Zim Online
South Africa
Saturday 9 April 2005

Radio 24-7 to be launched in the next three weeks

Harare - The government of Zimbabwe will soon launch a new 24-hour
propaganda shortwave radio station to counter negative coverage from
independent radio stations broadcasting from outside the country. New
Ziana's Electronic Services Business Unit boss, Happison Muchechetere,
confirmed to Zim Online that the government will launch the station, to be
called Radio 24-7, in the next three weeks to counter United Kingdom and
United States-based radio stations targeting Zimbabweans. "On short wave, we
will be accessible to people within Zimbabwe and those abroad where our
signal will reach," said Muchechetere. SW Africa Radio and the United
States-based Studio 7, are the only independent radio stations targeting
Zimbabweans. There are no independent radio stations operating in Zimbabwe
were the Harare authorities keep a tight leash on the media. Critics accuse
the state-controlled Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) of churning out
virulent propaganda against the government's perceived political opponents.
The new radio station, is expected to take Zimbabwe's propaganda war to a
new foreign arena against the two independent radio stations. There have
already been attempts to clog SWAfrica Radio's network with the station
complaining last month that the Zimbabwe government had jammed its
transmission networks from London. Zimbabwe has always described the two
stations as "pirate radio" aimed at creating divisions in the country.

http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=11646