AB Comms acquires state-of-the-art machinery

The deal was sealed during the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA recently.
The NAB show is the largest gathering of the broadcasting industry in the world and is held annually.
ZiFM chief executive officer Supa Mandiwanzira and his chief engineer Artwell Sithole attended the show and signed the deal on behalf of the company.
Mandiwanzira expressed satisfaction at partnering one of the world’s foremost manufacturers of broadcast equipment.
“Our intention is to make ZiFM Stereo the number one radio station in Zimbabwe, and one of the key ingredients needed to achieve that is to have the best facilities and technology.
“DB is providing us with studio and transmitter solution that is state-of-the-art, which meets world class standards. It’s a winning solution,” he said.
Under the deal, DB is providing ZiFM Stereo with a turn-key solution such that once the equipment is delivered and installed ZiFM station would hit the airwaves immediately. DB is renowned the world over for its television and radio broadcast equipment and for over 30 years the company has provided cutting edge technology for broadcasters around the globe.
Its partnership with ZiFM is seen as a major step in breaking new ground and widening its client base in Africa.
“For us Africa is a new frontier presenting unlimited opportunities to create value and introduce new technologies. The fact that ZiFM is in a historic position where it is the first privately owned radio station is a unique platform to introduce ourselves through ZiFM Stereo to an audience that has been limited in terms of choice,” said Elena Ditadi, a director at DB Ellectronica.
“Through ZiFM we have not only extended out footprint in Africa but we are looking to take our solutions to other markets and players in Zimbabwe and beyond”
As part of the deal between the two companies, AB Communications will be the official distribution partner for DB Broadcast products in sub Saharan Africa.
Mr Mandiwanzira said the move was intended to benefit other players who will be licensed in future.
“We believe in the equipment that we have invested in, so much so that we are confident enough to distribute it to other broadcasters,” he said.
“We believe that Zimbabweans rightly demand and deserve quality. We know that there will be other licensed players in the community radio, regional commercial stations and TV. They too will require world class facilities. They should also be able to benefit from the expertise of DB to deliver a service that the nation can be proud of. We are going to cut their costs by being the link,” he said.
ZiFM Stereo will hit the airwaves in the third quarter of this year.
The company intends to distribute its signal through satellite technology.
The encrypted satellite signal will be downloaded at individual transmitter sites across the country and distributed for free to radio sets through terrestrial means.
ZiFM would become the second commercial radio station after Zimpapers Talk Radio’s Star FM which was launched this week.