While the international community has embraced President Banda with open arms there are sections of civil society and the media who are taking a more cautious approach as they are wary of her motives and the manner in which she carries out her reforms. “There is a sense of watch-and-wait. It is too early to tell.” Before Joyce Banda took over as president, broadcast licence applicants were seen as a threat to government and most licences were awarded to religious and/ or community stations, which were seen as less of a threat to the state than news broadcasters. This has changed in recent months, with almost 20 new licences being awarded to private and community radio and television stations in July 2012. Radio continues to be the most popular medium of accessing information as it has the widest reach and is available in vernacular languages. If the transmitters and related equipment are working at optimal level it is possible for 95 percent of the country to access Malawi Broadcasting Cooperation (MBC) radio and television. Unfortunately the system is fraught with technical problems and entire parts of the country often do not have access. In terms of news and current affairs, political stories take priority on MBC TV and radio, with issues about the president and ruling party generally dominating.“The president is the news, even if it is not newsworthy. There is always a story about the president on MBC TV and radio news.” In the past, 95 percent of the content on the MBC was ruling party propaganda but in the last few months there seems to be a change in this regard. However there is a feeling that the MBC is still not accommodating opposition views equitably. Thus, the MBC tends to support and promote whichever party is in power, and deny airtime to alternative voices. For example, the current opposition leader, Peter Mutharika, brother of the late president, has not appeared on MBC television since April 2012, when the regime changed. “I haven’t yet heard radical views on MBC, which are in opposition to the current regime. Those who opposed the previous president are now seen as allies to the MBC. Panellists felt that the MBC radio stations, in particular, were offering more local and diverse non-political content than any other radio station in the country, including programmes on agriculture, developmental issues, education, women and girls, health in general and HIV-AIDS specifically. There has been a slight increase in print media products with the entry of a few specialist magazines but it is still a medium that remains unaffordable for at least 9.5 million Malawians who live below the poverty line and survive on less than US$1 a day. It also remains inaccessible considering the 2008 Census AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER MALAWI 2012 9