AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER MADAGASCAR 2010 Executive Summary Politically, Madagascar has been in a ‘state of emergency’ for the past two years and this has affected the state of the media in the country. The Constitution still applies and guarantees freedom of expression. However, the necessary legal instruments for the implementation of this right are either not in place or very vague, thus leaving room for abuse and lending themselves to arbitrary decisions by the powers that be. For instance, media outlets can be closed down or allowed to operate for reasons of political convenience. The media tend to align themselves with the major political players. Citizens refrain from expressing themselves openly, except for anonymous calls during phone-in radio shows. There are many media outlets but the media landscape is ultimately not very diverse. The economic viability of media outlets is precarious. The state does not provide any subsidies or tax breaks to the media and government advertising tenders are often awarded to sympathisers only. All media compete for a few big advertisers from the private sector. There is some media concentration, both vertical and horizontal. In a country where the alignment of media with a political faction is the rule rather than the exception, this concentrates a lot of power over content and thus potential political influence in the hands of the bigger operators. All media – both print and electronic - are most readily accessible in the capital and larger centres. Circulation of newspapers in the rural areas is hampered by high transport costs and people’s low purchasing power. The public broadcaster RNM/TVM is still the only broadcasting service authorised to transmit to the entire country. Especially with regard to its television arm, however, it is still far from having achieved national coverage, due to technical and financial constraints. Internet is accessible for those who can afford it, but connection speed is slow outside of the capital Antananarivo. The broadcasting sector largely operates in a legal vacuum. Its main regulatory instrument, the Communications Code, has yet to be adopted. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER MADAGASCAR 2010 69