SECTOR 3

3.11 The state/public broadcaster offers as much
diverse and creative local content as economically
achievable.
Nigeria’s state broadcasters complain that they are underfunded. However, in the
face of competition from private media, they make an effort to undertake as much
local and diverse programming as possible with their scarce resources. Reasonable
progress has been made in this area over the years.

Scores:
Individual scores:
1

Country does not meet indicator

2

Country meets only a few aspects of indicator

3

Country meets some aspects of indicator

4

Country meets most aspects of indicator.

5

Country meets all aspects of the indicator

Average score:

3.8 (2008 = 2.4)

3.12 Community broadcasting enjoys special
promotion given its potential to broaden access by
communities to the airwaves.
Previous military regimes all perceived community radio as a potential source of
unrest, particularly since campus radio stations run by universities operated in the
volatile university milieu, where students were prone to contesting government
decisions. Radio was therefore feared to be a potential weapon in the hands of
‘reckless’ students. With the advent of democracy, successive governments have
shown more sympathy towards the development of community radio. In synergy
with civil society, the government now has a policy document for rolling out
community radio. In 2010, authorities opened the door for community radio to be
authorised to function, but no licences have been issued as yet, except for campus
community radio stations, which are operational in some university campuses.
Frequent changes at the helm of the Information Ministry have contributed to
slowing the development of the sector. New ministers often need time to study
the files, but leave office before taking action or even developing strong interest

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AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER NIGERIA 2011

Select target paragraph3