The strong national reach of the state run radio in Mozambique has thwarted the growth of commercial and community radio stations who find it difficult to sustain themselves or reach a wider audience. However, these non-state radio stations could prosper by targeting a niche audience and providing them relevant local information within their community. 

In Mozambique, radio is the most effective method for disseminating information among target groups. Many citizens are illiterate, cannot access newspapers and television reaches only affluent populations in urban areas. Even those who have access to television sets can only access state television, Television Mozambique, as it is the only nationally available channel. Satellite TV and cable TV remain very rare and only respondents in more developed, urban areas have access to it.

For development professionals, radio might be the easiest way to reach many target groups- including those who are illiterate, live in difficult to access, less developed regions, etc.

Since Mozambique gained its independence in 1975 , it has been battered by civil war, economic mismanagement and famine. This left little resources and time for the development of radio services outside of the state-run radio monopoly. In fact, between 1975 and 1990, all media in Mozambique, including radio, were a monopoly of the state.   This changed in the early 1990s, when the constitution and the subsequent Press Law were passed, opening the way for both commercial and nonprofit community-based stations.

In 1994, state run Radio Mocambique (RM), along with Television Mocambique (TVM), was transformed from a state-owned entity into a public-service broadcaster. Radio Mozambique is funded partly from the state budget, under a contract which requires RM to outline its program of activities and targets for the year. RM collects additional revenue from advertising, as well as from license fees levied annually on vehicles and on the sales of home radio sets. In the same year, the government conferred on TVM the legal status of public broadcaster, with the same provisions as those applying to RM.

Most Listened to Radio Stations Nationwide

Radio Mozambique (RM) dominates national listenership in Mozambique. The second most popular station is the state-run and youth-oriented FM network Radio Cidade- although it is only available in the southern provinces.

Top National Radio Stations and Their Listenership: Who's Listening?

Provincial Radio Stations Can Play A Role

Radio Stations broadcasting out of Maputo, Beira and other big cities dominate the nationwide listenership due to high density of users there and fewer listeners in the rural and less developed parts. For a better understanding of radio listenership within each province- see A Province by Province Look at Mozambique's Development Context and Communications

 Radio Mocambique’s dominance is due in part to the high broadcasting capacity of its transmitters, in contrast to the capacity of other radio stations’ transmitters, which only reach local areas.   Based in the capital, Maputo, Radio Mocambique has 11 affiliates. RM is the largest media organization in the country, employing more than 1,000 people and broadcasting in 21 languages, including English and the national official language, Portuguese.   Radio Mocambique broadcasts in several local Mozambican languages. Together, these factors ensure that Radio Mocambique has access to rural, non-Portuguese speaking audiences which are generally out of reach of other commercial or international broadcasters such as Portugal’s Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RDP) and the BBC.

Commercial stations such as 99 FM and S FM also have high weekly listenership. Few reach beyond Maputo and Beira, and those that do serve only urban areas. 

Provincial Radio Stations Can Play A Role

Provincial differences in culture, language and development challenges means that populations across provinces are looking for varied information that is suited and targeted to their local needs.

Many of the respondents from the in the 11 provinces in the country that were surveyed in the 2009 Synovate/Stedman Media Diary Survey also listen to local radio stations. These stations might have only limited reach (within their respective province) and do not register high listenership nationwide, but are nonetheless popular within the provinces.

Although state owned broadcasting station Radio Mozambique (RM) dominates radio listenership, our survey also shows that many respondents also actively listen to local radio stations broadcasting from within their provinces. Many of these private radio stations only broadcast entertainment (including Brazilian soap operas which are very popular) and music related content.Among the local stations are private radio stations which broadcast entertainment (including Brazilian soap operas which are very popular) and music-related content. Others are nonprofit community radio stations established by the foreign-funded UNESCO Media Project, religious organizations (mainly the Catholic Church), as well as the government’s Institute of Social Communication, and municipal authorities. ACommunity radio stations play an essential role in Mozambique because they allow greater pluralism in disseminating information. They also report on local and national matters in a manner accessible to citizens, often broadcasting in the country’s various local languages. But private stations -- both commercial and nonprofit – have trouble competing with Radio Mocambique, given the latter’s broad reach in terms of broadcasting capacity and multilingual content.  

Unfortunately, these non-state radio services also have trouble sustaining themselves financially. It is hard for them to generate revenue through advertising or local investment due to the nation’s low rate of economic development. With the nation’s highest listenership, Radio Mocambique is able to attract more revenue.  There is a danger that some of the noncommercial initiatives may collapse once UNESCO and other assistance ends, given the small size of their local advertising markets.

Whether these stations can maintain editorial autonomy is also uncertain, as there is evidence of local government interference in programming.  Commercial radio stations face technological challenges, with investors feeling pressure to mobilize resources constantly to pay for new equipment.

Although provincial non-state radio stations are second to RM in most provinces- this is not simply because respondents prefer state run radio. However, when listenership is broken down by provinces (more detailed report coming soon), respondents expressed deep interest in local programming specific to their needs as well as the need for listening to broadcasts in their own vernacular languages and having access to relevant current information. Local stations can capitalize on this and present themselves as fulfilling a niche yet relevant role within their provinces- that a national state run radio might not be able to replicate effectively in all 11 provinces. Private stations need to focus on this - craft relevant content for their listeners and distinguish themselves from RM as an independent (from state control), culturally relevant and local source of information that their audiences can rely on.

International Radio

International radio broadcasters also attract audiences in Mozambique, with Portugal’s Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RDP) doing particularly well. But given the fact it broadcasts only in Portuguese, its reach is limited. Although Portuguese is the official language of Mozambique, only about 9 percent of the country speaks it as a first language and 27 percent speaks it as a second language. 





RDP Africa’s programming includes Portuguese and Brazilian music, with some news updates. See Chart 3 below for specific provinces in Mozambique where RDP is most popular.   

Read More

Top National Radio Stations and Their Listenership: Who's Listening?
See Economic, Demographic and Communication Statistics for Mozambique
A Province by Province Look at Mozambique's Development Context and Communications

External Sources of Information:

Andre, Fernando. "Mozambique African Media Development Initiative Report". BBC World Service Trust. 2006 Available here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/trust/researchlearning/story/2006/12/061204_amdi_mozambique.shtml

and

BBC Country Profile Mozambique http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1063120.stm\

Pictures Courtesy: flickr through marksurman