Ashley Moyo
THE country’s leading independent national television station, 3Ktv, and its wireless stablemate, Radio 3000, are the new broadcast homes of the popular National School Quiz Championships (NSQC).
The schools competition, which is produced by Ian P Concepts of Ian P Universal and The Nerd Galaxy, is one of Southern Africa’s top academic contests.
“We are excited to officially begin this new journey with 3Ktv and Radio 3000 as our broadcast partners.
“This partnership strengthens our mission of making education exciting, accessible and inspiring for young people across the country and beyond,” founder and executive producer Ian Venganai told the Daily News yesterday.
This comes after the NSQC recently recorded its grand final series at SAYWHAT Studios in Harare — which marked a major milestone for the competition, with the new broadcasting partnership now set to roll out every school term.
“The radio and televised academic tournament once again brought together some of the country’s brightest young minds in a thrilling showcase of intelligence, teamwork and academic excellence.
“The finals were a huge success and a proud moment for everyone involved.
“We witnessed outstanding talent, confidence and determination from students who represent the future of our region,” Venganai added.
The NSQC has grown into one of the region’s leading quizzes, attracting schools from across multiple provinces and expanding its regional footprint.
This term’s winners included Dominican Convent, which bagged the Quiz Champions trophy. St John’s Emerald Hill claimed the Senior Quiz Champions title, while Monte Cassino Girls finished as Senior second runners-up — and Daramombe High School secured the Junior second runners-up position.
Venganai said the NSQC had grown beyond a competition into a movement that promotes academic excellence. “The NSQC is more than a competition. It is a movement that celebrates academic excellence and gives students an opportunity to believe in themselves, and to compete with pride and dream bigger,” he said further. This year’s winning teams have qualified for the NSQC Presidents Cup which is set for September 12 in Gaborone, in Botswana.
This will see the top 16 primary schools and top 16 secondary schools from across the SADC region competing against each other.
“The Presidents Cup is not just about winning trophies. It is about building friendships, cultural exchanges and inspiring the next generation of African leaders through education.
“Our goal is to build a world-class African academic championship that unites students from across the continent through knowledge, innovation and healthy competition.
“We appreciate the commitment shown by schools, teachers, parents and our partners. “Their support continues to help us to create life-changing opportunities for students through education and media,” Venganai also said.
All this also comes after 3Ktv recently celebrate its fourth anniversary of uninterrupted and hugely successful live broadcasting.
Zweli Sibanda, the Managing Director of Jester Media Services’ (JMS) Broadcasting Division, told the Daily News then that the private commercial station was “continuing to go from strength to strength”.
“When JMS, the country’s only growing mainstream media group and Zimbabwe’s biggest independent media house by far, launched the nation’s first private television station on the 28th of February 2022, we never imagined then that we would witness the progress that we have made over the past four years.
“All this is notwithstanding Zimbabwe’s current difficult operating environment which has seen many industry peers facing significant challenges that are threatening their existence.
“To say, therefore, that we are excited about what the future holds for 3Ktv and our entire group is an understatement.
“We are confident that things will only get better going forward for the station and the rest of our other market-leading media assets that include the iconic Daily News, the Daily News On Sunday, Radio 3000 and The Financial Gazette, the country’s number one business publication,” Sibanda added.
“In the meantime, and to those businesses and organisations that are not yet fully au fait with 3Ktv, there are many advantages to joining hands with us and exposing your work and brands through the television station.
“Indeed, 3Ktv provides a powerful combination of mass reach, visual storytelling, unparalleled brand building capacity and remarkable affordability — allowing businesses to optimally create lasting impressions, connect emotionally with viewers and to achieve increased brand loyalty and sales.
“The station also gives our business partners and advertisers the ability to target specific audiences and demographics, which means that their messaging can be tailored to reach the audiences that are most interested in the showcased products and services,” Sibanda said further.
3Ktv, which was licensed in November 2020 after coming tops in a competitive and public bidding process, went on air amid palpable excitement at the end of February in 2022 — in the process becoming the first licensed private commercial station to operate in the country since television was first introduced in the then Southern Rhodesia in November 1960.
In November last year, JMS launched an online radio station, Radio 3000, as the country’s most dynamic and sustainable media group continued to set the pace in the sector.
In launching the new station, JMS consolidated its multimedia operations, with its media brands now spanning television, radio, newspapers, websites, social media, mobile apps, events and strategic communications.
“With the launch of Radio 3000, JMS can now offer a 360-degree media and marketing capability to all our partners and advertisers.
“Thus, not only can our audiences and important stakeholders access our content everywhere, we now also offer our business partners a comprehensive and integrated marketing scope that combines multiple channels and platforms — both online and offline — to create a complete brand experience for targeted audiences.
“This way, our business partners can now achieve maximum reach, engagement and brand recognition for their brands and campaigns, as our cross-media platforms now cover all potential customer touch-points,” Sibanda said.
“Of course, launching Radio 3000 online is a start. As and when more FM licenses are made available by authorities in future, as will no doubt happen one day, we will absolutely put our hands up for them then.
“In the meantime, and with rising internet penetration and high mobile phone usage in the country, online radio is a strategic move on the part of JMS to reach Zimbabwe’s young, tech-savvy population in particular.
“Online radio is also not limited by a transmission antenna’s geographic range. Indeed, Radio 3000 is being heard by anyone with an internet connection anywhere in the world, including the country’s large diaspora audience,” Sibanda said further.