Muradzikwa to name Mavhengere as new TV general manager

Muradzikwa to name Mavhengere as new TV general manager

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By Staff Reporter

ZIMBABWE Broadcasting Holdings CEO Henry Muradzikwa will in the next 24 hours announce Lydia Mavhengere and Ishmael Kadungure as the General Managers for TV and Radio Services respectively, New Zimbabwe.com sources said.

Alson Mufiri will be named as Mavhengere's deputy and Admire Taderera will deputise Kadungure.

Tazzen Mandizvidza will be confirmed as head of news while Robson Mhandu will move to Gweru to head a new Radio Station called 247 SW which will broadcast on the short wave frequency in direct competition with the Voice of America's Studio 7 and SW Radio Africa which broadcasts from London.

The ZBH will not renew contracts for departmental CEO's whose terms expired Thursday.

Susan Makore, who has been CEO for ZTV is on her way out. She applied for the new general manager's post for television services but was turned down.

Noel Sibanda, who was appointed to head NTV, a station created for Shona and Ndebele broadcasts but which never took off, is also leaving ZBH. He had been working as a director of training after NTZ failed to take off.

Radio Zimbabwe CEO, Alan Chiweshe, who joined the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation at independence in 1980, left without ceremony this week. He applied for the general manager's position for radio services but was snubbed.

The National FM CEO was fired months ago and no replacement was hired while Power FM boss Admire Taderera, who applied for the radio services' general manager's post, will take a pay cut to deputise Kadungure.

Sport FM CEO Methuseli Moyo and Mandizvidza are the only two CEO's whose contracts still have a year to run.

Channel C, which was created to air movies has been without a CEO who quit after the project failed to take off. Also on his way out is the CEO for On Air Systems, a department created for all ZBH engineers, in charge of technology within the company.

The Finance Director, identified only as Mrs Gono, who was on the same level as the CEO's stays on but under a newly-created position of General Manager for Administration.

Jennifer Tanyanyiwa, who was the ZBH's corporate secretary quit months ago and there has been no replacement.

A ZBH source said Thursday: "There is a feeling that the strategy has been nothing but to remove people. It is clear Muradzikwa has a fascination with personalities, which is why he has plucked Mavhengere from the PR industry to head television services.

"The truth is that Makore is more qualified for the job, there is no basis for comparison with Mavhengere who was a news reader once. There is no better illustration of Muradzikwa's uncertainty with Mavhengere and Kadungure's abilities than the decision to appoint Mufiri and Taderera as their deputies. Mufiri and Taderera have, of course, vast experience in the business and are likely to be doing the donkey work."

Robson Mhandu, a former sports presenter, will head a new "propaganda" radio station called 247 SW broadcasting from Gweru which ZBH sources say is designed to counter the Voice of America's Studio 7 and SW Radio Africa.

The project was the brainchild of former Information Minister, Professor Jonathan Moyo. Following Moyo's departure from government in February 2005, the project -- like several others -- stalled.

A source said: "There is state-of-the-art equipment for 247 SW in Gweru acquired while Moyo was still in government. The station is an attempt to really take the game to the short wave frequency and challenge SW Radio Africa and the Voice of America whose broadcasts are viewed as propaganda by authorities here."
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