Zimbabwe's first talk radio station goes digital
- Published on 27 June 2012
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Zimbabwe has already started the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting, with the country’s first talk radio station switching over to the new format.
Justin Mutasa, chief executive officer of Zimbabwe Newspapers Group (Zimpapers), which owns the talk radio station Star FM, said the digitisation of the station will start in July in order to comply with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)'s objective of digitising the broadcasting sector internationally by 2015.
“We are proud that Sadc has set that all radio and television stations should be digitised by 2015 and we are digitised by 2012,” Mutasa said at the launch of Star FM in Harare Tuesday.
Mutasa said advanced technology for his newest broadcasting station formed the basis of his company business, which he said would generate a daily average of $22 000 in revenues.
Star FM is the first independent broadcasting channel in the African country. Since independence in 1980, the state has enjoyed a monopoly of the airwaves through the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation.
