SECTOR 2 2.1 A wide range of sources of information (print, broadcasting, internet, mobile phones) is accessible and affordable to the public There are currently over 150 radio stations in Zambia, a range of television stations and several daily newspapers. However, with print media, affordability is the issue. Buying a newspaper is a luxury that few people can afford, and most newspapers are circulated in urban rather than rural areas. By the time the newspaper is printed, people have already accessed it online, especially in rural areas where it can take up to two days for a printed copy of a newspaper to arrive. There is also the issue of the language and literacy levels required to read a newspaper. The number of copies being printed and distributed daily has also dramatically decreased, with newspapers previously having circulations of 20,000 now reaching fewer than 5,000. Newspapers sell for as little as ZMK10 (US$0.45). But with a loaf of bread costing ZMK15 (US$0.70), that is an unaffordable luxury for most. “Print is suffering from a natural death – it is dying.” Radio is accessible, with numerous community radio stations providing the rural population with information. “Radios are everywhere.” There are very few towns in Zambia which do not have a radio station, although there is little diversity in the content of these stations. Most television stations are on the Go-TV, DSTV or TopStar bouquets, which require a monthly subscription. TopStar is a joint venture between the Zambian government and China. It has a wide reach, and the cost is ZMK30 (US$1.60) per month for the cheapest package. Mobile phones with access to the internet and Facebook are more accessible, but data bundles are expensive. E-papers also take up valuable space on a mobile phone. There is also the challenge of recharging a mobile phone which, in rural areas, can be difficult because of electricity supply issues. Therefore, in rural areas, smaller and simpler phones are popular, but these don’t allow full internet access. However, people can still use these basic phones to listen to FM radio. Internet access is increasing, with providers including MTN and Zamtel. The latter has installed over 900 towers in the northern rural areas, expanding coverage. There is also an experimental roll-out of 5G in the Copperbelt area. Covid has had an impact on media sustainability. There has been a transformation towards online platforms. Although newspapers re-strategised to e-papers, these have not yet been received as a common product by the public, and people don’t know how to buy them. They are also in a .pdf format, which is difficult for people to interact with. 20 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ZAMBIA 2021