Twenty years after the Windhoek Declaration on press freedom

and consequently undermines media
capacity to drive change.
Electronic media has larger audience
size than print because anyone who
can afford a television or radio can
access free-to-air programmes.
But <strong>the</strong> size of <strong>the</strong> audience in this
case is limited by a lack of stable
power supply. Because of <strong>the</strong> level
of poverty, many people lack <strong>the</strong>
economic power to buy a power
generator. Most people <strong>the</strong>refore
listen to radio because it is cheap
and can run off batteries.
“Poverty is <strong>the</strong>
reason why many
readers share a single
newspaper.”
However, one effect of being unable
to increase Africa’s media audience
is that elites have been able to
monopolise <strong>the</strong> industry. More
dangerous is <strong>the</strong> situation where
governments own a large chunk of
<strong>the</strong> media. Given <strong>the</strong> fact that most
governments in Africa are dictatorial
and corrupt, press freedom cannot
be guaranteed in such situations.
Above all, what <strong>the</strong> public hears
is what <strong>the</strong> government or ruling
party wants <strong>the</strong>m to know or hear
about. Often such media become
official propagandists. When this
becomes <strong>the</strong> order of <strong>the</strong> day, <strong>the</strong>
discerning public is unwilling to
tune in and do not care to get a
copy of a newspaper.
This underscores <strong>the</strong> need to tackle
poverty. Going by its population,
Africa’s media audience is huge and
<strong>the</strong> major obstacle to maximising
this potential is poverty.
Section 2: Pluralism
Mentored into
magazine publishing
By John Yarney
John Yarney is a media
entrepreneur based in Accra,
Ghana. He currently heads up <strong>the</strong>
publishing start-up, Emerging
Communications Limited.
I grew restless as I peeked on <strong>the</strong>
overhead screen for <strong>the</strong> flight
status on <strong>the</strong> South African Airways
flight from Johannesburg to Accra. I
thought we had covered more miles
than <strong>the</strong> tracker was indicating.
I was very eager to disembark in
Accra to deploy my four sets of
luggage — personal effects; <strong>the</strong>ories
on media management from Rhodes
University; huge enthusiasm and
dreams; and final coaching on media
business from Lynn Ferreira — <strong>the</strong>n
an Assistant Publisher at Media24.
In June 2007, I had a phenomenal
experience job shadowing Lynn. In
my opinion she gave me <strong>the</strong> best
preparation for <strong>the</strong> assignment
I was setting out on in Accra —
one-on-one solo presentations on
all aspects of <strong>the</strong> media business;
appointments with key people in
Media24 who had some experience
to share; letting me tail her to all her
daily meetings and a lot of personal
coaching.
With Ghana as <strong>the</strong> launch pad, I was
intent on putting in place <strong>the</strong> foundations
of a sustainable media enterprise
in <strong>the</strong> West African Region,
Media in Africa - 2011 | 97