SECTOR 3 The UBC’s lack of resources makes it vulnerable to interference, which should not be the case for a broadcaster that is providing a public service and which should therefore be widely accessible. “My concern is that, from the onset, the UBC is state run and owned, and therefore this level of independence is not there. For me it’s not an issue about funding.” Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 1.3 (2010: 1.3; 2007: n/a) 3.8 The state/public broadcaster is technically accessible in the entire country. The UBC’s radio transmitters cover at least 80 per cent of the country, while its land-based television transmitters cover at least 60 per cent of the country, giving the UBC the widest geographical coverage of all the country’s terrestrial broadcasters15. Uganda Television (UTV) is also available via the pay-TV service Multichoice, whose satellite transmissions cover the whole country, although these satellite broadcasts can only be picked-up by paid-up subscribers to Multichoice who can afford a satellite dish and a set-top decoder. An estimated 50 000 people subscribed to Multichoice in Uganda in 201016. Panellists complained of poor UBC reception in many parts of the country, and suggested that this may partly be a consequence of the UBC’s technicians also working for private broadcasters. “The signal coverage is decreasing. Many up-country places don’t receive UBC.” In the past the UBC’s transmitters would reach far, but the broadcaster was becoming increasingly reliant on privately owned transmitters, including satellite broadcasters, to carry their signal to far-flung places. “The UBC is banking on people buying (satellite) dishes.” 15 p44 in ‘Uganda’, part of the Public Broadcasting in Africa Series by AfriMAP, OSIEA and OSMP (sourced from: www. afrimap.org/english/.../OSI-Uganda--Public-Broadcasting.pdf ) 16 p57 in Ibid. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER UGANDA 2012 51