Antigua and Barbuda - Media



The islands' automatic telephone system, operated by the Antigua Public Utilities Authority, had approximately 28,000 mainline telephones and 1,300 cellular phones in use as of 1996. International telephone and telex services are supplied by Cable and Wireless (West Indies), Ltd.

Eight broadcasting stations—4 AM, 2 FM, and 2 television were in operation in 1999. In 2001, the first independent radio station, Observer, began operations. This station is operated by the owners of the Observer newspaper. In 1997 there were about 36,000 radios and 31,000 television sets in use throughout the country. With 16 Internet service providers, 5,000 people subscribed to Internet service in 2001.

The Workers' Voice, the official publication of the ALP and the Antigua Trades and Labour Union, appears weekly and has a circulation of 6,000 as of 2002. The Outlet, published weekly by the Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement, has a circulation of 5,000. The Nation, with a circulation of about 1,500, is published by the government and appears weekly.

The constitution ensures the freedom of expression and press, and the authorities are said to generally respect these rights in practice. However, the government dominates all electronic media, thereby restricting to some degree opposing political expression and news.

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