Ethiopia Media and Telecoms Landscape Guide - Infoasaid

40Each one uses a single transmitter to reach audiences in the city where the studiosare based and the surrounding area.Ethiopia Television mainly broadcasts in Amharic.The regional stations make greater use of local languages.News programming on all stations is tightly controlled by the government.Controversial issues and criticism of the authorities are avoided.BBC, CNN and Al-Jazeera (Arabic and English) are available on satellitetelevision, but these pay-TV services are beyond the means of the vast majority ofEthiopians.About 6 percent of Ethiopians have access to satellite TV, according to the 2011audience survey by the Electoral Reform International Services (ERIS) AudienceSurvey Ethiopia 2011 www.eris.org.uk/news/index.php?id=476&year=2011This survey of 3,999 people across Ethiopia, found that only 39 percent ofrespondents had access to television.It also found that television was also regarded as a less important and less reliablesource of information than radio.Only a fifth of those surveyed said TV was their most important and most reliablesource of information.On the other hand, more than half put their trust in radio.The ERIS survey found that most Ethiopian television viewers do not have a TV setin their own homes.Instead, they watch television in a cafe, bar or restaurant or at a friend’s house.ERIS found that television was most influential in Addis Ababa, where e 96% ofrespondents cited it as a source of news and information.Television was also influential in Tigray, where it was cited as a source of news andinformation by 70% of respondents.In both these areas television was slightly ahead of radio.Television came a close second to radio in the small city-based administrativeregions of Harari and Dire Dawa.The peak viewing period on weekdays is between 18.00 and 22.00.