STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA board. It was reported in the newspaper that; “The committee urges the appointing authority to consider making an appointment that will represent all regions of the country to promote regional diversity,’ she said. In addition to calling for a gender balance as regards the appointment of the ZNBC Board members it was also reported that the Monze Central MP Jack Mwiimbu (UPND) called on the government to allow it [the Board] to be more accommodating and accord all stakeholders regardless of the political inclination the necessary media coverage. Meanwhile, the Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, Ms. Dora Siliya was reported in the same newspaper saying “ZNBC has remained the most popular television station in the country with over 640,000 households accessing it”. It must be noted that in as much as ZNBC may seem to be a popular broadcast channel of choice, it is important that efforts aimed at maintaining its viability are encouraged in order to keep it afloat in the wake of private media channels. Talking about the viability of a media body, Money FM may seem to have followed the viability agenda to the latter with the appointment of Mr. Chibamba Kanyama a prolific Economist and Consultant to the Board as Chairperson. On 20th December, 2019, Mwebantu Online publication reported that Money FM had appointed Mr. Chibamba Kanyama as Board Chairman to further the growth of the Radio Station. According the Mwebantu online publication, the radio station had made some changes at Board level to spur the growth and development of the radio station. In similar circumstances, on 11th December, 2019 the Zambia Daily Mail publication carried a headline “Board Members Urged To Know IBA Rules” It was reported by the paper that “Government had urged the Independent Broadcasting Authority’s (IBA) new Board members to acquaint themselves with the IBA rules so that they operate in a fair and honest manner. 18