News / National
1st TV boasts of massive viewership
23 Jul 2013 at 06:24hrs | Views
Owners of Zimbabwe's sole independent television station, 1st TV say they are impressed with the overwhelming response from local viewers since its launch last Friday.
1st TV senior presenter/producer Temba Hove said the company was humbled by the response and urged the Zimbabwean government not to judge them as politically biased.
The station already has 11 938 likes on its Facebook page.
Hove claimed the television station despite having been launched only last Friday, was already more popular than the State-controlled ZBC-TV in terms of viewership.
On threats by government to block the television station from broadcasting in Zimbabwe, Hove said: "l don't see them as threats. I see that as somebody who spoke a bit too soon. You can't start saying the food is bad when you are yet to taste it.
"We are not for any political party and we will talk to all Zimbabweans and all political parties."
The coming on board of 1st TV had brought relief to millions of Zimbabweans who were incensed by the recent scrapping of SABC programmes on free-to-air decoders.
1st TV signal can be accessed through free-to-air decoders such as Wiztech.
The free-to-air satellite television station, 1st TV, which is broadcasting from South Africa into Zimbabwe ahead of this month's elections, has drawn protest from the Mugabe Government.
Zimbabwe's sate-run TV network has a domestic monopoly and has been criticised for its editorial bias in favour of the president. The head of 1st TV, however, used to work with Morgan Tsvangirai, Mugabe's main rival and Zimbabwe's coalition prime minister.
The Government is now said to be protesting to South Africa over what it calls the "pirate" TV station, the signals of which are alleged to be carried via South Africa's Sentech.
"We will be taking decisions mindful of the need to cripple this pirate television broadcast station," George Charamba, a senior Government official, told the Herald.
The Herald reports that 1st TV has been set up with funding from the British Government. Andrew Chadwick, Tsvangirai's former communications director, told the BBC most of the funds come from private entities.
"We've also received support from groups supporting human rights, freedom and democracy," he added.
The British embassy in Harare will not comment on individual grants, however it told the BBC that it worked with "various civil society organisations to help create a vibrant space for Zimbabweans to participate, freely debate, discuss and share information".
"We think greater access to impartial and factual information along with diverse views helps inform Zimbabweans of their democratic choices," it added. "Access to multiple sources of information through different media enhances the electoral process."
Charamba, meanwhile, told the Herald: "We have been aware of the technical corroboration between VOA and Sentech, what we did not expect was this expansion of that corroboration. Also we are not very sure if the South African Government is aware of what its parastatal is doing to hurt Zimbabwean interests. We will pursue diplomatic channels."
1st TV senior presenter/producer Temba Hove said the company was humbled by the response and urged the Zimbabwean government not to judge them as politically biased.
The station already has 11 938 likes on its Facebook page.
Hove claimed the television station despite having been launched only last Friday, was already more popular than the State-controlled ZBC-TV in terms of viewership.
On threats by government to block the television station from broadcasting in Zimbabwe, Hove said: "l don't see them as threats. I see that as somebody who spoke a bit too soon. You can't start saying the food is bad when you are yet to taste it.
"We are not for any political party and we will talk to all Zimbabweans and all political parties."
The coming on board of 1st TV had brought relief to millions of Zimbabweans who were incensed by the recent scrapping of SABC programmes on free-to-air decoders.
1st TV signal can be accessed through free-to-air decoders such as Wiztech.
Zimbabwe's sate-run TV network has a domestic monopoly and has been criticised for its editorial bias in favour of the president. The head of 1st TV, however, used to work with Morgan Tsvangirai, Mugabe's main rival and Zimbabwe's coalition prime minister.
The Government is now said to be protesting to South Africa over what it calls the "pirate" TV station, the signals of which are alleged to be carried via South Africa's Sentech.
"We will be taking decisions mindful of the need to cripple this pirate television broadcast station," George Charamba, a senior Government official, told the Herald.
The Herald reports that 1st TV has been set up with funding from the British Government. Andrew Chadwick, Tsvangirai's former communications director, told the BBC most of the funds come from private entities.
"We've also received support from groups supporting human rights, freedom and democracy," he added.
The British embassy in Harare will not comment on individual grants, however it told the BBC that it worked with "various civil society organisations to help create a vibrant space for Zimbabweans to participate, freely debate, discuss and share information".
"We think greater access to impartial and factual information along with diverse views helps inform Zimbabweans of their democratic choices," it added. "Access to multiple sources of information through different media enhances the electoral process."
Charamba, meanwhile, told the Herald: "We have been aware of the technical corroboration between VOA and Sentech, what we did not expect was this expansion of that corroboration. Also we are not very sure if the South African Government is aware of what its parastatal is doing to hurt Zimbabwean interests. We will pursue diplomatic channels."
Source - newsday
