of broadcasting which has seen the mushrooming of radio stations in recent years. Radio is by far the most widespread medium in the country. The state broadcaster’s radio signal reaches all parts of Zambia. All but one of the country’s nine provinces each have one or two commercial or community radio stations. But most community radio stations have been set up in the rural districts. The donor-sponsored Media Trust Fund commits up to 60% of its funds to rural community radio stations and plans to open at least two new such stations every year. Presently, 15 radio stations are licensed and a further 39 are “testing”. Community radio broadcasts in both English and local languages, affording rural audiences access to information in their mother tongues. All the commercial radio stations operating thus far are urban-based. Television is also largely an urban medium, although the state-owned ZNBC-TV signal is available in all provincial centers. The internet is readily available and relatively affordable in the urban areas at a cost of 100 kwacha per minute in Internet cafés (in rural areas 6000 kwacha per minute). There are three daily and a variety of weekly and fortnightly newspapers in Zambia. But their combined total circulation is less than 100,000. This diversity of media does not, however, mean universal access to information. For example, at the cost of K3,000 ($0.65) per copy , newspapers are far beyond the reach of the great majority in a country where 80% of the population live on less than one United States dollar a day. In an environment characterised by high levels of poverty and illiteracy, accessing information is still difficult even in view of the availability of radio on a wide scale. (ZNBC claims that radio reaches 5 million people – the overall population is 10 million.) Access to radio programmes for rural women, however, is widely restricted as it is generally the man in the family who decides on the choice of programmes. SCORES: Individual scores: 2, 2, 3, 3, 2, 3, 3, 3 Average score: 2.6 2.2 Citizens’ access to domestic and international media sources is not restricted by state authorities. ANALYSIS: Citizens’ access to international media is not restricted by the state, although some radio stations have been prohibited from relaying programmes by international broadcasters because of limitations in the terms and conditions governing their licenses. The restriction of television to urban areas is purely due to economic and cost factors and not government policy. The relatively rich can access international television channels via subscription television providers, such as M-Net and DSTV. SCORES: Individual scores: 2, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 Average score: 3.6 2.3 Efforts are undertaken to increase the scope of circulation of the print media, particularly to rural communities. ANALYSIS: So This Is Democracy? 2005 -268- Media Institute of Southern Africa