SECTOR 2 The media landscape, including new media, is characterised by diversity, independence and sustainability. 2.1 A wide range of sources of information (print, broadcasting, internet, mobile phones) is accessible and affordable to citizens. There are a number of important and diverse sources of information in Gabon. With regard to the print media, Gabon numbers a dozen newspapers, including a daily and five weeklies, more or less regular. At 400 CFA francs (US$ 0.70) for the daily and 600 CFA francs (US$ 1) for the weeklies, newspapers are very expensive in Gabon. By comparison, a loaf of bread costs 150 francs CFA (US$0.26). Furthermore, newspapers are more freely available in large cities than in the hinterland. Two main factors explain this disparity: the cost of the newspaper, which is considered as very high for the inhabitants of the hinterland and the absence of a reliable distribution system. The newspaper, which appears on Monday, arrives in some parts of the country on Friday only and in some remote areas, rarely, if at all. The main distributor of newspapers, SOGAPRESSE, takes up to 40% commission on sales, prompting publishers to increase the price of the newspaper in order to recover the publishing costs. Compared to the print media, radio covers a larger part of the territory. There are around thirty broadcasters, including public, private/commercial and community radio stations. There is no fee for radio signals and radio sets are cheaper. Radio is listened to a lot in the hinterland. Radio more or less covers the national territory. Radio Gabon, which is by far the largest broadcaster, covers 85% of the country. However, the villages located in the most remote places, especially at the borders, only receive foreign radio stations. Television is becoming more and more fashionable in the hinterland as in large cities. Nevertheless, the exploitation of this source of information by the general population is limited due to the lack of adequate infrastructure, the cost and the irregularity of the electricity supply. Today, there are a dozen public and private channels in Gabon. Cable or satellite distributors allow the Gabonese to have access to several international channels. If the offer seems unlimited, the problems associated with economic and material factors cited above prevent everyone from having access to television. The mobile phone is probably the most important source of information in Gabon. More than two-thirds of the population uses the mobile phone. It is 78 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER GABON 2016