Media of Liberia

Mass media in Liberia include the press, radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.

Much of Liberia's communications infrastructure was destroyed or plundered during the two civil wars (1989-1996 and 1999-2003). With low rates of adult literacy and high poverty rates, television and newspaper use is limited, leaving radio as the predominant means of communicating with the public.

Even as it struggles with economic and political constraints, Liberia's media environment is expanding. The number of registered newspapers and radio stations (many of them community stations) is on the rise despite limited market potential. And politically critical content and investigative pieces do get published or broadcast.

Press

The main newspapers are:
* '' The Analyst''"Liberia: LMC Extols Media Institutions"
''The NEWS'', 16 September 2008, AllAfrica.
*Pumah Times Newspaper
* '' Daily Observer'' (est. 1981), private.
* '' The Daily Talk''
* ''FrontPage Africa'', private.
* ''The Inquirer'', private daily."Liberia profile"
''BBC News'', 14 March 2012.
* ''National Chronicle''"Media regulator recommends support for local media coverage of truth commission", BBC Monitoring Africa, 27 June 2008.
* ''The New Dawn'', private daily.
* ''New Democrat''
* '' New Republic Liberia''Alphonso been in the profession for over twenty years. He has worked for many international media outlets  including: West Africa Magazine, Africa Week Magazine, African Observer and  did occasional reporting for CNN, BBC World Service, Sunday Times, NPR, Radio Deutchewells, Radio Netherlands. He is the current correspondent for Reuters.

Mr. Toweh holds first MA with honors in International  Relations and a  candidate for second master in International Peace studies and Conflict  Resolution.

Defunct newspapers and magazines include:
* ''Africa League''
* ''African Nationalist''
* ''Africa's Luminary'' (est. 1839)
* ''Amulet'' (est. 1839)
* ''Daily Listener'' (est. 1950)
* ''Footprints Today'' (est. 1984)
* ''The Friend''
* ''Independent Weekly''
* ''Journal of Commerce and Industry''
* ''Liberia and West Africa'' (ceased in 1932)
* '' Liberia Herald'' (est. 1826)
* ''Liberian Age'' (est. 1946)
* ''Liberian Herald''
* ''Liberian News''
* ''Liberian Recorder'' (est. 1897)
* ''Liberian Star'' (est. 1839)
* ''Monrovia Observer'' (est. 1878)
* ''Palm Magazine''
* ''SunTimes''
* ''Weekly Mirror''
* ''Whirlwind''

Radio

* Radios: 790,000 radio receivers (1997).
* Radio stations: 1 state-owned radio station, but no national public service broadcaster; about 15 independent radio stations broadcasting in Monrovia, with another 25 local stations operating in other areas; transmissions of 2 international broadcasters are available (2007)."Communications: Liberia"
''World Factbook'', U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, 28 January 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
** BBC World Service 103 FM.
** ELBC FM, public."Liberia: Radio Station Websites"
Radio Station World. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
** ELWA FM and SW, private, religious-Christian.
**Pumah FM 106.3
** LUX 106.6 FM, University of Liberia.
** Radio Liberia FM, operated by the state-run Liberian Broadcasting System (LBS).
** Radio Veritas FM and SW, religious-Catholic.
** RFI English FM, the English service of Radio France Internationale.
**Sky FM
**STAR Radio FM and SW, operated in partnership with Swiss-based Hirondelle News Agency, Hirondelle Foundation.
** Truth FM
** UNMIL Radio FM, operated by the UNMIL, United Nations mission.
** Voice of Firestone Liberia 89.5 FM

Television

* Television sets: 70,000 sets (1997).
*Pumah TV Channel 4
* Television broadcasting, Television stations: 4 private TV stations, none with national reach; satellite TV service available (2007).
** Clar TV, private.
** DC TV, private.
** Power TV, private.
** Real TV, private.
* Liberia Broadcasting System: Government owned Liberia National Television (LNTV).

Telephones

* Calling code: +231
* List of international call prefixes, International call prefix: 00
* Main lines: 3,200 lines in use, 213th in the world (2011).
* Mobile cellular: 2.4 million lines, 138th in the world (2012).
* Telephone system: the limited services available are found almost exclusively in the capital Monrovia; fixed-line service stagnant and extremely limited; telephone coverage extended to a number of other towns and rural areas by four mobile-cellular network operators; mobile-cellular subscription base growing and teledensity reached 50 per 100 persons (2011).
* Communications satellite, Satellite earth stations: 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2010).
* List of international submarine communications cables, Communications cables: ACE (cable system), Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) cable system, links countries along the west coast of Africa to each other and on to Portugal and France.

The fixed line infrastructure of Liberia was nearly completely destroyed during the First Liberian Civil War, civil wars (1989-1996 and 1999-2003).

Prior to the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 2007, the state-owned Liberia Telecommunications Corporation (LIBTELCO) held a legal monopoly for all fixed line services in Liberia, and remains the sole licensed fixed line telephone service provider in the country.

Two licensed GSM cellular mobile service providers operate in the country: Lonestar Cell and CellCom. Approximately 45% of the population has cell phone service.

Internet

* Top-level domain: .lr
* List of countries by number of Internet users, Internet users:
** 317,717 users; 7.3% of the population, 158th in the world (2016 est.).Calculated using penetration rate and population data fro
"Countries and Areas Ranked by Population: 2012"
, Population data, International Programs, U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 26 June 2013."Percentage of Individuals using the Internet 2000-2012"
International Telecommunication Union (Geneva), June 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
**   20,000 users, 194th in the world (2009).
* List of countries by number of broadband Internet subscriptions, Fixed broadband: 78 subscriptions, 193rd in the world; less than 0.05% of the population, 192nd in the world (2012)."Fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 2012"
Dynamic Report, ITU ITC EYE, International Telecommunication Union. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
* List of countries by number of broadband Internet subscriptions, Wireless broadband: Unknown (2012)."Active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 2012"
Dynamic Report, ITU ITC EYE, International Telecommunication Union. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
* List of countries by number of Internet hosts, Internet hosts: 7 hosts, 228th in the world (2012).
* IPv4: 13,312 addresses allocated, less than 0.05% of the world total, 3.4 addresses per 1000 people (2012).Population
The World Factbook, United States Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on 2 April 2012. Note: Data are mostly for 1 July 2012.

Notable commercial websites

While Liberia's commercial internet sector is still behind the majority of African countries there are still a few classifieds sites:

liberiacommerce.com

Internet censorship and surveillance

There are no government restrictions on access to the Internet or reports that the government monitors e-mail or Internet chat rooms."Liberia"
''Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012'', Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 25 March 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2014.

The constitution provides for freedom of speech and freedom of the press, press, and the government generally respects these rights in practice. Libel and national security laws place some limits on freedom of speech. Individuals can generally criticize the government publicly or privately without reprisal. Some journalists practice self-censorship.
The constitution prohibits arbitrary interference with privacy, family, home, or correspondence, and the government generally respects these prohibitions in practice.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President Sirleaf endorsed and signed the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers' Declaration of Table Mountain in Monrovia on 21 July 2012, committing to the core principles of a free press and calling for the repeal of the criminal defamation and insult laws regularly used against journalists.

See also

* Liberia Telecommunications Corporation, the sole provider of fixed line telephone services in Liberia.
* Cable Consortium of Liberia, a public-private partnership formed in 2010 to own and operate Liberia's cable landing point for the ACE (cable system), ACE cable system.
* The Liberian Journal, a US-based Liberian online and print news organization covering issues of interest to Liberians in the Diaspora.
* Cinema of Liberia

References

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Bibliography

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External links

Liberia Domain Registration (.lr)
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Communications In Liberia
Mass media in Liberia,
Internet censorship by country, Liberia
Mass media by country, Liberia
Mass media in Africa by country, Liberia