THE Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) has lauded the country’s first independent national television station, 3Ktv, for its programming and consistency.
Speaking after touring 3Ktv’s state-of-the-art studios in Harare yesterday, the impressed new chairperson of BAZ, Valentine Mutatu, also praised the station for investing in, and trusting young professionals to steer the channel with competency.
3Ktv, which was licensed in November 2020 after coming tops in a competitive and public bidding process, went on air amid palpable excitement on February 28, 2022.
“Our tour of 3Ktv’s studios has confirmed that so much has been put into this business, and we need to support it. “Indeed, we need to support our players in the industry to grow it further.
“I also observed that the station is dominated by young people, which is a good thing. “We encourage the TV station to keep on scaling greater heights so that very soon it can reach the entire country,” Mutatu said. He also revealed that authorities would issue more broadcasting licences in the not too distant future.
“As BAZ we were mandated with a number of issues. One of them is to make sure that the industry grows from where it is and also to consider the issues that are affecting the players in the broadcasting industry
“We have also pencilled the question of relooking at licensing fees so that we benchmark with other players in the region or in other jurisdictions,” Mutatu added.
The Group Chief Executive of Jester Media Services (JMS), Pilate Machadu, lauded authorities for opening up the country’s air waves. “The government has done well to engender diversity in the broadcasting industry over the past two years.
“It is also very good to see that the relationship between authorities and the media continues to improve markedly, which is good for the country,” he said. 3Ktv is a free-to-air (FTA), digital terrestrial television (DTT) station, which means that contrary to social media babble anyone with the right equipment — such as a suitable set-top box — can receive its programming for free wherever the signal is available.
However, 3Ktv’s feed is also available through other platforms for which subscription fees may be payable, which explains the station’s key partnership with MultiChoice — which has seen it also hosted on DStv’s channel 293.
The station is a sister operation to the country’s most influential newspaper, the Daily News, the Daily News On Sunday, Zimbabwe’s prime publication for commerce and industry — The Financial Gazette — and e-newsletter Business Live.
