Mass media in Ethiopia
The mass media in Ethiopia consist of radio, television and the Internet, which remain under the control of the Ethiopian government, as well as private newspapers and magazines.
In keeping with government policy, radio broadcasts occur in a variety of languages including Amharic, Afaan Oromo, Tigrigna, and more.
Despite increasing pressure from the current government at home, the much more affluent and cosmopolitan Ethiopian diaspora abroad has helped further the cause for a free press in Ethiopia, and has also catered to its many extra-national communities with news services (both online and off) in both Amharic and English.
Ras Tafari Mekonnen (later Emperor Haile Selassie I) was especially interested at this time in the new technology of wireless communication and "initiated many radio projects with the object of establishing suitable links both inside and outside Ethiopia as rapidly as possible...it was decided that a radio station should be built permitting direct communication with Europe".
[3] A tender was granted to the Ansaldo Corporation of Italy in 1928 for the construction of a one-kilowatt station; the formal contract was signed in 1931.
[4] The Ethiopian Government took formal possession of the radio station on 31 January 1935; on 13 September 1935, the Emperor's first appeal to the world was broadcast.
The Italians took over the station in 1936 and planned to develop it into a communications center for their new empire, joining those already established in Somalia and in Asmara (Radio Marina).
During the period of 1941–45, the seven-kilowatt station was not in operation; this created a point of contention between Haile Selassie and the British authorities.
Also during the period, an agreement was signed with the World Lutheran Foundation in 1959 that led to the establishment of Radio Voice of the Gospel in the 1960s.
[6] A further plan evolved to build high-power medium wave transmitters in Addis Ababa, Asmara and Harrar.
Regular broadcast television started in November 1964 with original transmitter and studio located in the City Hall.
The topography of Ethiopia was an especially difficult impediment to developing a broadcasting system that could offer programming to the entire population of the country.
One last significant element in describing Ethiopian broadcasting is its commitment to the use of media for both formal and non-formal education.
[8] In 1974, the Ethiopian Television service broadcast black and white programs from two studios in the City Hall in Addis Ababa to approximately 25,000 sets.
Kagnew station was a military communications installation in Asmara operated by the American Armed Forces radio and television service.
It utilized two 100 kW short wave transmitters to broadcast to Africa, China, India, Sri Lanka and the Middle East.
Some limited programming produced in Amharic, English and French was broadcast to local audiences utilizing a 1 kW medium wave transmitter.
Following the liberation of the country from Italian occupation during World War II, Emperor Haile Selassie established the Amharic language newspaper Addis Zemen on June 7, 1941.
