SECTOR 2

There are a number of established monthly magazines in Namibia, including
Sister Namibia, Namibia Sports, Insight, Travel News Namibia and the Air Namibia
publication, Flamingo. In the past two years, new magazines have debuted,
including Gem, Life, Family Life and Osho, as well as the annual Financial Sector
Review.
Some magazines have folded in the past two years due to management and/or
funding issues, including the social upliftment publication The Big Issue Namibia,
Space Magazine and Shambuka.
An online entertainment- and fashion-focused newspaper, called Exposé, was
launched in February 2009 but has not yet made much of an impact.
With newspapers costing between N$3 and N$5 and magazines often over N$20,
print media is not accessibly or affordable to the majority of the population.
Most of these publications are also in English, further undermining national
accessibility. Magazines are mostly found in Windhoek, while the distribution of
newspapers to rural areas is often too slow (arriving a day late) or does not reach
some areas at all.

Broadcasting
The Namibian Broadcasting Corporation has ten radio stations, with the San
community service, !Ha Radio, having been added in 2008:
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NBC National Radio – English service
NBC Oshiwambo
NBC Afrikaans
NBC German
NBC Otjiherero
NBC Damara/Nama
NBC Silozi
NBC Tirelo yaSetswana
NBC Rukavango
NBC !Ha Radio – San community service

NBC FM radio reaches an estimated 96 per cent of the Namibian population.6
In many ways, NBC radio stations fulfil the role of community radio stations for
indigenous language groups. However, none of the different language services of
NBC radio are broadcast throughout the entire country, but only in certain areas
deemed to be where there is a concentration of particular ethnic groups.
6 Figures supplied by Benni Murangi, NBC Manager: Satellite Uplink and Downlink, Transmitters (FM
and TV) and Electrical/Aircon. on May 29, 2009

AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER NAMIBIA 2009

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Select target paragraph3