Established in 1974, Télévision Centrafricaine (TVCA) is the country’s official television broadcaster. However, due to obsolete equipment, its coverage area is limited to the capital city of Bangui. One of its two transmitters is out of order, and the second has limited outreach power.
Media assets
Television: TVCA
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
Controlled by the government, TVCA is run informally, without a board of directors or a specific law governing it. The station operates as a directorate within the Ministry of Communication and Media. The ministry appoints the station’s management. According to information from local journalists obtained last time in 2020, the appointments are made under the influence of the president.
Source of funding and budget
TVCA is fully funded by the government, according to information from local journalists obtained last time in 2020. The government does not publish information about the station’s budget. The President of the Central African Republic, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, several years ago instructed the government to renovate the station’s main headquarters after 46 years. The station was thus relaunched in March 2020.
Editorial independence
The tight control of TVCA’s management badly affects the station’s editorial independence. TVCA is run as a state media entity, focusing most of the time on news about government activities.
The mission of the General Directorate of Central African Television is to provide viewers with reliable, informative, entertaining, and educational programs. However, no domestic statute and no independent assessment mechanism to validate TVCA’s editorial independence have been identified.
July 2024