STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBA Category Radio Frequency Percent 111 71.6 41 26.5 3 1.9 155 100.0 Television Subscription Management Service Total Source: IBA statistics, May 2017 5.0 Digital Migration The countdown for analogue television switch off started during the period under review with the date set for October 2017 by the Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Kampamba Mulenga. The minister announced that all analogue television services along the line of rail will be switched off in October this year, while the rest of the country will migrate from analogue to digital terrestrial television before the end of the year 2017. Ms Mulenga has directed public signal distributor TopStar Communication Company to enhance its publicity so that people, especially those in rural areas are not affected by the analogue switch off. “Government is committed to ensuring that all citizens have access to digital television and so we have set up several mechanisms to ensure that the technology being used is affordable and appropriate”17 The channels currently broadcasting on the digital terrestrial television platform are ZNBC (TV1, TV2 and TV3), Prime TV, Covenant Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Revelation TV, Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN 1 and TBN 2), QTV, City Television, Hope TV, France 24, Parliament TV and CAMNET. In a related event, the Information and Broadcasting services minister directed the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) to facilitate the transition of television stations to digital broadcasting platforms before the analogue switch off which comes into effect on October 1st 2017.18 Meanwhile, Information and Broadcasting Services Permanent Secretary Godfrey Malama said that the on-going digital migration will lead to improved 17 Kampamba Mulenga Zambia Daily Mail June 30th , 2017 18 Daily Nation 30th June, 2017 22 | P a g e