Malawi The growth in the sector has increased sources of information for the citizenry. Unfortunately, only few outlets have the financial means to sustain their operations, let alone roll out. The amendment of the Communications Act (1998) was a key milestone in the push for transformation of MBC from state control to a public service broadcaster and government’s continued interference with MBC programming is retrogressive and regrettable. MISA Malawi has secured funding from the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) to promote access to information through community radio. Among others, the funding will help build capacity of community broadcasters in participatory programming, management and resource mobilisation as one way of ensuring sustainable community broadcasting. Securing a broadcasting license is one thing and rolling out and sustaining operations, especially within a geographical community, is another. Nonetheless, the growth in the sector is important as it demonstrates government’s commitment and willingness to strengthen the broadcasting industry given the country’s literacy levels and limited penetration and circulation of the print media. Regrettably, the country’s public broadcaster, Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) radio station and television continue to operate as a propaganda tool for the party in power. This is regrettable as MBC had managed to register commendable progress during the 2014 Tripartite elections by developing content that was largely based on public interest and professionalism. MBC has always supported the party in power with over 99 percent content in favour of the state but a media monitoring project of the 2014 elections noted that “… compared with the bias demonstrated by the state media towards the ruling party in 2009, this time round the bias was slightly less… a development that can only be welcomed.” This was however not the case during the 2017 by-elections in which the ruling DPP performed poorly. MBC angered most stakeholders for not broadcasting results of the by-elections and no reasons were given. As a public broadcaster MBC has a mandate to fairly cover elections, including announcement of results regardless of the faction of the winning candidates. Different governments have come and gone with promises that they would loosen government grip on the MBC. The current administration is no excep- So This is Democracy? 2017 55