SECTOR 2 In a country of 752,614 square kilometres, however, distribution, particularly of print media, is problematic and costly for publishers in terms of reaching remote parts of the country. In some areas, such as Nakonde in the far north-east, readers receive newspapers a day late. In terms of the penetration of the print media, most daily newspapers generally reach only provincial centres and not at district level. The Post does reach district centres but is generally restricted to offices and not homes. For those who have Internet access, all the country’s newspapers are available in online versions and can be accessed via mobile phones. The highest circulating newspaper in the country is The Post, which now sells on average of 47,000 a day, down from 60,000 in 2009. The Times reportedly has a circulation of 9,000 copies a day, the Zambia Daily Mail 8,800, New Vision 6,000 and the Weekly Guardian 5,000.3 “The circulation figures of daily newspapers are less than one-fifth of what they used to be in the 1980s, although the population has grown.” These circulation figures are relatively small for a population estimated to be 13 million people (almost 12 million in 2009). Newspapers are also too expensive for the majority of Zambians at K3,000 (62 UScents). The ‘mushroom’ newspapers, which receive political party funding and sponsorship to convey a certain political message, are cheaper at K1,000.4 “The cost may seem small, but the majority of Zambians cannot afford it. For them it’s a choice between a newspaper and a loaf of bread, which costs a similar price.” “The circulation figures of daily newspapers are less than one-fifth of what they used to be in the 1980s...” All the newspapers are in the official national language, English, making them inaccessible to the many, rural people who do not speak English. Some 20 per cent of the population is unable to read or write in English. Nyanja, Bemba, Lunda, Tonga, Nkoya, Lozi, Luvale and Kaonde are the main recognised regional languages, largely representative of provinces, while there are about 40 other indigenous languages, excluding a number of dialects.5 3 OSI (2010) Public Broadcasting in Africa Series: Zambia. In the absence of an Audit Bureau of Circulation, the circulation figures could not be verified. Retrieved from http://www.afrimap.org/english/ images/report/Zambia%20Broadcasting%20Survey%20Web.pdf, accessed 22 August 2011 4 Ibid. 5 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zambia AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ZAMBIA 2011 27