“People express themselves freely in the blogosphere, but access to online media is limited.” There are journalists who work for mainstream media, who express themselves more candidly and more openly on the blogosphere, than they do in their mainstream media jobs. However, “the fact that they (bloggers) go anonymous says a lot” about the fear that people face in expressing themselves openly. Radio is another medium favoured by citizens who engage with phone-in programmes and “speak their minds on a daily basis”. They are comfortable providing their names, phone numbers and addresses and there have been no reprisals reported in this regard. It is estimated that at least 151 community radio stations broadcast alongside the public broadcaster and other private stations. The major restriction faced by community radio stations is sustainability and reach, as they are only allowed to broadcast within a 150km radius. However, radio continues its dominance over the media terrain as it is the most accessible, wide-reaching and fastest growing medium, with over 87 percent of households in Zambia owning one or more radio set(s), according to Afrimap statistics. The strength of community radio stations lies in their localised content and use of vernacular languages. The Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) Amendment Act No. 20 (2002) was enacted to transform the national broadcaster into an independent and professional entity. However, in March 2010, the Zambian government passed the ZNBC Amendment Bill No. 6, which reverted the power to appoint the nine part-time members of the ZNBC board back to the Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services. This allows the minister to bypass parliament in the appointment of the board as had earlier been stipulated in the ZNBC Act of 2002. According to the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) Act, the minister is also authorised to appoint board members of the IBA and issue broadcasting licences at his whim. Under the new government, the state print media is enjoying a certain amount of latitude and “there is still some influence here and there, and there is self-censorship to a certain extent, but now you don’t feel that there is someone with a whip behind you waiting for you to make a mistake”. Political issues continue to dominate the mainstream media, and diversity of content in the print media remains limited. Even social, cultural and economic stories are angled to take on a political dimension. Investigative stories are sporadic and often lack depth and analysis. ZNBC’s TV2 and ZNBC radio present diverse programmes which are more creative, with local content. 1 8 Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services, 2013 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ZAMBIA 2013