Online Newspapers, Live TV Channels, Radios

The media outlets of Niger are mostly centered on the capital. But the media outlets are more vibrant in the regional centers than the cities. The mainstream media outlets consist of broadcast, print, and the internet. Some magazines also could be inserted in the list as they also play an influential role to convey messages and information to the audience of a different class. But the circulation of the magazines is a bit lower than the other types of media outlets. The media outlets enjoy some extreme freedom than the neighboring countries. So, the press freedom is available for the media outlets.

Among various types of media outlets, radio is stronger. And this has happened for many reasons. This is the key source of information for the local people and a good number of radio stations are available in the country. The popularity of television is also seen but this is not that much popular as like the radio is. And the televisions are mostly centered in the urban areas. Due to poverty and other reasons, the audiences are unable to afford television sets in their homes across the country. Moreover, the rate of television watching is also lower than the neighboring countries.

In the beginning of media outlets’ operation, it was set that they would be free. But in reality, the outlets cannot practice the freedom. They are obstructed from different quarters of the government to some extent. The right of the media outlets is yet to be achieved to run their complete operation in free and transparent manner. A notable number of the media outlets are owned by the government while the remaining others are owned by the state. The private media outlets are relatively newer than the state-run outlets.

The media outlets mostly operate their stations using the French language. But the application of English and other local dialects are also available. Most of the readers prefer to have the news and information in French though the number of literate people is limited. Only the elite class people take part in reading newspapers and magazines. In fact, the print media outlets are not suitable for all the people of the country.

The journalists are often feel threatened due to initiatives adopted by the government because they are harassed in various ways when they want to express themselves. Even the militant groups also attack the journalists whenever they can if they see something goes against their policies or principles. Journalist arrest is a common issue when they publish any sensitive news or information for the public. Sometimes, the journalists are assaulted physically too when they move for news collection. Often, the media outlets are raided and the internet facilities are shut down.

Around 12 newspapers are available in the country but not all of them are published on a weekly basis. Some of them are available on weekly basis too. The newspapers contain some generalized information for the readers. They also follow some self-censorship while publishing the newspapers. The number of readers is few and so the circulation is.

Over 100 of radio stations are available in the country and they are operating from a different corner of the country. They come with a wide number of programs and events for their audiences. They broadcast their programs using the local, international and French language. And this is the fastest way to spread news and information among the people. The country has 80 community stations and they also are playing important roles to convey a message to the local people.

At present, there are only two television stations available in the country and they provide various types of shows and events for the people. They broadcast programs using French and some local dialects. The number of audiences is larger and they also have some targeted people who regularly enjoy their programs.

The use of the internet is not available across the country. Rather, this is a kind of privilege for the affluent people only. They use the internet to know about the global happenings and social communication purposes. So, there are almost no internet-based outlets are available in the country.