Media in Uganda
Encyclopedia
Uganda today has a vibrant media industry. But this has not always been the case. Because of Uganda's unstable political past, media had never had a chance to thrive under the political upheaval and dictatorships of former presidents like Milton Obote
and particularly, Idi Amin
. The regime change that came about after Yoweri Museveni
took control of the country in 1986 brought with it a lot of promise. Media freedom and progress was among those promises. Over the last 25 years, there has been significant growth in the media industry of Uganda and a lot of improvement has been made in terms of media freedom. Today, the media industry of Uganda is one of the most active and prosperous sectors of the economy.
Print
There are a number of news papers today in Uganda. The New Vision is Uganda's oldest news paper. It is a state owned newspaper and has the most nationwide circulation. The Monitor
is Uganda's leading independent newspaper and second oldest after the new vision. The two papers dominate the print section of media in Uganda. Over the last decade, as Uganda's political opposition
has gained strength, the monitor news paper has aligned itself more with the agenda of the opposition to counter the perceived government agenda fronted by the new vision. This competition many times leads to entirely different aspects getting coverage in these 2 dominating newspapers. For example, during the recent 2011 Walk To Work Protests in the country, various government sources accused the monitor alongside other independent newspapers of having an anti government agenda and favoring the opposition and demonstrators.
Besides these two newspapers, there are also other papers like Bukedde newspaper which is a state owned daily in the luganda language. There is also a daily called Red Pepper
that started out as a weekly tabloid but is now one of the leading daily newspapers. Other papers include The Weekly Observer
, The Independent, The Razor among others. Tabloids abound, with sensationalism and soft erotica a common theme among tabloids like Onion and Entasi. Besides newspapers, there are also a number of magazines that come out every month. Wedding Bells is one printed by the state owned New Vision. African Woman is also another popular magazine. Elyte magazine is one of the new entertainment oriented magazines in the country today.
. The first alternative television station in the 1990s was called Sanyu TV. But it did not last long. It was Wavah Broadcasting Television (WBS) that provided a real alternative to UBC sometime in the early 2000s. It opened the way for other stations to join like Lighthouse Television
, EATV and Top TV. The arrival of NTV sometime in the mid-2000s made the television space more competitive and led to a further surge in new television stations like Record, NBS and Bukedde. Content on television is mainly entertainment related, with music videos taking up a lot of time on TV. There is also emphasis on political talk shows and news. Prime time news on NTV is very popular, so is "Agataliko Nfuufu" news program on Bukedde.
and gprs subscription services. This has led to a surge in levels of internet penetration with almost anyone able to connect to the internet using simple USB flash drives or even via mobile phones. The recent Facebook
deal with MTN
Uganda made Facebook by far the most popular website in the country and a place where most young and working class individuals spend a lot of time. The hope is that these new opportunities will spur more individual investments in the internet sector. A number of the local newspapers operate newspapers online. These newspapers, particularly those of Monitor and New Vision, are among the most popular Ugandan websites.
Milton Obote
Apolo Milton Obote , Prime Minister of Uganda from 1962 to 1966 and President of Uganda from 1966 to 1971, then again from 1980 to 1985. He was a Ugandan political leader who led Uganda towards independence from the British colonial administration in 1962.He was overthrown by Idi Amin in 1971, but...
and particularly, Idi Amin
Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada was a military leader and President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin joined the British colonial regiment, the King's African Rifles in 1946. Eventually he held the rank of Major General in the post-colonial Ugandan Army and became its Commander before seizing power in the military...
. The regime change that came about after Yoweri Museveni
Yoweri Museveni
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is a Ugandan politician and statesman. He has been President of Uganda since 26 January 1986.Museveni was involved in the war that deposed Idi Amin Dada, ending his rule in 1979, and in the rebellion that subsequently led to the demise of the Milton Obote regime in 1985...
took control of the country in 1986 brought with it a lot of promise. Media freedom and progress was among those promises. Over the last 25 years, there has been significant growth in the media industry of Uganda and a lot of improvement has been made in terms of media freedom. Today, the media industry of Uganda is one of the most active and prosperous sectors of the economy.
The Monitor (Uganda)
The Daily Monitor is Uganda’s leading independent daily newspaper. The "Monitor" name is shared by the Saturday Monitor and Sunday Monitor, which are also published by Monitor Publications Limited. It has an online readership of over 1,000,000.The newspaper was established in 1992 as The Monitor...
is Uganda's leading independent newspaper and second oldest after the new vision. The two papers dominate the print section of media in Uganda. Over the last decade, as Uganda's political opposition
Politics of Uganda
Uganda is a presidential republic, in which the President of Uganda is both head of state and head of government; there is a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly...
has gained strength, the monitor news paper has aligned itself more with the agenda of the opposition to counter the perceived government agenda fronted by the new vision. This competition many times leads to entirely different aspects getting coverage in these 2 dominating newspapers. For example, during the recent 2011 Walk To Work Protests in the country, various government sources accused the monitor alongside other independent newspapers of having an anti government agenda and favoring the opposition and demonstrators.
Besides these two newspapers, there are also other papers like Bukedde newspaper which is a state owned daily in the luganda language. There is also a daily called Red Pepper
Red Pepper (newspaper)
Red Pepper is a daily tabloid newspaper in Uganda which began publication June 19, 2001. Deliberately mirroring the style of tabloids in other countries, the paper is known for its mix of sensationalism, scandal, and frequent nudity...
that started out as a weekly tabloid but is now one of the leading daily newspapers. Other papers include The Weekly Observer
The Weekly Observer
The Weekly Observer is a weekly newspaper based in Hemingway, SC that covers the areas of Hemingway, Johnsonville, Pamplico and Williamsburg County. The paper, now owned by Media General, has been published since 1981. The newspaper features editorial content including columns by correspondents and...
, The Independent, The Razor among others. Tabloids abound, with sensationalism and soft erotica a common theme among tabloids like Onion and Entasi. Besides newspapers, there are also a number of magazines that come out every month. Wedding Bells is one printed by the state owned New Vision. African Woman is also another popular magazine. Elyte magazine is one of the new entertainment oriented magazines in the country today.
Television
Up until the late 1990s, Uganda had only one television station. It was the state-owned television station called Uganda Television (UTV) now called Uganda Broadcasting CorporationUganda Broadcasting Corporation
Uganda Broadcasting Corporation is the public broadcaster of Uganda. It was founded as a result of the "Uganda Broadcasting Corporation Act, 2004", which merged the operations of Uganda Television and Radio Uganda...
. The first alternative television station in the 1990s was called Sanyu TV. But it did not last long. It was Wavah Broadcasting Television (WBS) that provided a real alternative to UBC sometime in the early 2000s. It opened the way for other stations to join like Lighthouse Television
Trinity Broadcasting Network
The Trinity Broadcasting Network is a major American Christian television network. TBN is based in Costa Mesa, California, with auxiliary studio facilities in Irving, Texas; Hendersonville, Tennessee; Gadsden, Alabama; Decatur, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Orlando, Florida; and New...
, EATV and Top TV. The arrival of NTV sometime in the mid-2000s made the television space more competitive and led to a further surge in new television stations like Record, NBS and Bukedde. Content on television is mainly entertainment related, with music videos taking up a lot of time on TV. There is also emphasis on political talk shows and news. Prime time news on NTV is very popular, so is "Agataliko Nfuufu" news program on Bukedde.
Radio
Like in television, radio was dominated by the state owned Radio Uganda up until the early 1990s when the first independent radio stations got licenses to operate. Sanyu fm and Capital fm are among the first and oldest radio stations in Uganda. Gradually other stations have joined the media industry and today there are well over 20 different radio stations on FM alone. Some other popular stations include CBS, Simba, Super and Dembe. Programming on radio is dominated by music, with most stations following a Top 40 format. Talk shows and comedy are also popular.Internet
The internet as a media platform in Uganda is still quite new. Internet penetration levels are still very low when compared to other African countries. The recent Indian Ocean fiber optic cable project brought a lot of optimism and lead to an increased interest in the internet as a media platform. It also led to investment with a number of local telecommunication companies investing into broadbandBroadband
The term broadband refers to a telecommunications signal or device of greater bandwidth, in some sense, than another standard or usual signal or device . Different criteria for "broad" have been applied in different contexts and at different times...
and gprs subscription services. This has led to a surge in levels of internet penetration with almost anyone able to connect to the internet using simple USB flash drives or even via mobile phones. The recent Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
deal with MTN
MTN
MTN may refer to:* MTN Group, a major South Africa-based mobile telephone network operator active in many African and Middle Eastern countries* Maritime Telecommunications Network, a mobile phone network that operates on sea vessels like cruise liners...
Uganda made Facebook by far the most popular website in the country and a place where most young and working class individuals spend a lot of time. The hope is that these new opportunities will spur more individual investments in the internet sector. A number of the local newspapers operate newspapers online. These newspapers, particularly those of Monitor and New Vision, are among the most popular Ugandan websites.