The Herald readership rises

Herald Reporter

The Herald continues to increase its readership according to the latest independent Zimbabwe All Media and Products Survey (ZAMPS), with 14 percent of all adult Zimbabweans reading the newspaper in the first half of this year, up from 11 percent in the second half of last year.

While the ZAMPS presentations no longer make comparisons between publications, preferring instead to go into detail on each title, it is possible to extract the fact that The Herald is the most popular daily newspaper, the next pair being each on 10 percent of the market.

Acting Editor Tichaona Zindoga, said the increase in the newspaper’s readership showed a positive trajectory.

“We are doing the right things, creating value for our readers and advertisers,” he said.

“Going forward, The Herald will be introducing new content and visual packages that will enhance audience experience. We are also continuously innovating and creating more advertising opportunities — including those of a disruptive nature — for businesses. The overall effect of these interventions will be to grow and consolidate the brand as the country’s leading daily newspaper,” said Zindoga.

The latest survey shows that three Zimpapers dailies — The Herald on 14 percent, H-Metro on 8 percent and Chronicle on 6 percent — are now read between them by 28 percent of all Zimbabweans, compared to a combined 20 percent of the other two daily titles, and there is little overlap between the readership of the Zimpapers titles, each having a different geographical or content market. The increasing dominance of Zimpapers is largely due to the fact that all three dailies increased their market share.

The Herald, as expected, dominates the Harare market with 26 percent of potential readers, up from 22 percent last year, but now does well in Manicaland with 20 percent, Masvingo province with 17 percent and even Bulawayo with 15 percent, despite the dominance of its sister publication — Chronicle — in that particular market.

When readers were asked to name the ONE section they were most drawn to, The Herald’s sectional breakdown remained roughly the same with 38 percent plumping for local news as their favourite, and 19 percent for sport. But business news rose to 14 percent as the “must read” and entertainment rose to 11 percent, both taking in three percent more readers choosing their favourite section.