HAITI Media and Telecoms Landscape Guide - Infoasaid

96Television overviewOnly a third of the Haitian population has access to television, according to researchby the US-based media development organisation Internews www.internews.org in2011.The DAGMAR media audience survey of November 2010 showed that televisionwas the most important source of information for 23.1% of respondents, whereasradio was the most important source for 58.9%.This low level of TV viewing is partly a result of extreme poverty. According to theWorld Bank, 80% of the population lives on less than US$ 2 per day.But television viewing is also hampered by a lack of access to electricity.In late 2012, the national power company, Électricité d’Haïti (EDH), was only able toprovide about six or seven hours of electricity a day to most parts of the country.Only people with an independent electricity supply, such as a generator or a largebattery, were able to watch TV regularly.A media audience survey of 4,907 people conducted by the Haitian market researchagency DAGMAR in November 2010 indicated that television was the second largestsource of news and information after radio.Only 7.4% of respondents said television was their first choice for receiving newsand information. That compared with 83.7% who preferred radio.But a much higher proportion of those interviewed – 27.5% - said television was theirmost trusted source of information. 58.8% cited radio.96