0DODZL 6WDWHRI%URDGFDVWLQJ The broadcasting sector received a boost in July 2012 when MACRA issued 15 new broadcasting licenses to private and community radio and television stations almost two years after the applications were submitted. This was a timely move considering the fact that before the Joyce Banda administration, broadcast license applications were seen as a threat to government and most licenses were awarded to religious and/or community stations, which were seen as less of a threat to established political order. Television licences were awarded to Times Television, a subsidiary of the Times Group; Zodiak Broadcasting Station; Chancellor College Community; Adventist; Timveni; Good News and Beta TV. Some of the applicants awarded radio broadcasting licenses included Central African Presbyterian Synods of Blantyre, Nkhoma and Livingstonia; Chancellor College Community; Matindi; Mwandama and Bua FM. The new licenses brought the total number of broadcasters in the country to over 50. The new licenses brought the total of newly-licensed broadcasters to 23, after MACRA had released 8 names of successful applicants in November 2011. In 2012, as has always been the case, the State controlled broadcasters, MBC Radio and Television continued to be criticized of being biased in favour of government. MBC offers more local and diverse non-political content than any other radio station in the country, including programs on agriculture, education, women and girls, health in general 6R7KLVLV'HPRFUDF\" and HIV and AIDS specifically, but leaves a lot to be desired on the political front. President Joyce Banda, however, brought optimism to most people that the state media would open up. She assured the nation that MBC would open up to all sectors of society and true to her word, opposition figures started featuring on MBC but by end of 2012, staff alerted MISA-Malawi that MBC management had received instructions from ‘above’ not to completely ‘open the floodgates.’ However, MISA-Malawi believes that there is still room for MBC to improve and has secured funding to capitalize on the good gesture demonstrated by President Banda and lobby for effective transformation of MBC from state to public service broadcaster. Transformation of MBC largely depends on political will and the citizens of Malawi hope President Banda will walk the talk and go down the history lane as the only Malawian President to have released government’s grip on MBC. 6WDWHRI3ULQW0HGLD Print media remains predominantly urban based and the luxury of a few affluent Malawians although attempts have been made to cater for the rural masses . This situation has been aggravated by the worsening economic environment, a situation which has rendered President Banda’s removal of VAT on newspapers irrelevant as very few Malawians consider buying a newspaper a necessity. The current cover price of a daily newspaper is MK230 (now US$0.58) up from MK200 (which was about US$1.22) in