Malawi’s only 360 degree media house, The Times Group, cemented its dominance as a trusted news source after scooping the Print Media House of the Year and Television Media House of the Year awards at the Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa)-Malawi annual awards in Mangochi.
The awards event took place on Saturday night.
Times Television (TV) was named the best TV station for a record ninth year.
The Times Group journalists also bagged 19 individual awards, more than all the other media houses in the country.
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Speaking at the gala dinner and awards event, United States Chargé d’Affaires Amy Diaz underscored the importance of free speech in the promotion of democracy and accountability.
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“Freedom of the press and democracy go hand-in-hand; you cannot have one without the other. It is a fallacy to think that a functional democracy can be achieved without guaranteeing press freedom. In fact, how a nation is governed can be measured by how journalists are treated as they keep the citizenry informed,” Diaz said.
Early in the day, when Misa Malawi organised a debate in the same district, British High Commissioner to Malawi Fiona Richie said journalists are key to the holding of free and fair elections.
And, on the issue of Misa Malawi awards bagged this year, The Times Group Managing Director Leonnard Chikadya congratulated his team for the awards.
“Leading is our way of life. We work for it and we will die for it. Think of any innovative creativity; we have led the way. News must be trusted and we have earned that trust since 1895,” Chikadya said.
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He said they would celebrate the feat with honour and responsibility.
Chikadya also said he was particularly happy that Times TV scooped the best TV award for the ninth year despite a recent Information Communication Technology survey by the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority whose results showed that the public broadcaster was leading in terms of viewership.
“I do not want to discredit that survey but you do not measure the popularity of a radio or TV by asking people on the street. The regulator should invest in technology that can carry out that function,” Chikadya said.
He referred to recent survey results (February 2024) in the United States of America that showed that 123.7 million viewers tuned in for Super Bowl LV111, according to estimates from Nielson.
According to the survey, the broadcaster averaged 120.3 million in terms of viewers on CBS alone, making it the largest audience for a single network.
“You cannot go on the street and talk to 123 million people. There’s a need for investment in technology that can do that. The regulator should not be giving false information to the public,” Chikadya said.
Meanwhile, The Times Group Editor-in-Chief Pilirani Kachinziri has described the awards as a testament to the company’s commitment to hard work and dedication in producing quality content that resonates with Malawians.
“We are honoured to be recognised for our contributions to the media industry and will continue to strive for excellence in all that we do based on the ‘Leading Is Our Way of Life’ principle,” Kachinziri said.
Apart from being crowned the Best Television and Print Media House of The Year, The Times Group also won the Best Podcast award while its reporter Sam Kalimira stood out as the overall journalist of the year.
Zodiak Broadcasting Station won the Best Radio Station of The Year award while Platform for Investigative Journalism scooped the Best Online Media House of the Year award.
