ADVERTISING & MEDIA The EFN elected a new executive committee for the next two years at its annual general meeting in October 2019. Allgemeine Zeitung editor Frank Steffen is the new chairperson, while Ronelle Rademeyer, news editor of the Republikein, will continue to serve as secretary general. Peter Denk, executive producer at the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), was elected as vice chairperson, Stefan Hugo, chief executive officer of TribeStudios was elected as treasurer and Charles Tjatindi, acting news editor at The Namibian, will assist Rademeyer. The new executive committee plans to submit a request to the Communications Authority of Namibia (CRAN) and the government to allow the EFN to co-regulate compliance with the broadcasting code CRAN intends to introduce to regulate broadcasters. The EFN has strongly objected to the planned regulation and made submissions to the authority in 2016 and 2017.
Namibia retained its position as Africa’s best ranked country for media freedom on the 2020 World Press Freedom Index, with a ranking of 23rd and a score of 19.25.
AIRWAVES DOMINATE
Radio has by far the largest reach of the media in Namibia and can be heard in the country’s most remote corners. With nine radio stations, the state-owned broadcaster, the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), dominates the airwaves, reaching nearly 80% of the population. There are, however, close to two dozen commercial, community, online and religious radio stations catering for a wide variety of audiences. NBC also dominates the television media in terms of its reach and the number of viewers. One Africa Television, the first free-to-air commercial television station in Namibia, is the only local television station that provides alternative news and programming to the NBC. MultiChoice Namibia offers two pay TV services: DStv and GOtv.
NEWSPAPERS
The number of weekly printed newspapers in English dwindled from seven to four following the migration of the Namibia Economist and Informante newspaper to digital, while The Villager has ceased publishing its print and online newspaper. The loss-making Southern Times newspaper, a regional newspaper published jointly by Namibia’s state-owned New Era Publications Corporation and the state-owned Zimbabwe Newspapers (Pty), closed in April 2019. Readers, however, continue to have a choice of print editions of four daily (Monday to Friday) commercial newspapers in English, Afrikaans and German, a state-owned daily newspaper, an Oshiwambo weekly and a community newspaper published twice a week for the central coastal communities.
ADVERTISING
The advertising industry operates in an environment free of any statutory body or a voluntary watchdog, but maintains high standards of professionalism. Media houses and advertising agencies in Namibia provide a variety of services, including multi-platforms campaigns and brand marketing, events and media planning (covering traditional and online media).
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