Perceptions of Public Broadcasting in Zambia: Study of the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation

Abstract

The study examines the public perceptions of the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC), Zambia's national broadcaster which is supposed to operate as a public broadcaster as opposed to being a state broadcaster. The study has found that despite the enactment of the ZNBC (Amendment) Act 2002, which has been understood as a piece of legislation that should give ZNBC the autonomy to operate freely without partisan political influence from the state, it has still continued to be seen as a mouth piece for the government. There were 150 questionnaires distributed proportionally to Kitwe on the Copperbelt, Chipata in the Eastern province, Choma in the Southern province and Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia. The cities and towns were chosen purposefully for this study due to their locations and population statuses. A total of 148 questionnaires, representing 96 percent of the total 150 questionnaires were responded to and returned. The study also includes in-depth interviews which were carried out in Lusaka. The processing of the data was through the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings of the study confirm the perceptions that a free ZNBC would be conducive for the democratic governance and fair electioneering in Zambia. It has further been found that the respondents' perception is that the ZNBC (Amendment) Act 2002 and the Electoral Act no. 90, 2006 should be revisited and amended to compel ZNBC to be non-partisan.