Radio
Radio has been the most popular and important media in the Central African Republic from the 1950s to the present day. Easily accessible and less expensive, radio reaches almost all social strata. Whether in the provinces or in the capital Bangui, almost all of the broadcasting is in Sango or in French, with varying proportions. Thanks to base stations installed in several provincial cities, more than 75 percent of households have at least one receiver (data published by UNDP in 2003). There are four types of radio stations in the country, namely community, public, confessional and private ones.
Radio stations such as Radio Ndeke Luka (funded by the Swiss Hirondelle Foundation), Guira FM (UN-Minusca Radio), Bangui FM (private), Lengo Sango (funded by Russian capitals) and those united in the Réseau des Journalistes pour les Droits de l’Homme (Human Rights Journalists Network - RJDH) are the most listened-to in Bangui. In provincial towns, by contrast, their reach is more measured in terms of geographical coverage. Thanks to the relays of about ten locally-based community radio stations, with a wide reach in the interior of the country, people in rural areas have access to information. In almost every major city there is at least one local community radio station.
However, with the political-military events in the country after 2012, the premises of some radio stations in the provinces or in the capital Bangui have been damaged and looted by armed groups. In Bangui, this is the case of the Catholic Church’s confessional radio stations Notre Dame, Radio Nehémi, the Voice of Grace of the Evangelical Church, the Voice of Peace (Muslim radio) and Radio Operation Jericho. Other public or private stations have not been spared like Radio Ndeke Luka, which has been able to keep broadcasting its programs 24 hours a day thanks to its mobile application and website, and Radio Central Africa.
In the provinces, half of the community radio stations such as Radio ICDI in Boali, Radio Yata de Redina in Birao, Radio Maria in Bossangoa, La Voix de la Kaga in Bandoro, Radio Mbari FM in Bangassou, Radio Magbadja in Alindao, from Radio Be Oko and Radio Linga in Bambari, Radio Maigaro and Radio Siriri in Bouar, Radio Zereda in Obo and many others have been partially or completely destroyed before being gradually restored after 2017.
Armed groups regularly demand community radio stations in the provinces to broadcast messages to the local population, as they have difficulty accessing the national public radio station reserved exclusively for the propaganda of the ruling party.