CHAPTER 4: AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER THEMATIC TRENDS: 2011-2021 media. In 2012, Tanzania had 763 newspapers, 26 television stations and 85 radio stations. In 2016, Cameroon had 600 newspapers, 120 radio stations and 60 television stations. In 2019 Burkina Faso had 164 radio stations and 21 operational television channels. Benin, Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar and South Africa, among others, also display this tendency. However, regarding broadcasting, most governments and legal frameworks do not make explicit provisions for editorial independence among state-funded broadcasters or media in general. For example, the 2019 AMB for Nigeria highlights the national broadcaster’s lack of editorial independence and financial stability, the latter of which could be the cause of the former. The 2018 AMB for the Republic of Congo notes that state television and radio were divisions in the Ministry of Communication, their workers were civil servants (see also 2021 AMB for Togo), and these media, respectively, had no board of directors to oversee their activities. This suggests that in 2018, the government of the Republic of Congo had direct control over state media’s operations and editorial "Other countries that have not explicitly guaranteed editorial independence for national broadcasters include Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Madagascar, and the DRC." content. The AMB also noted that the state newspaper had not been operating for the two years prior, emphasising the constriction of public communication and democratic spaces in the country. The AMB did not indicate whether the state-owned publication resumed service. In the 2021 AMB of Benin, it was mentioned that the public broadcaster operated under the powerful influence of the country’s presidency. However, its content was noted for meeting the public interest and covering local issues. Other countries that have not explicitly guaranteed editorial independence for national broadcasters include Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Madagascar, and the DRC. The case of Kenya is unique because government control over the media is not only covert but also expansive. Unlike the direct control exercised through state media in other parts of the continent, political influence in Kenya operates through the distribution of government advertising across the board. As indicated in the country’s 2016 AMB, competition for this highly sought-after government advertising has compromised the quality of editorial content in the media. In addition to the overt government control exercised through the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, whose board is appointed by the former, advertising operates covertly to influence the content of 7 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER 11 YEARS IN REVIEW