by the company for its top advertisers.
“Plans to establish an integrated media house mean we will publish across all formats, which in turn will result in broader opportunities for our advertisers,” said Mr Deketeke.
In view of the pending integration of media formats, advertisers at the meeting urged the company to subsidise its advertising rates in respect of some other formats such as the online versions.
Plans by the group to set up a radio – Zimpapers Talk Radio – are already at an advanced stage after the group acquired a radio licence last year, while it has also since indicated that it is seeking a television licence to complete the integration.
Mr Deketeke said Zimpapers Talk Radio would adopt an “outside-in” approach, which emphasises the need to understand the demands of its consumers.
“There have been a lot of questions on the content of our new radio, but let me assure you that it will be in line with demands of the market.
“Some of our content will include music, sport, news, business and youth programmes, but it will mainly focus on talk shows.
“Talk Radio will give Zimbabweans an opportunity to converse,” he said.
He added that the company’s key focus in the outlook period was implementing strategies for growth.
“Our key focus areas in the near future include replacing our printing press to enhance our capacity, continuous redesign across all our titles, new online products (style, novel applications and video), and continued investments in human resources and infrastructure.
“Generally, the newspaper business in the country has been reflecting declining profit trends largely because companies have stuck to old systems. However, these initiatives will ensure we return to profitability,” he said.
It is also expected that the acquisition of a new printing press will, in the long run, see the group’s flagship newspaper – The Herald – and other titles re-designed from being a broadsheet into a more streamlined edition that is more user-friendly.
The printing press in use has limited capacity to produce either broadsheets or tabloids.

 

 

 

Although, Zimpapers’ titles continue to dominate the local newspaper market, with The Herald holding around 55 percent of market-share and The Sunday Mail at around 70 percent, the latest survey by the Zimbabwe All Media Products Survey (Zamps) shows that the numbers are swelling in digital media forms, especially online newspapers.
However, Zimpapers has also shown dominance in that market, with The Herald online emerging as the only paper in the top five searches by Zimbabweans on Google last year, according to Google Insights for Search.

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