Mass media in Namibia includes radio, television, and online and print formats.
Although Namibia's population is fairly small, the country has a diverse choice of media; in 2010, two TV stations, 19 radio stations (without counting community stations), 5 daily newspapers, several weeklies and special publications compete for the attention of the audience. As of 2014, Namibia had 3 television stations, 13 newspapers, and 25 radio stations. [1] Additionally, a mentionable amount of foreign media, especially South African, is available. Online media are mostly based on print publication contents. Namibia has a state-owned Press Agency, called NAMPA. [2] Overall c. 500 journalists work in the country. [3]
Compared to neighbouring countries, Namibia has a large degree of media freedom. Over the past years, the country usually ranked in the upper quarter of the Press Freedom Index of Reporters without Borders, reaching position 21 in 2010, being on par with Canada and the best-positioned African country. [4] The African Media Barometer shows similarly positive results.[ citation needed ] However, as in other countries, there is still mentionable influence of representatives of state and economy on media in Namibia. [2] In 2009, Namibia dropped to position 36 on the Press Freedom Index. [5] In 2013, it was 19th. [6] In 2014 it ranked 22nd [7] In 2021, Namibia ranked 24th in the world [8]
Media and journalists in Namibia are represented by the Namibian chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa and the Editors' Forum of Namibia. An independent media ombudsman was appointed in 2009 to prevent a state-controlled media council. [2]
The first newspaper in Namibia was the German-language Windhuker Anzeiger , founded 1898 by attorney George Wasserfall. It mainly reported on movements of the German imperial forces, the Schutztruppe . After the establishment of the newspaper the German colonial administration used it as a government gazette. [9]
During German rule, the newspapers mainly reflected the living reality and the view of the white German-speaking minority. The black majority was ignored or depicted as a threat. During South African rule, the white bias continued, with mentionable influence of the Pretoria government on the "South West African" media system. Independent newspapers were seen as a menace to the existing order, critical journalists threatened. [2] [10] [11]
Current daily newspapers are the private publications The Namibian (English and other languages), Die Republikein (Afrikaans), Allgemeine Zeitung (German) and Namibian Sun (English) as well as the state-owned New Era (predominantly English). Except for the most widely circulated newspaper, The Namibian, [1] which is owned by a trust, the other mentioned private newspapers are part of the Democratic Media Holdings. [2]
Weekly publications are the tabloid Informanté owned by TrustCo, Windhoek Observer , Namibia Economist , as well as the regional Namib Times . Current affairs magazines include Insight Namibia , Vision2030 Focus magazine [ citation needed ] and Prime FOCUS . Monthly publications are Sister Namibia magazine, the longest running NGO magazine in Namibia and Namibia Sport , the only national sport magazine. Furthermore, the print market is complemented with party publications, student newspapers and PR publications. [2]
Radio was introduced in 1969 with Radio Owambo , an FM channel destined for the indigenous Ovambo people. However, people in Namibia already owned short wave radio sets to receive international channels, such that FM radio broadcasts were initially not widely received. [12]
Today the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) is the public broadcaster and offers a "National Radio" in English and nine language services in locally spoken languages. The nine private radio stations in the country are mainly English-language channels, except for Kosmos 94.1 (Afrikaans) and Radio Omulunga (Ovambo).
Television service in Namibia started in 1981 with rebroadcasts of programs of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). The service was at least a day late as the cassettes had to be flown in from South Africa, and it was available only in the capital Windhoek. Later TV was also available in Oshakati and in Walvis Bay, and over time local content was added. [15]
Local TV Channels:
Mass media in Liberia include the press, radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the east and south. Although it does not border Zimbabwe, less than 200 metres of the Botswanan right bank of the Zambezi River separates the two countries. Its capital and largest city is Windhoek.
Telecommunications in Namibia include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.
The mass media in Poland consist of several different types of communications media including television, radio, cinema, newspapers, magazines, and Internet. During the communist regime in Poland the Stalinist press doctrine dominated and controlled Polish media. The country instituted freedom of press since the fall of communism. The Polish media system's main features are the product of the country's socio-political and economic post-communist transition. These features include: the privatisation of the press sector; the transformation of the state radio and television into public broadcasting services; influx of foreign capital into the media market and European integration of audiovisual media policies. Today the media landscape is very plural but highly polarized along political and ideological divides.
The mass media in South Africa has a large mass media sector and is one of Africa's major media centres. While South Africa's many broadcasters and publications reflect the diversity of the population as a whole, the most commonly used language is English. However, all ten other official languages are represented to some extent or another. Afrikaans is the second most commonly used language, especially in the publishing sector.
The mass media in Burkina Faso consists of print media and state-supported radio, news, and television stations, along with several private broadcasters with programs consisting of sports, music, cultural, or religious themes.
Mass media in Morocco includes newspapers, radio, television, and Internet.
The Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) is the public broadcaster of Namibia. It was established in 1979, under the name South West African Broadcasting Corporation (SWABC).
There are over ten different languages in the Israeli media, with Hebrew as the predominant one. Press in Arabic caters to the Arab citizens of Israel, with readers from areas including those governed by the Palestinian National Authority. During the eighties and nineties, the Israeli press underwent a process of significant change as the media gradually came to be controlled by a limited number of organizations, whereas the papers published by political parties began to disappear. Today, three large, privately owned conglomerates based in Tel Aviv dominate the mass media in Israel.
Mass media in Sierra Leone began when the first modern printing press in Africa arrived at the start of the 19th century. In the 1860s the country became a journalist hub for Africa with professional travelling to the country from across the continent. At the end of the 19th century the industry went into decline and when radio was introduced in the 1930s this became the primary communication media. Print media is not widely read in Sierra Leone, especially outside Freetown, partially due to the low levels of literacy in the country. In 2008 there were 15 daily newspapers in addition to those published weekly. Among newspaper readership young people are likely to read newspapers weekly and older people daily. The majority of newspapers are privately run and are often critical of the government.
The mass media in Iceland are well-developed for a country of its size. The Constitution of Iceland guarantees absolute freedom of speech. Therefore, Iceland’s media are among the freest in the world.
Mass media in Kenya includes more than 91 FM stations, more than 64 free to view TV stations, and an unconfirmed number of print newspapers and magazines. Publications mainly use English as their primary language of communication, with some media houses employing Swahili. Vernacular or community-based languages are commonly used in broadcast media; mostly radio.
The Allgemeine Zeitung founded in 1916, is the oldest daily newspaper in Namibia and the only German-language daily in Africa to survive World War I.
The mass media in Cameroon includes independent outlets. The nation has only one national newspaper, which is state owned.
Mass media in Chad is controlled by the government.
Mass media in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are both nationally and internationally state owned and operated.
Mass media in Ivory Coast is controlled by the government. Audiovisual communications are regulated by the Conseil national de la communication audiovisuelle (CNCA), an administrative arm of the national government.
The mass media in South Sudan is underdeveloped compared to many other countries, including fellow East African states like Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Poor transportation infrastructure and entrenched poverty in the country inhibit both the circulation of newspapers, particularly in states located far from the capital of Juba, and the ability of media outlets to maintain regular coverage of the entire country.
Namibia is a multilingual country in which German is recognised as a national language. While English has been the sole official language of the country since 1990, in many areas of the country, German enjoys official status at a community level. A national variety of German is also known as Namdeutsch.
Mass media in Tanzania includes print, radio, television, and the Internet. The "Tanzania Communications Regulatory Act" of 2003 created the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority, which oversees broadcast licensing. The Media Council of Tanzania began in 1995.
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