Twenty years after the Windhoek Declaration on press freedom

Over <strong>the</strong> past two decades,
broadcasters in Africa and around
<strong>the</strong> world have faced <strong>the</strong> challenge
of evolving into full multimedia
organisations. They have had to
migrate from shortwave radio
to local medium-wave and FM
frequencies and rebroadcast partnerships,
and to television and <strong>the</strong>
internet in order to continue to
reach <strong>the</strong>ir target audiences.
While each of <strong>the</strong>se platform
shifts have necessarily involved
adjusting content and production
to <strong>the</strong> expectations, standards and
behaviour of new and existing
audiences, <strong>the</strong> rules of engagement
for radio and television were largely
similar. These rules were: provide
relevant content in appealing
formats and at accessible timeslots
to gain receptive listeners and
viewers.
The digital world is very different
terrain. Across Africa, access to
digital media — mobile telephony
and <strong>the</strong> Internet — is changing <strong>the</strong>
relationship between media owners
and media consumers.
The balance of power is shifting
Section 4: Access to Information
A new generation of media in Africa
By Vivien Marles
Vivien Marles was appointed
Managing Director of InterMedia,
Africa in 2011, with her office in
Nairobi. InterMedia is a specialist
media and communication research
and consultancy firm, based in
Washington. She previously spent
almost five <strong>years</strong> with Synovate
Pan-Africa (formerly The Steadman
Group) as Research and Strategy and
Training Director.
from media organisations to
individuals, and from professional
content producers and journalists
to selective audiences and to citizen
content creators. More than half
of all Africans now have access to
mobile phones and it is projected
that penetration will reach 100% by
2014.
Today’s media buzz words include
that of Zeitgeist — which shows
real audience interests in terms of
trending news, topics and articles.
One example applied by <strong>the</strong> UK
Guardian is designed as a way for
new audiences to plug into what
existing consumers are engaging
with.
There’s also ‘proliferation’, ‘audience
fragmentation’ ‘convergence’, ‘citizen
empowerment’, and ‘i-media’.
These are not yet a reality for many
millions of Africans, in part reflecting
how <strong>the</strong> pace of media growth and
liberalisation varies tremendously
from country to country.
“Across Africa, access
to digital media -
mobile telephony
and <strong>the</strong> Internet
- is changing <strong>the</strong>
relationship between
media owners and
media consumers.”
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have
liberalised <strong>the</strong>ir airwaves considerably
in <strong>the</strong> past decade. In Kenya,
<strong>the</strong> number of radio stations has
grown from four to 120 in just over
a decade, and Uganda has seen an
explosion of media outlets – over
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