SECTOR 2

The media landscape, including new
media, is characterised by diversity,
independence and sustainability.
2.1 A wide range of sources of information (print,
broadcasting, internet, mobile phones) is accessible
and affordable to citizens.
A wide range of information sources exist in Zambia’s media landscape, with
various print, broadcasting, internet and mobile phone platforms. Zambia also
has one government-owned national news agency, the Zambia News and
Information Services (ZANIS).
Print
Print publications are highly accessible, although their reach is limited. “Most
publications do not reach all the other provinces as distribution is focused on
major urban centres and it is expensive for small papers to distribute to other
parts of the country.”
The price of a newspaper, at K3 (US$0.0006), is cheaper than the cost of a loaf of
bread, and while this price has remained constant for approximately seven years,
it is still considered restrictive in some places.
Notable newspaper publications include The Times of Zambia and the Daily
Mail (with a combined print run of approximately 20 000), both of which are
government-owned, as well as the privately owned The Post, which is the biggest
paper in Zambia with a print run of over 50 000. All of these newspapers have
a wide distribution across the country. The Daily Nation, which was launched in
2011, is another daily newspaper. The total print run of the four daily newspapers
stands at about 100 000.
Around election time, several other newspapers crop up and experience high
sales, “but then they can’t sustain themselves beyond this period”.
The Kavindula Newspaper is a community paper with a print run of 4 000
and content is written by members of the community and sourced from social
networks, tweets and profile statuses.
The table below provides a summary of the various newspapers that exist
in Zambia and their circulation. Note that the information below is based on
Afrimap data from 20109.
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28

OSI (2010) Public Broadcasting in Africa Series: Zambia. In the absence of an Audit Bureau of Circulation, the
circulation figures could not be verified. Accessed on 29 September 2013 from http://www.afrimap.org/english/
images/report/Zambia%20Broadcasting%20Survey%20Web.pdf

AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ZAMBIA 2013

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