SECTOR 2 2.3 Efforts are undertaken to increase the scope of circulation of the print media, particularly to rural communities. In general, panellists felt that although some newspapers may try to increase their distribution beyond the cities and towns, poor infrastructure in the country prohibited this. Some 70 per cent of newspapers are sold in urban areas of Tanzania, while 50 per cent of these sales take place in Dar es Salaam. “Of course, all media houses want to expand their distribution, to earn more money, but in Tanzania it is just not practical or cost-effective. Recovering money from the regions is a problem since the environment and the infrastructure do not encourage expansion. Private media houses are there to do business. They are not charity organisations.” It was noted that efforts are being made, especially by bi-monthly and not daily newspapers, to increase their scope of circulation to rural areas, but the likelihood of such a venture being successful is highly unlikely. The fact that most rural communities are very poor in Tanzania also means that newspapers are a luxury to these people, not a priority. “While newspapers will be found in towns within rural areas, such as Iringa or Dodoma, this is hardly ever the case at the district or village level.” There is no commitment from government to make such print media more accessible or affordable to its citizens. It was also noted that the content of most national newspapers is not rural oriented, and thus does not necessarily appeal to rural readers. Efforts are made on Zanzibar to distribute the media to rural areas, but the market is very limited there, with a population of just under one million. Kwanza Jamii (meaning ‘Community First’ in Kiswahili) was highlighted as an NGO print publication that is reaching poor citizens of more remote areas in rural Tanzania, providing them with local political, business and sport news. Kwanza Jamii Njombe was launched in 2010 and covers the Njombe area, while Kwanza Jamii Iringa was launched in 2011 and covers Iringa. A Mbeya edition is set to be launched in 2012. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER TANZANIA 2012 27