SECTOR 2 The media landscape, including new media, is characterised by diversity, independence and sustainability. 2.1 A wide range of sources of information (print, broadcasting, internet, mobile phones) is accessible and affordable to citizens. When it comes to news and information outlets or sources, Nigeria has them in all formats and in good number: newspapers and other print publications, radio stations, television channels and increasingly online news sites. Accessibility and affordability are, however, not so straightforward to predict, since they differ from one sector to the other and are determined by multiple factors. As such, it may be helpful to examine the situation medium by medium. Print Nigeria has hundreds of newspapers and magazines, which can be private or public, national or local, regular or irregular. The most prominent are the private national dailies located in the big cities. However, some local papers like Leadership and Amininya publish in local languages and have left a mark on the country’s media landscape. National or local, newspaper circulation in Nigeria is on a decline. Leading papers such as The Punch and The Nation put approximately40, 000 copies on the market. This, for a population of roughly 150 million people! Almost all national papers now print only a single edition. Smaller papers simply do not declare their circulation, but the numbers are unlikely to surpass a few thousand. Papers are generally restricted to the big cities, reaching a few rural areas only after two to three days or more. High rates of illiteracy and poverty also limit access to newspapers, particularly in rural areas. Unable to afford the cover prices, “free readers” gather around newsstands to catch a glimpse of the headlines. Some newspaper vendors are overcoming the high cost by creating spaces where customers can rent and read papers for as low as NGN50 (about USD 0.25). Nigeria’s newspaper sector also suffers from a drop in the reading culture as a whole. “The society has evolved but reading has declined,” said a panellist. Radio Radio is by far the most popular source of information in Nigeria because of its broad availability and affordability. It is particularly popular in rural areas, where it is sometimes the only source of information. Recently licenced community radios 26 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER NIGERIA 2015