Ncube allays monopoly fears

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ALPHA Media Holdings (AMH) chairman Trevor Ncube yesterday dispelled fears the newspaper group will morph into a media monopoly if given a chance to venture into radio.

ALPHA Media Holdings (AMH) chairman Trevor Ncube yesterday dispelled fears the newspaper group will morph into a media monopoly if given a chance to venture into radio.

PAIDAMOYO MUZULU SENIOR REPORTER

Ncube was part of an AMH team that made a pitch for a licence for Capital FM, a proposed Harare metro radio station that has links with the newspaper publishing house.

“We should get the licence because we think we deserve it. We think we can provide jobs and we think no one is doing what we are proposing in Harare,” he said.

“Research has shown that media that focus on local issues are the most successful.”

Capital FM and Yes FM made their public presentations to the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) on their applications to be awarded the Harare commercial radio licence.

Capital FM, owned by Carryslot which is linked to AMH, was the first to make its presentation where it said it was ready to operate a radio station in Harare if granted a licence.

Kangai Maukazuwa, the chief operations officer, led a panel that included Ncube, publisher Rita Chinyoka, editor-in-chief Vincent Kahiya, Chris Masikati, Lovemore Nyabadza and Sifikile Thabete.

The station made an elaborate multimedia presentation that portrayed the company’s mission, values and its proposed refreshing and creative programming.

“We hope that we find favour with you after our presentation. It is our dream and our passion to provide a radio to Harare. We feel we deserve to get a licence,” Ncube said.

Maukazuwa said: “We are ready to operate in 10 months after being granted a licence by the authority.”

Capital FM programming will be made of 70% music and 30% talk radio. Its target audience is the 25 to 49-year age group.

“We want to create a brand and make money hence our target for the 25 to 49-year age group. This is the group that comprises the economically independent persons who advertisers are also interested in following,” Chinyoka said.

Yes FM led by radio personality Innocent Tshuma also made its case yesterday.

However, it faced a torrid time from BAZ who asked about their finances and the budget they had presented in their application.

The company yesterday presented a substantially different financial plan than the one they made in their original application.

Commissioner Elasto Madzingira probed the authenticity of the company’s $1,9 million budget saying the figure was too high for a radio station.

“This is an overkill, the amount you are raising for a local commercial radio,” he said.

Tshuma said the figures looked high because they were looking at getting the best broadcasting equipment which they hoped would place them in a position to compete against established radio stations.

Yes FM, like Capital FM, will have 70% of their programming filled by music and 30% by talk radio.

Today the last applicant Kingstons Limited will be making its presentation. Carryslot has also applied for a radio licence in Bulawayo and the station would be known as Skyz FM if granted a licence.