ABSTRACT
Senegal is a country in West Africa where the media have long been a stronghold of the government. While the first newspapers came into existence in Senegal in the 1970s, the liberalization of radio only occurred in the 1990s. As for television, the appearance of the first private stations will be fostered by the regime change of 2000 after 40 years of one-party rule. As of 2016, the country’s media landscape consisted of a dozen of daily newspapers, hundreds of radio stations, and 17 television networks. After the creation of the High Council for Radio and Television in 1991, to promote an equal access of political parties to state media, the liberalization of the radio airwaves came along with the establishment of the High Council of Broadcasting (HCA). The emergence of private television networks after the regime in 2000 fostered the replacement of the HCA with the National Council for Broadcasting Regulation (CNRA).
This study reviews the history of broadcasting regulation in Senegal and contends that the theory of media capture applies to the National Council for Broadcasting Regulation. The field work was conducted through interviews with the members and staff of the regulatory body, media operators and specialists, as well as trade union leaders in Senegal. The study shows that the dependence of the CNRA on the executive power, the limitations of its means and powers rank among the factors that impede its efficiency.
