SECTOR 3 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: 3.8 (2010 = 2.9; 2008 = 4.3; 2006 = 3.2) 3.12 Community broadcasting enjoys special promotion by the government given its potential to broaden access by communities to the airwaves. Most community radio stations in Malawi are in a dire state, financially and technically, and the state does not support them directly, apart from making community broadcasting licences available and scrapping duties on broadcasting equipment. There are some supportive partnerships between commercial and community radio stations, with commercial stations providing content, such as news, for free to community stations, as in the case of Zodiak and Mudziwathu. The broadcasting regulatory body, MACRA, does provide training to commercial and community radio presenters and producers, but as most of the community stations are run by volunteers, with a high staff turn-over, continuity is a problem and newly learnt skills are not entrenched within the community radio stations. There is generally a dearth of management skills within community radio stations, an issue which is currently not being addressed. A few private radio stations have taken the initiative to partner with community radio stations and are training staff in all aspects of broadcasting including management, at no cost to the beneficiaries. A community radio licence costs K20,000 (US$80) per year and, as most community radio stations have very limited funding and are run by volunteers, this amount can be difficult to raise. Community radio stations in Malawi are allowed commercial sponsorship through advertising and many have support from donors, such as UNICEF. However, donors AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER MALAWI 2012 49