HARARE – The delicate Zimbabwe media landscape has a new kid on the block after The Flame News; a weekly newspaper hit the streets last month, making it the tenth mainstream weekly publication in the country.
Flame News, which operates near the ZANU PF headquarters in downtown Harare, started publishing in January and is owned by 33 year-old businessman Geoffrey Chaparadza who owns International Tarch Icon Film and TV Production company.
Apart from the newspaper, the company hopes to publish a business monthly magazine and establish a radio station. The newspaper is edited by Zimbabwe National Editors’ Forum chairman Brian Mangwende.
It becomes the 10th mainstream weekly publication after The Independent, The Standard, The Financial Gazette, The Sunday Mail, The Sunday News, Daily News on Sunday, The Weekender, The Patriot and The Zimbabwe Mail which has since closed.
Chaparadza said while he was happy that he has managed to publish a newspaper, there are so many challenges on the ground.
“In Zimbabwe we have challenges of failing to separate the freedom of the press and politics. We are operating in an environment of fear. Every time we publish a story we fear that politicians will jeopardise our newspaper.
“On the business front the reception is not welcome for newcomers like us as advertisers and consumers tend to cling to old players. There is general fear of the unknown and it will take more time for us to be viable,” said Chaparadza.
Mangwende who doubles as national editors’ boss said the arrival of The Flames newspaper was a positive against the backdrop of a struggling industry where newspapers are either shutting down or failing to pay workers.
He said: “It’s a welcome move in that government has opened up the media space unlike in the past. But I’m afraid the economic environment is not encouraging and the media is not spared. The survival of new players depends on advertising and content. With digitalization around the corner, the survival of newspapers is under threat.”
