Memorandum from BBC World Service
WORLD SERVICE'S
AUDIENCE IN
ZIMBABWE
1. During the Hearing with Joseph Winter,
the Committee asked about audience research carried out by the
World Service in Zimbabwe.
2. The last survey obtained by the World
Service in Zimbabwe was in 1998. Although accurate at the time,
it should be noted that it may not give a true picture of current
listening habits. Clearly, the current situation precludes doing
any qualitative research at the moment.
3. The survey produced the following findings:
— The weekly audience for BBC World
Service was 51,000 adults (0.82%). The BBC was the leading international
broadcaster in Zimbabwe.
— World Service listeners tended to
be older, male, lived in an urban environment, were from higher
socio-economic groups and spoke Shona as their "mother tongue".
Peak radio listening occurred during meal times.
— Online development was slow in Zimbabwe,
due to the cost for using the telecommunications infrastructure
to access the internet.
4. BBC World Service can be heard in English
via short wave across Zimbabwe round the clock—it is the
main way of listening to the World Service in Zimbabwe.
BBC World Service
March 2003
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