partly due to the growing illiteracy in the country. According to the reports, 28.6% (13.6 million) of the 45 million Tanzanians cannot read or write in any language. And lastly, metropolitan bias is very high with print media in Tanzania as urban and peri-urban areas continue to enjoy high coverage compared to rural areas. State of Broadcasting The state of broadcast media in Tanzania is relatively impressive. Overall, Tanzania has 128 registered radio stations, of which 53 are on air. Also Tanzania has a total of 54 TV stations thats are licensed. Out of these, 28 TV stations are on air. Radio penetration in Tanzania is very high, now estimated at 87.7%. Nearly 60% of households in Tanzania own radio sets. On the other hand, Tanzania is progressing in the application of digital technology as required by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) that member states should migrate from analogue to digital by the year 2015. The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), a statutory regulator behind the process has already issued certificates to three multiplex operators that will be responsible for compilation, operation and marketing of broadcasting content. They are Star Media (T) Ltd, Basic Transmission Ltd and Agape Associates Ltd. Transmission and reception of radio signals using digital technology is credited for producing high quality sound, and also for accommodating special ser- vices like paging and data-casting. Digital TV produces high quality pictures, delivers more channels and facilitates convergence of services. Both types of digital broadcasting reduce the problem of interruption when airing programs. Eventually citizen journalism will get boosted as more cable TV services and FM radio stations involving non-journalists in news dissemination are expected to be established. Currently, TV covers only 19% of the urban Tanzania population and only 5% of the total population of Tanzania. Moreover, the high cost of batteries for radio sets and lack of electricity provision to rural dwellers, as well as the high costs of owning television sets remain a challenge in this aspect. Generally, the ownership of media (both print and broadcasting) in Tanzania is either state-owned or private. The stateowned media refers to “media channels that are owned, operated or controlled by the government, as well as channels that are managed by government appointees or that are governed by boards, a majority of whose members are selected by the government or ruling party”. Private-owned media, according to the definition by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), refers to “press independent from government, political or economical control or from control of material and infrastructure essential for production and dissemination of media outlets”. The ownership of private media in Tanzania if further categorized into four groups: private (commercial), private (non-profit), private (sectarian/partisan), and independent (non-state). However, except for few media (like Raia Mwema, which is owned by profes- So This is Democracy • 2011 147