Zimbabwe Newspapers (1980) Ltd is the oldest newspaper publisher and commercial printer in Zimbabwe, as well as being the largest publisher of newspapers, having been in the industry since 1891. It publishes 13 newspaper titles and runs a Broadcasting Division. The company is the proprietor of Zimbabwe’s leading daily newspapers, The Herald, The Chronicle and H-Metro. It owns two Sunday newspapers The Sunday Mail and The Sunday News. The largest Provincial newspaper in Zimbabwe, The Manica Post, a weekly, anchors the Mutare unit. In recent decades; Zimpapers launched two newspapers in the country’s two main indigenous languages, Shona and Ndebele. Kwayedza, the Shona weekly is published in Harare while Umthunywa, the Ndebele weekly paper is published in Bulawayo. The Zimpapers Group and New Era Newspapers of Namibia jointly launched a regional weekly newspaper; Southern Times in 2004. In 2012 Zimpapers launched the country’s first commercial radio station, Star FM. It brought together the finest presenters and disc jockeys to start up and develop a fast growing and multi-faceted radio brand. Zimpapers added to its broadcasting portfolio with the launch of Diamond FM radio station in Mutare in 2016. Further expansion into broadcasting resulted in the introduction of the Zimpapers Television Network. Zimpapers also publishes two magazines, Zimtravel covering tourism and Bridal Magazine; which looks at weddings and related issues. The Group has responded to emerging digital technologies and migration by creating innovative digital products that have increased its audience reach and enhanced the visibility of advertorial content. Besides being the biggest newspaper publisher in the country, Zimpapers is the only publisher and printer operating as a public company, having been floated on March 8 1927; then as the Rhodesian Printing and Publishing Company Limited. It changed its name in 1980 when Zimbabwe gained its Independence from colonial rule.
