Youths' role in managing national mirror

1.0. INTRODUCTION
The first newspaper to be ever published in Zambia was by early settlers in 1906. It was called the Livingstone Pioneer. The Livingstone Pioneer was owned and published by W. Tranter. It was a weekly publication that was published in the newly founded town of Livingstone which became the capital of Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) in 1907. The paper was only published for a few months before it folded up. Regardless of its early demise, the Livingstone Pioneer aroused the desire for more newspapers. Frank Moore, a politically ambitious chemist settler started a rival newspaper in the late 1906. Moore started the Livingstone Mail as a specialised six paged community tabloid in the same town of Livingstone, (Gann 1963).

In 1935, the press spread to the Copperbelt province where the Northern Rhodesia Advertiser was started in Ndola. However, prior to the Northern Rhodesia Advertiser, the Copperbelt Times, a weekly newspaper had started in 1932. The Copperbelt Times was a brain child of two miners namely E.C. Wykerd and E.B. Hovel Meier. The paper was a channel of local gossips and social news for white miners around the mine area.

The first daily newspaper in Northern Rhodesia was the Northern News, which was started in 1943 by Argus Group. The paper was superseded by the Times of Zambia when Zambia gained independence in 1964. The Argus Group withdrew as a newspaper publisher for fear of black government which had come in power. The Northern News was thus sold to London Rhodesia Mining and Land Company (Lonrho) and was renamed Times of Zambia. Following the nationalisation policy of Kenneth Kaunda, government bought fifty one percent (51%) shares in several firms and the invitation was extended to Lonrho. In June 1975, the Times of Zambia and its Sunday version, the Sunday Times were taken over by the ruling United National Independence Party (UNIP). But prior to government take over of the Times of Zambia, government owned Mutende, the first government newspaper. Mutende was started in 1936 upon realizing the important role the press played among enlightened citizens by government. Mutende was the first penny (pegged at one penny) newspaper in Northern Rhodesia, (Kasoma 1986: 124).



1.1. HISTORY OF THE MIRROR
Regardless of the nationalisation programme, privately owned newspapers for Africans never got disillusioned completely. Without regarding ownership, Zambia’s truly first African newspaper was the African Times. The paper was started by Dr. Alexander Scott in 1957. The start-up capital to start the African Times came from the first Permanent Building Society where Scott was a leading shareholder. The managing editor for the paper was Elias Mutepuka who was poached from London where he was working for the Daily Mirror. Today’s National Mirror is the brain child of Elias Mutepuka’s vision. Equipped with typical British advocacy journalism, Elias Mutepuka sold the ideas of advocacy journalism to church leaders in the Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) and Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), who had keen interest in advocating for social, political and economic justice in the country. ZEC and CCZ thus started the Mirror in 1972.

The sixteen paged tabloid started as a monthly publication in January 1972. From 1972 to 1979, the Mirror was more of a magazine than a newspaper. Its articles were mainly opinion pieces that spoke the paper’s mind on issues that affected the nation. The paper, which started with a circulation of 50, 000 was well established by 1983. Its fortnightly establishment qualified it to be a national paper instead of being specifically ecumenical and community as it touched every part of life. It was thus renamed National Mirror in May 1979, (Kasoma 1986). Some of the issues the paper highlighted on were on agriculture and rural development, copper mining, tourism, women in Zambia, road accidents, world population explosion and its effects on Zambia, among other aspects of human endeavour.

It also had leisure reading material like ‘Mirror women’, gardening, children’s page, and an intermittent problem-solving column called ‘your questions answered’. Many teenagers wrote in to have their sex problems answered. The paper further published a cartoon strip known as “Bashi Dudu.” The strip was a humorous commentary on the vicissitudes of life. The paper also carried commentaries ranging from justice to the role of the church in national development. Other editorials were published in cartoon and picture forms. Picture editorials were under the headline “Pictorial Views.” Such editorials showed disparities in living conditions between well-to-do and poor people within the same proximity.

Currently, the National Mirror is a six paged weekly publication with home news section, comment, business news, features, and church news and the columns sections.

1.2. POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL MIRROR
The same year the National Mirror was started in 1972, Zambia was officially proclaimed a one-party state. All opposition political parties and activities were effectively banned. During this era, dissent and alternative views from those of the ruling party from anyone and the media were thwarted by the state and its machinery. The state media was used as government mouth piece. The country’s political landscape was dominated and controlled by one party (UNIP). The economy was changed to a commandist-type of management after the Mulungushi and Matero Reforms of 1968 and 1969 with the state assuming direct control of the country’s industries instead of the economy being driven by the market, (Noyoo 2008). All spaces for political contestation were closed down and Zambia slowly became a regimented society. Innovation and talent were treated with suspicion and perceived as potential threats to single-party rule. Room for competition and adherence to the merit system were virtually wiped out.

During the one-party state, the plurality of the Zambian society and a spirit of open dialogue, transparency and constructive criticism were effectively snuffed out. This had a knocked-on effect on associational life and the vibrancy of civil society and the media. Political intimidation, harassments, threats and innuendos were part and parcel of the one-party system’s daily lexicon. Patronage was extremely high during this era. The one-party state heavily subsidised urban consumption at the expense of agricultural production in the rural areas. The freeloading meant that people were no longer willing to pay for services as they expected everything free-of-charge. As a result, the economy went into deep recession. In fact, the economy was already facing a critical crisis of the shocks of world interest rates and oil prices compounding the problem of debt and low copper prices.

2.0. OBJECTIVES AND GOALS OF THE PAPER
The overall objectives and goals of the National Mirror, like any other media houses are to inform, entertain and educate. These umbrella objectives and goals are however itemised to specific objectives and goals of the paper. These are:
v To propagate for Christian principles in politics, economics, education, social and other aspects of human life in Zambia.
v To inform the public on the work of the church for all sections of the community in the country and abroad both directly and indirectly.
v To coordinate the political thinking of all parties in order to bring the maximum amount of intelligent cooperation of all for the good of the community.
v To scrutinise public affairs at all levels
v To encourage the acceptance of Christian principles in conducting public affairs by reflecting nation to the nation.
v To encourage readers to take keen interest in a wide range of social and political issues through their forum – letters-to- the-editor section.

The paper strives to achieve these objectives and goals by being inclusive in the kind of articles it carries. As a paper mainly committed to views rather than news, the paper goes beyond mere reporting by taking in-depth analysis in its coverage of issues ranging from national to grass-root itemised issues. True to its word, the Mirror’s articles are mainly opinion pieces in which it speaks its mind (or at least the mind of the writers) on issues affecting the nation. The paper often comes out with thematic issues which spotlight particular aspects of the Zambian society such as; - agriculture, rural development, copper mining and general mining, tourism, economic progress since independence and many others. It carters for most of the country’s readership regardless of their demographic make up and or/ geographical location.

3.0. ONWERSHIP
The National Mirror is under the proprietorship of Multimedia Zambia, the communication organisation of the Christian churches in the country. It is mainly owned by the Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) and Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ). It is both a national and ecumenical newspaper.

4.0. THE PAPER’S FORMAT AND MOOD/MOTTO
4.1. FORMAT
The Mirror has a tabloid format. This is the kind of format that typically contains news in a condensed form with many photographs that are in colour. A tabloid has the appearance of an unbound magazine and is sold flat, rather than folded in half, as is the standard-size newspaper. The word “Tabloid” comes from the name that was given by a pharmaceutical company to a painkiller sold in compressed tablet. The connotation of tabloid was soon applied to other small items and to the “compressed” journalism that condensed stories into a simplified, easily-absorbed format. The label of “tabloid journalism” (1901) preceded the smaller sheet newspapers that contained it (1918), (www.merriam-web.com).
Currently, the usage of the term ‘tabloid’ refers to weekly or semi-weekly newspapers in tabloid format. Many of these are essentially straightforward newspapers, published in tabloid format, because subway and bus commuters prefer to read smaller-size newspapers due to lack of space. These newspapers are distinguished from the major daily newspapers, in that they purport to offer an “alternative” viewpoint, either in the sense that the paper’s editors are more locally-oriented, or that the paper is editorially independent from major media conglomerates.
Other factors that distinguish “alternative” weekly tabloids from the major daily newspapers are their less-frequent publication. Additionally, alternative weekly tabloids tend to concentrate on local or even neighbourhood-level issues, and on local entertainment in the bars and local theatres that are more meaningful to people than abstract news.
Tabloids newspapers can be positioned as up market (quality) newspapers, to appeal to the better-educated, higher-income sector of the market; as middle-market (popular); or as down-market (sensational) newspapers, which emphasise sensational crime stories and celebrity gossip. The newspapers draw their advertising revenue from different types of businesses or services.

4.2. MOOD/MOTTO
The mood/motto for the National Mirror is “Reflecting the Nation to the Nation.” The paper sets this mood to readers by being collective in news coverage. It takes almost all the readers’ interest on board politically, economically, socially, religiously and otherwise.

4.3. EDITORIAL POLICY
The National Mirror declared in its first policy statement that it would be ‘non-aligned’ with any political affiliations, free to praise or criticize where praise or criticism is done. It was not going to be a “pious” churchy paper for the pious churchy people, but would be for those outside as well as inside the church. It would reflect Zambia to the world and the world to Zambia. It is more of a paper of views rather than news.

Later, the paper amplified its editorial policy in a five point plan. Firstly, it stands for spreading Christian values on the gospel message in the fields of politics, economics, education and the whole social and industrial range of the country’s life. Secondly, it keeps the public informed of the work being done directly and indirectly by the church for all sections of the community both within the country and throughout the continent. Thirdly, the paper endeavours to coordinate the political thinking of all parts so as to bring about the maximum amount of intelligent cooperation of all for the general good of the community.

Fourthly, it pledges to exercise diligent scrutiny on public affairs at all levels and to encourage the acceptance of Christian values in the conduct of these affairs by reflecting the nation to the nation. And finally, the Mirror encourages readers to become actively interested in the wide social issues as well as political ones as a method of training them for true citizenship and acceptance of responsibility.



4.4. HIV AND AIDS POLICY
The paper does not have a specific policy on HIV and AIDS. It follows general national policies on the pandemic. This entails that the staff for the media house have no particular attention being paid to them on facing the challenges brought about by the HIV and AIDS scourge. The employees for the paper have no forum through which they can be sensetised on the dangers of HIV and AIDS. Further, there is no coordination on issues relating to the HIV and AIDS pandemic that could reduce the infection rates and cushion the scourge’s effects among the households of the paper’s employees.

4.5. GENDER POLICY
The National Mirror also does not have a categorical gender policy framework at work place; it finds a niche within the national gender policy. This is mainly because the organisation is a small entity that cannot embrace those issues on board in is operations. Female employees thus have no particular forum that champions their welfare at work place and empowerment matters that are meant to improve their status in society. Thus, there is no employee who is a gender activist or monitors the organisation’s activities in connection with gender issues. The paper simply does not adhere to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) recommendations to have at least 30 percent women in decision-making positions in the organisation.

The only policy the paper has is on equity. Staff is employed on meritocracy basis rather than gender or otherwise. This means prospective employees compete for employment opportunities with biasness or favour based on their gender makeup. However, there are no specific policy guidelines on how this should be done. The organisation follows general guidelines that are stipulated in the national gender policy which addresses some of the inequities that exist when it comes to access to employment and employment opportunities.




5.0. ORGANISATION STRUCTURE

MOTHER BODIES
Council of Churches in Zambia
Zambia Episcopal Conference
Board of Governors
Managing Editor
Secretary
Print press
Sales and marketing
News
Room
Accounts
Studio
Real Estates
Senior Printer
Sales and Marketing Executive
Accountant
Real Estate Officer
Sub Editor
Reporter & Photographer
(2)

Head Security Officer
Gardener
Security Guards
(7)

















































Machine Minder
Driver
(2)
Assistant Accountant
Cleaner












































5.1. FUNCTIONS OF EACH STAFF

5.1.0. Mother Body
The mother body is responsible for the ownership of the paper. It looks at the operations of the paper in terms of financial standing and sourcing for funds for the smooth running of the paper. The Body is the overseer of the paper’s operations.

5.1.1. Board of Governors
The board of governors provides continuity of the company by setting up a corporate or legal existence of the company, and representing the company’s point of view through interpretation of its products and services. It appoints a managing editor to whom responsibility for the administration of the organisation is delegated. The board also reviews and evaluates the managing editor’s performance regularly on the basis of specific job descriptions, including executive relations with the board, leadership in the company, in programme planning and implementation, and in management of the company and its personnel. The other function is to govern the company policies and objectives, formulated and agreed upon by the managing editor and employees. This involves accounting to the shareholders for the products and services of the company and expenditures of its funds.

5.1.2. Managing Editor
The Managing Editor is the overall boss at the National Mirror. His duty is to ensure that the editors for the paper coordinates the paper’s team so that stories are collected on time and ensures that the paper is produced on time. The staff makes sure that the printing press is good condition for the printing of the paper as soon as it is near the stage of going to bed. Further, the staff sees to it that all stories are not containing anything that would spell trouble for the media house. The staff also attends to other important matters outside the office that concern the newspaper’s well being. The managing Editor also ensures that everything is order for the newspaper to run successfully on a day to day basis.



5.1.3. Sub-Editor
The sub-editor is the second in command at the newspaper and assists the managing editor. This staff also acts as the boss when the managing director is not around. The personnel further works on things that ensures smooth running of the paper and does things delegated to him or her by the managing editor. The sub-editor is also the one who reads through the stories usually to make sure only those that are good for the newspaper are used and is consulted on regular basis by the reporters to ensure that the kind of stores they pursue are in line with the paper’s policy and objective as well as goals.

5.1.4. Reporters
The National Mirror only has two reporters. These reporters have the duty of presenting workable news ideas every day and going out into the field to get stories that are needed for the week’s edition of the newspaper. They are also required to do stories that will be able to attract readers and be better than those carried by their competitors.

5.1.5. Photographer
The photographer is responsible for taking pictures that accompany news stories for them to carry more impact on the readership. This is vital especially that some events cannot be presented appropriately in words without showing them in picture. The photographer thus identifies those events and photographs them for possible publication in the paper.
5.1.6. Print Press
The print press is responsible for the printing of the paper when it is ready to go to bed.

5.1.7. Senior Printer
The senior printer ensures that the print press is in good condition so that the printing of the paper is not delayed when it is ready to go to bed due to some negligence by the team responsible for the print press. The staff ensures that toner and colour for the printing is in place on time and other elements necessary in facilitating the printing process.



5.1.8. Machine Minder
The main responsibilities of the machine minder are to maintain the machine and manage an array of production processes of the printing press of the organisation. The staff also combines printed sheets into finished products such as books, magazines, and catalogue or binding. All the duties associated with the binding process such as cutting, folding, gluing, stapling, stitching, trimming, sewing, wrapping, and other finishing procedures are done by this staff. The staff further operates and maintains the machines that are used for these various tasks.

SUPPORT STAFFS
5.1.9. Secretary
The secretary serves as the link between the paper’s offices and members of the public. The staff also sits in during important meetings and takes down notes during meetings and documents them for future reference. She also works as personal assistant to the Managing Editor. Further, she answers telephone calls and directs them to the right personnel and mails that are meant for the Managing Editor.

5.2.0. Sales and Marketing Executive
The marketing and sales executive builds awareness and generates demand for the company’s products and services. The executive plans, implements, and measures marketing and sales activities. Other responsibilities are developing and executing strategies and plans to fulfill sales goals in line with the company objectives. And further analyses and evaluates sales, costs, methods and results to tune marketing and sales. The other responsibility is analysing business metrics and programme effectiveness to develop and refine all campaigns.

5.2.1. Accountant
The account is responsible for reviews, analyses and presents financial data, including revenue projections and expenditure reports, to determine funding requirements. The staff also prepares financial statements, reports of operations, expenditure reports, statistical data, and other information concerning financial requirements; assists in gathering and reviewing data for preparation of budget work programmes. The staff further maintains various ledgers and other fiscal records and determines payroll requirements, maintains payroll data, prepares and processes monthly payrolls.

5.2.2. Assistant Accountant
The assistant account acts and carries responsibilities of the accountant in the absence of the accountant.

5.2.3. Real Estate Officer
The real estate officer is responsible for collecting rental payments, property maintenance and rehabilitation. The officer also makes payments of appropriate property taxes, special assessments and the resolution of real estate tax and all other issues for all real estates.

5.2.4. Head Security Officer
The head security officer assigns security guards in all key points within the company premises and its property. The staff ensures that all the company property is guarded twenty four hours. The officer further makes duty timetable for all officers to ensure that there is someone on guard every time.

5.2.5. Security Guards
These guard the company property on a daily basis to prevent theft of the property. They have a time table to ensure that the property is guarded every day.

5.2.6. Drivers
Drivers are responsible for taking reporters and other staff to various destinations where they have to carry some company duties or otherwise. The staffs are responsible for the delivery of the paper to different selling points.




5.2.7. Studio
The studio responsible for recording programmes for radio and television and later transcribes them from one format to another. The transcription can be from audio tapes to compact disc (CD) or CD to audio tapes.

6.0. RATINGS
The company never had a scientific research to establish how it is fairing on the market, thus does not know how it is rated on the market. Its ratings are therefore based on guess work. The method mostly used is by counting the edition sales at a given time. The sales returns are the ones that help the organization establish how the paper is fairing on the market. According to the paper’s sales, the circulation has been dropping from 50,000 at birth of the newspaper to zero between 2004 to 2005 when the paper went under up to the time it was re-launched in 2006. The paper’s operations were suspended for restructuring purposes. The current circulation is between 1500 and 1600 per week.

7.0. MAIN ADVERTISER, TARGET AUDIENCE AND FINANCIAL POSITION
7.1.0. Main Advertiser
The main advertiser for the National Mirror ranges from small advertisers (retailers) to big ones (contractual advertisers). Some of its major advertisers are Zambia Breweries, Mobile phone operators and government departments. The general adverts are either under classified or placed in pages they suit (business or home news pages).

7.1.1. Audience
All these adverts that are carried in the paper are intended for different audiences. It can not be said that they are meant for specific audiences because for example, the satellite television providers are targeting an audience that is not similar to that being targeted by commercial banks, even if they might be found in the same communities. The adverts are also sometimes aimed at members of the readership of different ages.



7.1.2. Financially, is the paper breaking through or drowning?
The paper is financially thriving, it is not drowning. Although it is owned by the church, it does not mean it depends on hand outs from the church, it has its own real estates from where it draws much of its income. The organisation realises other revenue from it recording studios. Musicians and other people who want to record or transcribe their work from one format to another (like audio tapes to compact disc or versa or to digital video decoder- DVD) from some other form bring revenue to the organisation. Revenue from advertisements also adds to the revenue base of the company to enable it remain afloat on the market.

8.0. KIND OF TECHNOLOGY
The technology being used at the National Mirror is computerised. With the use of this computerised technology, columnists across the country are connected to one direct network. This makes it easy for them to send news articles and pictures from wherever they are immediately instead of relying on the slowness of email services.

The company uses CorelDraw 12 for laying-out and designing of the paper before it goes for printing. Pictures are edited using Adobe Photoshop software as it enables designers to improve on the picture quality and other elements to ensure that all stand out in relation to the tabloid format the paper uses.

The paper however does not have a technical department. It only has the printing section. The paper however owns a printing pres. It owns two 64 Printing Machines and an MOF 5 Colour Machine. The MOF 5 Printing Machine can print in all colours in one suit. The Machine enables the paper to print its newspaper and other printable materials in any colour with ease.

9.0. ANY ROOM FOR EXPANSION
The paper has a lot of room for expansion in all its activities. For example, the paper intends to expand the printing plant so that the newspaper can become a daily publication and increase the number of pages for the publication.
Further, the National Mirror wants to increase the print run and the number of pages for the newspaper from the current 16 pages to 24 and eventually 32 in the near future.
For the studio, the organisation is mordenising it to have a state of the art studio. The organisation plans to start a radio and television transmissions. These will be categorised under Community Broadcasting. This means the radio and television stations will concentrate on community issues and not national by format and coverage. It will specialise in particular sections of society and zones.

9.1.1. RECOMMENDATIONS
For the National Mirror to achieve more of its set objectives; there is need to for more effort to be invested in the application of the already existing goals of reflecting the nation to the nation. There is need for the organisation to make adjustments if possible to in order to prove to its customers that it is living by its motto by expanding on its employed reporting staff. This is because the paper currently only has three reporters, who cannot meet the paper’s goals and objectives efficiently and effectively. Although the paper claims to be reflecting the nation to the nation, its staff is too little to live by the motto as it cannot manage to cover issues that affect people’s lives widely, it will be limited to the urban area, especially Lusaka and surrounding areas. Such a number of staff cannot manage to work effectively to enable the paper live by its goals regardless of how committed it could be.

Worse still, most of the reporters the paper currently has are those who retired from other media houses. For example, the current managing editor is the former Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation director and the news editor is a retired former Business Editor for the Times of Zambia. The paper should tap new human resource that is still active, innovative and creative enough to carry the paper’s vision forward and can be retrained if need arises to increase on the paper’s efficiency and reportage effectiveness. The current workforce shows that the organisation has not invested in its human resource and its future is at risky of collapse if nothing is done on time. A vibrant and innovative workforce is cardinal in the running of any organisation successfully as it is the life and energy of the entity.

10.0 OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES
Other special features found at the National Mirror are the well guarded premises by G7 Security Company twenty-four hours a day. The organisation is housed under the proprietorship of Multimedia Zambia, which also houses other organizations and companies under the same roof like Press Association of Zambia (PAZA), Floral Zambia, and Fashion Designers among others

10.1. BUSINESS CONCEPT
The management at the National Mirror should explicitly re-examine what the purpose of the newspaper is on the local information communication and entertainment scene. This purpose should be clearly identified to make it easier for would be clients. The newspaper’s mission statement and values are also an integral determinant of its success or failure and these should also be identified with ease without having to labour. This is important because in the world of today, customers will not be willing to waste time looking for obvious things which they can not easily see instead of going to a competitor whose mission and values are clear from the first impression they create.

The product that is produced by the National Mirror and the customer should be compatible. There is no need for the paper to be coming up with products that do not even fall in any category of its audience classification. This therefore, means that the newspaper should design conditions for opportunities that would be readily received by its target audience and accepted as the norm of doing business with the National Mirror and thereby creating a unique identity for it.

10.2. MANAGEMENT TEAM
All those who are vying to be given responsibilities at the managerial level should be people who are adequately qualified to do the job and ensure that the results are seen and consequently effecting change for the newspaper. Another cardinal fact that has to be remembered is that members of the management team as individuals have their strengths and weaknesses. This could be used to the newspaper’s advantage through the combining of all the strengths to come up with a strong leading pack. This point should however ensure that the weaknesses are not ignored because they might come up in one way or another, so the important thing is to lay them out on the table so that needed remedial action can be taken to assist individuals.

Tasks, duties and responsibilities of members of the management team should also be clearly spelt out so that they avoid encroaching in other people’s fields or operation to prevent unnecessary confrontations and thereby impeding any progress made on the achievement of the objectives of the National Mirror. Another topic that is usually of interest and concern to any member of an organisation is the salary and compensation structure. People should be informed about the amount of money that is due to them before they commence their tasks to avoid any disputes in the future. A good salary and compensation structure will result in a very highly motivated workforce that will be looking forward to the next day of doing business for the newspaper. But staff at the organisation seems to be working on self motivation.

10.3. MARKET RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS
The National Mirror’s market size needs to be measured again to determine whether it is growing, reducing or has remained static. Market conditions and characteristics should be carefully examined so that the right time of undertaking an activity or putting a new product on the market can be established to avoid misfiring. This should also take into account the market trends and changes and come up with specific products and services according to the market demand. Demand for goods or services being provided by the paper should be accurately measured so that the right amount can be sent out at the right time, keeping in mind to avoid too little to keep the audience frustrated and not too much to keep them bored with the same things all the time.

10.4. GROWTH PLAN
Management at the National Mirror and all stakeholders should take keen interest in seeing whether the newspaper is growing, has remained static or diminishing in its influence and popularity. An internal analysis of its strengths and weaknesses must be done and the likely results critically analysed and better recommendations made, which should be willingly accepted by those in positions of responsibility and implementation.

External analysis should also be done. This one will look at opportunities that are already available and new ones that can be explored to expand the paper. Threat from other competing newspapers should also be taken seriously with new ideas being forwarded to counter these competitors’ moves. Contingency plan(s) should also be formulated to prevent unnecessary stoppages of work or poor product and service delivery.

Management has to ensure that these contingency plans are on stand by all times to avoid things like claiming that they do not have the latest printing machinery that have not been producing a newspaper that is of good quality.

10.5. MARKETING PLAN
The marketing department should come up with a proper and concrete pricing strategy, promotion strategy and distribution networks which will enable the paper distribute all the needed information about the National Mirror and why it needs to be regularly read by its readership and why the readership should invest its hard earned K3, 000 in buying the paper. That is why the marketing department should employ a very good and strategic marketing stance. Finally, the sales and marketing team should be adequately and appropriately trained to know what their job description is so that they bring the business that will raise revenue needed to run the newspaper.





BIBLIOGRAPGY

Gann K. (1996), A History Northern Rhodesia. London: Victor Gollancz.

Kasoma F (1986), The Press in Zambia: The Development, Role and Control of national Newspapers in Zambia. Lusaka: Multimedia Zambia Publications.

Mupeso E. (2009), National Mirror Managing Editor, (Field Work).

Noyoo N. (2008), Human Development and Social Policy in Zambia. Lusaka: UNZA Press.

www.nationalmirror.zm.com

www.merrian-web.com