Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), established in 1964, is Malawi’s national public broadcaster and the only outlet with full nationwide reach. Headquartered in Blantyre, MBC operates one television channel (MBC TV) and two radio channels (Radio 1 and Radio 2 FM), offering a mix of news, educational programming, and entertainment.
Media assets
Television: Malawi TV
Radio: Radio 1, Radio 2
State Media Matrix Typology
Ownership and governance
MBC functions as a state-owned enterprise (SOE), as affirmed in a 2020 report by Malawi’s Ministry of Finance. Its governance is rooted in the 2016 Communications Act, which stipulates that the broadcaster is overseen by a Board of Directors consisting of five full members—including the Chairperson—all appointed directly by the President of Malawi, alongside four ex-officio members. The Board holds the authority to appoint the Director General of the broadcaster.
As of 2025, George Kasakula continues to serve as Director General. A former editor-in-chief of The Nation newspaper, Kasakula’s appointment in 2021 was initially seen as an opportunity for reform and professionalism. However, public confidence in his leadership has been tempered by ongoing concerns about political influence within the broadcaster’s operations.
Source of funding and budget
According to the 1998 Communications Act, MBC is to be financed through a combination of government appropriations, commercial revenues, and grants. In practice, the broadcaster remains heavily reliant on the public purse. As of the 2020–2021 financial year, government subsidies made up 63% of MBC’s total income, according to the most recent State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) report published by the Ministry of Finance.
The remaining revenue stems primarily from advertising sales, supplemented by broadcasting levies and service fees. Nonetheless, MBC has struggled with financial sustainability. In 2021, it reported a loss of MWK 421.1 million (approximately US$ 513,000), a reversal from the MWK 60.6 million surplus (around US$ 80,000) recorded the previous year. No updated audited figures for the 2023–2024 cycle had been released as of mid-2025, although internal sources suggest continued fiscal strain.
Editorial independence
While Malawi’s Constitution guarantees freedom of the press, and both the 1998 and 2016 Communications Acts lay out legal provisions meant to safeguard MBC’s editorial independence, these protections often prove more aspirational than effective in practice.
MBC is frequently accused of political bias, particularly in its coverage of ruling party figures. In 2021, MISA Malawi (the Media Institute of Southern Africa) noted that “Malawians continue to complain about the partisan nature of programming by the public broadcaster.” Similarly, a 2020 report by the Public Media Alliance highlighted recurring allegations of government interference, especially around election cycles and politically sensitive events.
Despite the formal legal framework, there is no independent oversight mechanism tasked with auditing or validating MBC’s editorial integrity. Editors are often perceived as aligned with government positions, and opposition parties regularly criticize the station for denying them adequate airtime or for distorting their messages.
June 2025