MALI
Radio Klédu is a private commercial radio station that was founded in 1992. Since 1994, it has been broadcasting in French and Bambara, the other national language of Mali, on 101.2MHz in Bamako. It broadcasts in three “editions” daily: two in French and one in Bambara. Radio Klédu has established a reputation for training journalists who go on to work for international organisations. During the 2007 presidential elections, it broadcast its coverage via satellite. Today, despite its small editorial staff, it reaches some 3 million listeners within a 300km radius of Bamako. It was selected as a Centre of Excellence because of its independence, its reach, the diversity of its content, and the fact that its editor-in-chief, Célia d'Almeida, and five of its journalists are women.
L’Essor is a state-owned, French-language daily newspaper based in Bamako. Founded in 1949 when Mali was still the colony of French Sudan, it was initially the mouthpiece of the Union Soudanaise-Rassemblement Démocratique African liberation movement, but following the 1968 coup became the organ of the military junta. With the restoration of democracy in 1991, L’Essor was placed under the control of a government-owned printing house, but has secured a large degree of independence from the government. Today it is the only newspaper with journalists across the country, circulating 4,000 copies daily, albeit mostly in Bamako. It was chosen as a Center of Excellence for its national reach and its unparalleled coverage of rural development and agriculture.
UGANDA
Radio Uganda was established in 1963, the year after Ugandan independence, as the radio arm of what in 2005 became the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, the state-owned broadcaster, and today operates four radio stations: the Red Channel, which broadcasts in English and six other local languages; the Blue Channel, which broadcasts in Runyoro-Rutooro and five other languages; the Butebo Channel, which broadcasts in Lusoga and nine other languages; and Star Fm, which broadcasts only in Luganda. English news and actuality programs are also broadcast on Blue and Butebo. A new English-language sports channel, Magic Fm, is being prepared. Radio Uganda’s stations cover almost the entire country. It was chosen as a Center of Excellence for its national reach, especially in the rural areas, and the fact that it is respected for its educational content.
The Daily Monitor is a privately-owned, English-language daily newspaper founded in 2005 as the relaunch of a newspaper called The Monitor which had been founded in 1992. It is jointly owned by The Nation Media Group and five individual shareholders. It prides itself on being an independent investigative newspaper that consistently sets the news agenda, and has often taken a critical stance against the government. From 1994, it has run an online edition, Monitor Online, and today circulates 30,000 copies daily, Monday to Friday. Monitor Online has proven even more controversial than the print edition, with its coverage of Uganda’s lesbian and gay community, and with its debates on Ugandan women writers. It was chosen as a Center of Excellence because of its national reach and its wide respect as a provider of independent news and analysis.
ZAMBIA
The Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation is a state-owned broadcaster that was established at independence in 1964 and today operates three radio stations: Radio 1, which broadcasts in seven indigenous languages; and Radio 2 and Radio 4 which broadcast in English. The ZNBC was the mouthpiece of the ruling United National Independence Party during Kenneth Kaunda’s 27-year reign, but after the Movement for Multi-party Democracy won the 1991 elections in a landslide, it opened the airwaves to opposition views. By 1996, the number of radio sets in Zambia exceeded 1-million, and with listenership calculated as being much higher than that, the ZNBC’s three stations have exceptional reach. It was selected as a Center of Excellence because as the only national radio service, it dominates the rural listenership and is respected as source of educational content.
The Times of Zambia is a government-owned newspaper; however, it has a reputation of having preserved editorial independence and is know for its traditionally more critical stance. For years, the country’s print media has been in crisis with circulation figures dwindling from 65,000 in the 1990s to approximately 30,000 today. With a circulation of approximately 20,000, The Times is the second largest daily in the country. Its editor-in-chief, John Phiri, has shown great interest in the project and partnership with IWMF.