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.

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AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 2013

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