STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA
But Chief Government spokesperson Dora Siliya said internet calls have created unfair
competition in the telecommunication industry despite contributing taxes.
Further calls for responsible use of social media are being made mostly by government
authorities.
4.2 Economic and Technological Environment
4.2.1 Economical
The media in the quarter under review experienced financial fortunes following a number of
economic events that took place. It is during this period that the Agriculture and Commercial
Society of Zambia (ACSZ) exhibitions took place with a number of businesses, individuals and
orgnisations transacting in airtime and space. This presented opportunities for media houses to
increase their revenue base.
One notable case is that of the Zambia Daily Mail which in the past quarter drew attention for its
financial struggles. In the previous years, Zambia Daily Mail has been said to be making losses.
In the quarter under review, the newspaper indicated to the Minister of Information and
Broadcasting Services that it had finally come up with the strategy on how to break even2.
4.2.2 Technological
Social media continued being used by different media houses in the country to reach out to the
public. Most prominent is the Mingletainment app which has been extensively promoted by Hot
FM. Mingletainment, an app which is a consortium of different value added offers that are put
together in a seamless and effective manner for a user to enjoy digital entertainment services
from one location, has significantly increased radio station‟s reach. In fact, for Hot FM, the
mingletainment app has helped increase the listenership and engagement with the audience.
People are able to tune in to Hot FM from anywhere and it can act like TV. In areas where the
station is not there they can use it to access the station online.
Apart from this app, other media houses and practitioners used Facebook Live to engage their
audiences during the on air programmes.

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Daily Nation – Daily Mail plan impresses Siliya – 16th August, 2018

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