ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the popularity of Zimbabwe’s first English and state-controlled tabloid newspaper H-Metro among its Harare readers. H-Metro has an estimated readership of over 500,000 readers, and according to a 2012 Zimbabwe All Media Products Survey (ZAMPS), this places the newspaper second with a market share of 17 percent, just behind the state-controlled daily broadsheet The Herald with 25 percent.1 H-Metro’s popularity is despite the fact that the newspaper only circulates in Harare Metropolitan province while the other national dailies-which have a lower market share-are distributed nationwide. H-Metro’s initial popularity was attributable to its cover price, which was pegged at US$0.50 (it has since increased to US$1), compared to other national weekly newspapers which are charging U$2. As of January 2016, H-Metro had over 202,000 likes on Facebook. Despite being relatively new in the newspaper market, the paper has set tongues wagging among its readers and non-readers. Modelled along the lines of British and South African tabloids, the newspaper is popular among working class readers for its sensationalist, sex-driven and sleazy media content. In light of its staggering readership growth, this study examines the reasons for the popularity of H-Metro among its readers, especially in the context of the capital’s contentious politics, where Harareans have constantly voted against the former ruling party, Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), since 2000 but still appear to be avid readers of a state-controlled tabloid.
