies radio to be based in Bulawayo, and TV2 were soon going to be on air. The sources said the two community radio stations were initiatives of Alan Chiweshe who doubled as the ZBH Administration and Radio Manager while former Newsnet boss Chris Chivhinge was tipped to head the new television station.
Employees at ZBH have questioned the essence of opening new radio and television channels at a time the broadcaster was failing to pay them. In 2002 the same broadcaster under the command of the then Minister of Information and Publicity Professor Jonathan Moyo, failed to launch the much proposed and publicized NTV.
Other challenges facing the public broadcaster are those of transmission in parts of Bulawayo, Matabeleland north and south and parts of Midlands provinces and the outdated broadcasting equipment which has resulted in poor productions apart from poor programming.
(Source: Radio Voice of the People)
