Mass media in Burundi

Mass media in Burundi mainly consists of radio, television, and printed resources, with a project underway to improve internet access to the country. Most mass media in Burundi is controlled by the government, and access to international mass media is limited.

Radio

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As of 30 June 2021, Burundi registers the following radio stations (Telecommunications Authority, 2021):

Nationally owned radio stations

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  • RADIO BUNTU IJWI RY’IMPFUVYI N’ABAPFAKAZI
  • RADIO » IJWI RY’ IMBABAZI
  • RADIO BENAA FM
  • RADIO CCIB FM+
  • RADIO AGAKIZA
  • RADIO COLOMBE FM
  • RADIO CULTURE
  • RADIO DESTINY FM
  • RADIO EAGLE SPORT FM
  • RADIO FREQUENCE MENYA
  • RADIO IJWI RY’ UMUKENYEZI
  • RADIO ISANGANIRO
  • RADIO IZERE FM
  • RADIO MARIA BDI
  • RADIO REMA FM
  • RADIO SCOLAIRE NDERAGAKURA FM
  • RADIO SPECIALE HUMURIZA FM
  • RADIO STAR FM

Internationally owned radio stations

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  • RFI
  • RADIO HIT AFRIQUE
  • RADIO ROYAL MEDIA.

The addresses and frequency assigned to those stations are summarized in the table below (Communications Commission, 2021):

N Name Frequency Station Since Key Contact Address
1 RTNB 92.9 MHz Bujumbura 1959 Jonas Ndikumurimyi
2 CCIB FM+ 99.4 MHz Bujumbura 1993 J. Jacques Ntamagara
3 CULTURE 88.2 MHz Bujumbura 1999 Salomee Ndayishimiye www.radioculture.org
4 NDERAGAKURA 87.9 MHz Bujumbura 2000 Stany Nahayo www.radionderagakura.org
5 IVYIZIGIRO 90.9 MHz Bujumbura 2000 Onesime Habarugira
6 ISANGANIRO 89.7 MHz Bujumbura 2002 Sylvere Ntakarutimana www.isanganiro.org
7 MARIA 98.4 MHz Bujumbura 2003 Abbe Desire Bireha

Television

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Television in Burundi was introduced in 1984, with coverage having national reach in 1992.[1] As of 2004 there was still only one television service, the government-owned Télévision Nationale du Burundi.

The television stations registered in 2021 are the following (Telecommunications Authority)[1]:

  • TELEVISION NATIONALE DU BURUNDI
  • HERITAGE TV
  • REMA TV
  • TELEVISION ARGOS
  • TELEVISION SALAMA
  • CITIZEN TV (satellite)
  • TELEVISION NUMERIQUE DENOMMEE « BEST ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION (BE TV) »
  • TELEVISION « MASHARIKI TV »
  • TELEVISION BURUNDI BWIZA


Main channels

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Name Owner Type Launched
RTNB Government of Burundi State-owned 1975
Télé Renaissance Bernard Henri Levy[2] Private-owned 2008
Héritage TV ?
TV Salama
BeTV ? Private 2017
MASHARIKI TV

There are also three main tele distributors:

  • TELE -10
  • STARTIMES
  • AZAM MÉDIA.

Internet

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Burundi has launched a $25 million investment project in a fibre-optic cable network to widen access to broadband Internet and cut costs.[3]

Print

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Newspapers include:

Iwacu, founded abroad in 1993, began publishing in Burundi as a weekly in 2008. It quickly became the most-circulated newspaper in Burundi and as of 2016 is the only privately-owned one.[4]

See also

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Bibliography

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  • "Burundi: Directory: Broadcasting and Communications". Africa South of the Sahara 2004. Regional Surveys of the World. Europa Publications. 2004. p. 158. ISBN 1857431839.
  • "Burundi", Freedom of the Press, USA: Freedom House, 2016, OCLC 57509361
  • "Radio silence: Burundi's media targeted in ongoing political crisis", Global Voices, 17 February 2016 – via The Guardian

References

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  1. ^ Legum, Colin, ed. (1994). Africa Contemporary Record 1992–1994. Vol. XXIV. New York: Africana Publishing Company. p. B-287. ISBN 978-0841905627.
  2. ^ "RFI - Création de Télé Renaissance". 1.rfi.fr. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  3. ^ "Burundi invests $25 mln in high-speed Internet network". Reuters.com. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  4. ^ McCormick, Ty (15 January 2016). "The Last Newspaper in Burundi". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
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