.Chishimba

By CHARLES SIMENGWA –

THERE is a new mood of realism among media managers worldwide who have become increasingly appreciative of the internet as a treasure trove capable of pushing their business to a new high.
Internet is a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardised communication protocols.
Media institutions seem to have no option but to re-calibrate their policies to allow journalists as well as advertising and marketing staff to re-adjust to the changing technological trends in delivering their products.
Most people with access to the internet have mainly embraced it for less serious undertakings, but by introducing the e-times, Times Printpak (Z) Ltd, the publisher of the Times of Zambia and Sunday Times of Zambia, has led the way to serious, business-like usage of this most modern technology.
The recently-launched e-times, an innovation that had long been in gestation, will certainly help transform the newsroom and advertising culture in Zambia.
The company management is making a number of strategic investments in projects that will reap tangible benefits for the institution.
With the coming of new technology, clients yearn for information that feeds the masses in appropriate ways, but most of the mushrooming news sites are falling short on audience engagement.
Some industry players, including the Independent Broadcasting Authority, have welcomed the e-times as a good case of technological advances since it is different from the website, which only gives synopses of the content.
This version is a complete newspaper which clients would be able to read through their smart phones, tablets, iPads, laptops, palmtops, and other similar gadgets.
The side benefit of the e-times is that, unlike the social media that has evidently lowered the standards of reading, it is a complete package pieced together by trained personnel.
Some observers have expressed worry at the onslaught of news sites as the real challenge is now in proving the veracity or truthfulness of the huge volumes of information circulating online.
It is not enough to simply regurgitate – and almost always sensationalise – some stories and post them online.
Ryan Chittum, a former Wall Street Journal reporter, and deputy editor of The Audit, which is Columbia Journalism Review’s business section, frowns upon news delivered in a casual and unprofessional fashion.
“A reader who gets his news via Facebook is a passive reader who at best is influencing the algorithm that selects the news he sees by choosing what to “like,” what to comment on, and who he’s friends with.
“News organisations need to, as best they can, cultivate active readers—ones who seek them out on a regular basis,” writes Chittum.
Therefore, innovations such as the e-Times have a higher probability of holding the confidence and trust of consumers of news.
The ultimate result would be some savvy content innovations that would be able to retain reader interest as well as engage clients in meaningful discourse.
There is no doubt that Times Printpak (Z) Ltd is undergoing a critical shift in organisational structure to build innovative products.
Rather than focus on retaining customers for platforms that may not be viable, the company is fostering innovation from within to diversify revenue and stay relevant.
Times Printpak acting Managing Director Chishimba Chishimba is confident that this tactical shift is making a significant difference in how, as a media institution in a fast-changing world, content that informs people’s lives in a positive way is produced.
The move also makes it easier to produce smart data visualisations and to more effectively engage citizens in the creation of news that matters to them.
In recognising the need to expand the methods used to engage clients, Times Printpak (Z) Ltd is also making positive strides in advancing online advertising, which is both convenient and a smart way of doing business.
It is important to note that the improving literacy levels in Zambia will further help reduce the knowledge gap and, consequently, the number of technophobes, or people who are afraid of, dislike or avoid new technologies.
The British Council should be lauded for seeking to set up digital library hubs in various districts around Zambia as part of a global project in which more than 5,000 schools and a million children are participating in educational programmes.
British Council country director Wayne Harper recently handed over a new digital hub to the provincial library in Choma comprising 22 computers connected to the internet.
Mr Harper said through the programme, students learn about other cultures, teachers are linked up in curriculum development projects and professional development programmes, while school leaders meet to share experiences of best practices in their respective education systems.
This is a positive step that will expose young people to more sensible and meaningful use of modern technology at an early stage.
There are similarly other primal target groups such as the farming community which should be allowed to reap from the massive benefits of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
The evolving media technology should also necessitate a shift in journalism training, as media professionals need to adapt to these critical changes in delivering their products.
For this reason, Times Printpak has targeted media training institutions for its first public discussion forum on the e-times and on how Zambia could benefit from such innovations.
The discussion, which will take place tomorrow at Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka, starting at 18:00 hours, has on board the University of Zambia (UNZA), Cavendish University, and Evelyn Hone College.
Other training institutions invited to share their views on technology usage in the media are the Zambia Institute of Mass Communication (ZAMCOM) and Livingstone International University of Tourism Excellence and Business Management.
As crucial interest groups, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia Chapter and the Press Association of Zambia will be on stream to offer their experiences in technology usage.
UNZA head of Mass Communication Department Emmanuel Kunda is keen on new innovations in the mainstream media and training institutions while ZAMCOM Director Oliver Kanene, a veteran trainer, says he is looking forward to participating in the discussion.
Besides the need to lower the cost of ICT equipment, the participants will be expected to share their experiences on poor internet connectivity in some parts of the country so that the technological advances could adequately benefit the media and the population in general.
There is no doubt that the e-times is the centrepiece of the advancement of computer technology, and provides an illustrative example of how the media industry in Zambia could soar in innovations that bode well for the future.