OWN CORRESPONDENT, Harare | Friday, noon
A NEW publishing consortium, including Independent Newspapers, plans to launch various titles in Zimbabwe to compete with the parastatal Newspaper Group and Zimbabwe Newspapers.
Weekly local papers are planned for all major cities, as is the resurrection of the Daily News, banned in 1964 by Ian Smith’s white government. The Daily News had a predominantly black readership.
Africa Media Investors, as the consortium is called, includes Independent Newspapers, the UK’s Tindle Newspapers and Cross Graphics, New Zealand’s Allied Press, Commonwealth Publishing and AMI chief executive Michael Stent.
A major hurdle will probably be President Robert Mugabe — it is believed the venture is doomed unless he can be convinced the new publications will not mobilise anti-government opinion. Mugabe recently made veiled threats of legislative measures against the independent press for publishing “lies”.
Two years ago, Times Media Limited was prevented by reserve bank controls from buying a controlling interest in the Financial Gazette, but this will not be a problem for AMI, which plans Z$65-million worth of direct investment.
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