Tanzania: Mass media

Updated November 2010

Media development

Extracted from: Grant Masterson 2009 "Chapter 13: Tanzania and Zanzibar" IN Denis Kadima and Susan Booysen (eds) Compendium of Elections in Southern Africa 1989-2009: 20 Years of Multiparty Democracy, EISA, Johannesburg, 520-521.

In the early 1990s, the private mass media in Tanzania proliferated rapidly with the liberalisation of press freedoms, to the extent that mainland Tanzanians are now today offered a wide variety of public and private publications and radio stations. TV is still relatively under-developed in Tanzania, with the state television dominant throughout the country. In contrast, liberal press laws that were enshrined in the 2001 Media Bill on the mainland do not apply to press freedom in Zanzibar, and as a consequence private media publications are not produced locally in Zanzibar. The islands do however receive several of the daily and weekly publications produced on the mainland. Media in Zanzibar is therefore heavily dominated by the state. In terms of media access, radio is the most influential news medium, due to its relative cost and wide coverage. Television coverage tends to be restricted to urban areas and those rural areas that have a regular supply of electricity. The media publishes content in Swahili and English (EISA 2005, 14).

Public and private media organisations in Tanzania/Zanzibar

The press (BBC 2008):

Daily News - government-owned, Tanzania's oldest newspaper
Habari Leo - from publisher of Daily News
Uhuru - Swahili
The Guardian - private
Tanzania Daima - private, Swahili
Daily Mail - private
Nipashe - private, in Swahili
Alasiri - private, in Swahili
Business Times - private weekly
The Express - private weekly
Arusha Times - private weekly

News agency (BBC 2008):

Press Services Tanzania /li>

Television (BBC 2008):

Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) - state-run
Independent Television (ITV) - widely-watched private network, owned by IPP group
Dar es Salaam Television (DTV) - private network operated by Africa Media Group
Coastal Television Network (CTN) - private, Dar es Salaam
Star TV - private
TV Zanzibar - state-run

Radio (BBC 2008):

Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) - state-run
Parapanda Radio Tanzania (PRT) - state-run FM station set up to counter competition for younger listeners from private stations
Radio Free Africa - private FM network
Radio One - private, owned by IPP group
Radio Uhuru - private, in Dar es Salaam and other cities
Kiss FM - private, in Dar es Salaam and other cities
Clouds FM - private, in Dar es Salaam and other cities
Orkonerei Radio Service (ORS) - community, operated by non-governmental agency
Voice of Tanzania-Zanzibar - state-run radio on Zanzibar

Mainland: Media and elections

The Editors Forum Workshop (2010a) adopted a "Media Code of Conduct for Election Reporting" that was subsequently endorced by media stakeholders.

Zanzibar: Media and elections

Ahead of the 2005 election the Zanzibar Electoral Commission issued "Guidelines for Print and Electronic Media during the Political Parties Campaign for the Zanzibar General Elections 2005", in terms of section 91A(1) of the Election Act 1984, that governed the allocation of free airtime and print space in State owned media to registered parties and presidential candidates during the campaign period (ZAN 2005, 3, 8). In 2010 the ZEC issued two seperate media guidelines, one for state owned media during elections, "Code of Conduct for State-Owned Media on Coverage of Election Campaigns of Political Party Candidates" (ZEC 20010a). Media stakeholders also issued a "Media Code of Conduct for Election Reporting in Zanzibar 2010" (Editors Forum Workshop 2010a).

News websites

Arusha Times, [www] http://www.arushatimes.co.tz [English; opens new window] (accessed 30 Mar 2010).

Daily News, [www] http://www.dailynews-tsn.com/ [English; opens new window] (accessed 30 Mar 2010).

Tanserve, [www] http://www.tanserve.com/news/[English; opens new window] (accessed 30 Mar 2010).

References

BBC 2008 "Media Profile", [www] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1072330.stm [opens new window] (accessed 30 Mar 2010).

EDITORS FORUM WORKSHOP 2010a "Media Code of Conduct for Election Reporting", adopted by the Editors Forum Workshop held at Mt. Uluguru Hotel, Morogoro, on 13 August and endorsed by the stakeholders meeting held at Pearl Blue Hotel, Dar es Salaam, on the 18 August, [www] http://www.tz.undp.org/ESP/docs/Legal_Documents/Media_code_of_conduct_for_election_reporting_Tzmainland2010.PDF [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 12 Nov 2010).

EDITORS FORUM WORKSHOP 2010b "Media Code of Conduct for Election Reporting in Zanzibar 2010", [www] http://www.tz.undp.org/ESP/docs/Legal_Documents/Media_Code_of_Conduct_for_election_reporting_Znz2010.PDF [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 9 Nov 2010).

EISA 2005 Tanzania Presidential, National Assembly and Local Government Elections [PDF document], EISA Election Observer Mission Report No 20 December.

ELECTION ACT 1984, includes all amendments up to 2004, [www] http://www.tz.undp.org/ESP/docs/Legal_Documents/ZEA_No11_%282010%29.pdf [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 12 Nov 2010).

ZANZIBAR ELECTORAL COMMISSION 2005 "Guidelines for Print and Electronic Media during the Political Parties Campaign for the Zanzibar General Elections 2005", [www] http://www.zec.go.tz/docs/guidelines_media.pdf [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 9 Nov 2010).

ZANZIBAR ELECTORAL COMMISSION 2010 "Code of Conduct for State-Owned Media on Coverage of Election Campaigns of Political Party Candidates", [www] http://www.tz.undp.org/ESP/docs/Legal_Documents/2010_ZEC_Code_of_Conduct_for_state-owned_Media.PDF [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 9 Nov 2010).