The Austrian Post and Telegraph Administration operates all telephone, telegraph, teletype, and postal services. In 2001, 4,000,000 main line telephones were in use (including analog, IS digital network connections, and asymmetric digital services). The same year, there were about 6,000,000 mobile cellular phones. The Austrian Broadcasting Corp., a joint company organized in 1957 and reformed in 1967 and 1974 to ensure its political and financial autonomy, administers the nation's broadcasting system. It is governed by representatives from the broadcast industry, the government, and members of the public sector. It broadcasts nationally over 3 radio and 2 television networks, and also provides a shortwave news service in German, English, French, and Spanish. As of 2001, there were a total of about 2 AM and 160 FM radio stations in the country and 45 television stations. About 77% of citizens listen to state-run radio stations. As of 1997 there were about 6,800,000 radios and 4,250,000 television sets.
As of 2002, Austria had about 22 major papers distributed 4 times a week or more. Vienna accounts for about half of total readership. Many dailies are affiliated with political parties. The leading newspapers (with their average midweek circulations for 2002) are:
ORIENTATION | CIRCULATION | |
VIENNA | ||
Neue Kronen Zeitung | Independent | 510,000 |
Kurier | Independent | 334,000 |
Die Presse | Independent | 105,000 |
Der Standard | NA | 95,000 |
PROVINCES | ||
Kleine Zeitung (Graz) | Independent | 177,000 |
Oberösterreichische Nachrichten (Linz) | Independent | 123,000 |
Tiroler-Tageszeitung (Innsbruck) | Independent | 103,600 |
Neue Zeit (Graz) | Social Democrat | 66,100 |
Salzburger Nachrichten (Salzburg) | Independent | 99,100 |
The leading periodicals include the weeklies Wochenpresse—Wirtschaftswoche and Profil and the monthly Trend which had a circulation of 95,000 in 1995.
As of 2000, there were 37 Internet service providers serving about 3 million customers.
Freedom of the press is constitutionally guaranteed and there is no state censorship; the Austrian Press Council is largely concerned with self-regulatory controls and the effective application of a code of ethics. The Austrian Press Agency is independent of the government and operates on a nonprofit basis; most major newspapers share in its financing.
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