MEDIA review by Ayele Addis Ambelu ; Ayeleradio@gmail.com
The foundations of radiotelegraphy, in Ethiopia, were laid in the early 1930s. Though some of the foreign legations had earlier imported radio equipment for their own use, the Ethiopian Government did not enter the field until after Emperor Haile Sellassie’s coronation in 1930. Orders were given soon afterward for the establishment of a temporary station, which went into operation in 1933. A contract for a larger and more powerful station had meanwhile been granted in 1931 to the Italian company Ansaldo, with the result that the Emperor was able to address his first message to the world on January 31, 1935.
All telephone and telegraph facilities are owned by the government and operated by the National Board of Telecommunications. The principal population centers are connected with Addis Ababa by telephone and radio circuits, and there is an earth-satellite station. In 2003, there were an estimated 6 mainline telephones for every 1,000 people; about 146,100 people were on a waiting list for telephone service installation. The same year, there was approximately 1 mobile phone in use for every 1,000 people.
Radio and television stations are run by the government. The Voice of Ethiopia radio service broadcasts mostly on AM in Amharic, but also in English, French, Arabic, and local languages. Ethiopian Television broadcasts about four hours daily. In 2001 there were eight radio stations and one television station. In 2003, there were an estimated 189 radios and 6 television sets for every 1,000 people. The same year, there were 2.2 personal computers for every 1,000 people and 1 of every 1,000 people had access to the Internet. There was one secure Internet server in the country in 2004.
The two major daily newspapers (with estimated 2002 circulations) are Addis Zeman (40,000; Amharic) and the Ethiopian Herald (37,000; English), both published by the government at Addis Ababa. There are also several weeklies published by the government. There were about 28 private Amharic-language weeklies and 1 independent Tigrinya-language weekly. Most independently owned newspapers are printed at government-owned presses.
All newspapers are strictly censored by the Ministry of Information and National Guidance. A 1992 Press Law, along with the constitution of Ethiopia, provide for free speech and a free press. The government is reported to use legal mechanisms to repress press rights in practice.
Analysis of Ethiopian Mass Media Development :
Review by Ayele Addis Ambelu ayeleradio@gmail.com Kassahun Wodajo Woldemariam*Researcher Scholar at the Department of Journalismand Mass Communication, Andhra University Professor (Dr.) P. Bobby Vardhan**Head, Department of Journalism andMass Communication, Andhra University Abstract The purpose of this study is to describe the historical development of the Ethiopian mass media in the two consecutive regimes. To serve […]