media landscape guide about Somalia - Internews

During the civil war in Mogadishu in the early 1990s, many clan fighters wouldstop fighting for a set period in the afternoon so they could listen to the BBCSomali Service.Most FM radio stations in Somalia have a very limited geographical reach.They are only audible in the town where they are based and a small swathe ofthe surrounding rural area.However, some, such as Radio Daljir and SBC in Puntland, operate a chainof powerful FM relay stations that carry their signal to a wider audience.People in more remote locations rely on international stations broadcasting onShort Wave.In September 2011, the BBC Somali Service began broadcasting a daily 15-minute humanitarian programme to help people cope with the drought andfamine emergency. It ran a similar programme for several months in 2009.The BBC Somali Service also broadcasts a missing persons programme inconjunction with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).The popularity of international broadcasters varies according to region.VOA is particularly popular in Somaliland.This is partly because its signal is beamed in from powerful Medium Wavetransmitters in neighbouring Djibouti.VOA can therefore be heard in many parts of Somaliland more clearly thanthe BBC.VOA is also popular in Somaliland because of the perceived bias of the BBCSomali Service against Somaliland’s independence.The BBC Somali Service denies any bias and claims that it is strictly neutral inthis regard.According to a set of two opinion surveys conducted in 2010, the popularity ofthe BBC Somali Service in Mogadishu declined slightly during the year.A first survey conducted in January 2010 by Mogadishu Media House, a localmedia development NGO, found that the BBC Somali Service was the mostpopular station in the capital.54% of respondents said they listened to its broadcasts at least once a day.However, a second survey by Mogadishu Media House in November 2010found that the BBC Somali Service had slipped to fourth position.14