Mass media in Ivory Coast


Mass media in Ivory Coast is controlled by the government. Audiovisual communications are regulated by the Conseil national de la communication audiovisuelle, an administrative arm of the national government.

Print

Newspapers include Fraternité Matin, Ivoir’Soir, Le Jour, and Notre Voie.
Côte d'Ivoire has several dozen daily, weekly and other periodicals that are published regularly. The government, or its supporters, also publish several magazines: Femme d'Afrique, Spécial Auto and Guido.
Other niche publications include: Top Visages, Gbich, Mimosas, Mousso, and others. Most newspapers are in tabloid format.

List of Ivory Coast journalists

Radio and television

The state-controlled television broadcasting entity is Radiodiffusion Télévision Ivoirienne, which oversees two channels: La Première, which broadcasts nationally, and TV2, which since its debut has broadcast exclusively to Abidjan and its surrounding region. They present respectively an average of 10 to 13 hours and 6 to 8 hours of daily programming each. RTI 1 focuses on news programming and discussion of government topics. RTI 2 targets a younger audience with its programming, focussing on entertainment.
Canal+ Afrique, formerly Canal+ Horizons, is the sole private television broadcaster to transmit on the hertz network in Abidjan, since its launch on January 21, 1994. This channel is a project of the French-owned Groupe Canal+, and targets a French-speaking African audience. Canal+ Horizons followed the same programming format as Canal+.
TV5MONDE, the French-owned international broadcaster that reaches countries throughout "la francophonie", is offered to more subscribers than Canal+ Horizons, although it could be accessed directly like CFI-TV, another satellite station. Canal+ Vert is also available by subscription.
Television channels offered by the satellite service provider "Le Sat", owned by the former Sofirad, can be picked up in Abidjan with MMDS antenna : TV5 Afrique, RTL9, Festival, TiJi, Mangas, MCM Africa, Euronews, Planète, etc.
Some business promoters in the country have presented different projects aimed at privately owned television broadcasting to the. For example: Afric Channel, announced for January 2002, has yet to begin broadcasting. This proposed satellite channel, with a commercial orientation, is proposed by an Ivoirian businessman, Afric Channel, which would transmit from Milan, Italy, is intended to be aimed at a multidimensional audience: it would market itself to a West African market, the Ivory Coast in particular, and also the 8,215,000 Africans living in Europe.

List of national television stations

Radio

Radiodiffusion Télévision Ivoirienne also manages a network of two radio stations : Radio Côte d'Ivoire and Fréquence 2. These stations are banned from broadcasting any programming of a political nature or that includes branded advertising. Several exclusively broadcast Roman Catholic religious-related programming.
A dozen stations of close proximity broadcast in the capital Abidjian :
  • Radio Yopougon
  • Radio ATM Port-Bouët
  • City FM
  • Radio Abidjan 1
  • Albayane FM
  • Cocody FM
  • Radio Alobhé Bingerville, 100.8 FM
  • Radio Espoir
  • Zénith FM
  • Radio Amitié
  • Radio Anyama
Only two private radio license holders are authorized to broadcast commercial material:
  • Radio Nostalgie, part of Nostalgie International, received in Abidjan
  • JAM FM, authorized since March 1993, with the goal of beginning transmissions by the beginning of 2000.
The decree approving the convention for the operation of a public radio broadcasting service was signed by the Conseil des ministres April 24, 1996.
There are three foreign radio broadcasters that can be received in Ivory Coast on the FM band: RFI, Africa N°1 and BBC. Voice of America obtained a license in 2001 with a view to transmitting in FM in Abidjan.

Freedom of speech

Though the constitution provides for free expression and a free press, the government imposes significant restrictions on print and electronic media. In 2011, the government replaced members of the National Press Council, which regulates the print media, with supporters of Laurent Gbagbo. Gbagbo's communication minister, Ouattara Gnonzié, told Radio France Internationale that “the end of tolerance was a self-defence measure” and that support for insurrection would be “punished harshly.” Arrests and beatings of journalists were regularly reported. The government also imposed censorship in 2011 by cancelling the broadcasting permit of the UN radio station, Onuci FM, operated by the United Nations peace-keeping mission in Ivory Coast. Transmitting equipment belonging to French-owned Canal+ was seized without the government notifying the company. Local retransmission of the French TV news channels TV5 and France 24 is meanwhile still suspended.
After Gbagbo's loss of power in May 2011, reprisals against pro-Gbagbo members of the media were reported.
Ivory Coast