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. The country has a fairly large number of newspapers and broadcast channels. The mobile phone has experienced phenomenal growth, and even the internet is getting popular. But structural, technical and social problems are stopping the vast majority of the population from taking full advantage of all the possible sources of information available to them. Though sources of information are considered wide and varied, this is mostly true only for the main cities Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire. i) Broadcast media Perhaps the most popular source of information in Congo is from one of the country’s dozens of radio and television stations: they are widely available, easily accessible and mostly free. The country’s openness to China has introduced an assortment of cheap hand-held transistor radios and even TV sets. Mobile phones with inbuilt FM radio tuners have literally made radio signals available “everywhere you go”. Overall, there are about 20 radio stations throughout the country and a dozen national TV channels. Many international broadcasters like the BBC, RFI, France 24 and even China’s CCTV reach Congolese homes via locally installed FM transmitters and satellites. With relatively more resources, the state-run broadcaster covers the country more than any other. Despite the large number of broadcast outlets, a good number of Congolese are still left in the dark. Mostly urban centres are covered by both national and international broadcasters. A relatively semi-urban town like Boundji, 500km north of Brazzaville, has only one radio station. The more remote parts of the country receive neither radio nor television signals. The reach of paid satellite television is also limited by cost, estimated at about CFAF 5000 (about 7,50 Euro) a month. Thus, even in the urban centres, only those who can afford it get the widest range of international signals available. 86 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 2013