In an interview with The Herald’s Lovemore Ranga Mataire (LRM), Information Ministry Permanent Secretary Ndavaningi “Nick” Mangwana said the State broadcaster must monitor its own viewership and listen to its customers.
He said the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) should ask why Zimbabweans trust Zimbabwean news reported by outside broadcasters. Mangwana expressed reservations about the State broadcaster saying ZBC is close to a national embarrassment. Below is an excerpt of Mangwana’s interview with The Herald:
LRM: You have in the past expressed reservations about the country’s national broadcaster — ZBC’s operations. With your experience of having worked abroad and having been a regular commentator on various television stations and radio stations, what do you think is generally lacking at the national broadcaster and what can be done to revamp its operations and make it competitive?
NM: I think what is lacking is training and opportunities to benchmark our practice and product with other international broadcasters and standards.
The ZBC has to monitor its own viewership and listen to its customers. They should ask themselves why Zimbabwean viewers trust news about Zimbabwe reported by their South African counterparts or other stations from elsewhere outside Zimbabwe.
They should fight to take back the customers and it’s a challenge we are putting to them to show that they are growing both their viewership and radio audience from period to period.
We expect a quality improvement programme from them and how they can achieve that international standard that would make every Zimbabwean in Zimbabwe and in the Diaspora say, “I saw this thing on ZBC, so it must be true”.
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