Monday, May 28, 2007

Voice of Zimbabwe begins text transmissions

Text of report by Zimbabwean TV on 26 May
The new radio station Voice of Zimbabwe has started a test run and will run for a few weeks before the station’s programming is launched.
Speaking to ZBC [Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation] news the station’s general manager, Mr Happison Muchechetere said Voice of Zimbabwe would be heard on the following frequencies: 5975 kHz on the 49 meter band from 0730 a.m.-0630 p.m.[local time = 0530-1630 UTC]. It would also be available on 4828 kHz on the 60 meter band.
He said Voice of Zimbabwe would provide in its programming news, music, sports, Zimbabwe’s cultural heritage, political and economic debates. Mr Muchechetere said the station would cater for all Zimbabweans within the country and abroad would give the Zimbabwean story as it is.
(Source: ZTV1, Harare, in English 1800 gmt 26 May 07 via BBC Monitoring)

Presumed radio test broadcast observed
A station playing continuous African music without identification or other announcements was observed on shortwave 4828 kHz from tune-in at 2345 gmt on 27 May 2007 until fade-out around 0400 gmt the following day. This shortwave frequency of 4828 kHz has been used sporadically in the past by ZBC for relays of its domestic networks. Presumably this was a test transmission for ZBC’s new external service, Voice of Zimbabwe. The government’s Sunday Mail website (www.sundaymail.co.zw) cites the following schedule for the tests: 4828 kHz at 1630-0530 gmt; 5975 kHz at 0530-1630 UTC. At the same time ZBC’s second domestic network, Radio Zimbabwe, was heard on shortwave 3396 kHz.
(Source: BBC Monitoring research 28 May 07/Radio netherlands Media Network Weblog)