Television takes Nepal to new heights

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Nepal's unimpressive literacy rate, of about 58 percent , does not depict
this country of 23 million inhabitants as a place where newspapers could
become a lucrative industry. Radio and television, therefore, have a clear
edge over the print medium. Besides, Nepal's inaccessible mountain terrain
makes it a territory more suitable for electronic mediums - radio in
particular. And incredibly cheap, pocket-size Chinese transistor sets,
imported through Tibetan markets, have visibly helped popularize radio
listening, even in the remotest parts of the kingdom. Almost anyone can
possess a radio set with multiple bands which can catch even the audio parts
of television signals. Concomitant developments of recent years include an
end of the monopoly since the mid-1990s of state-owned Radio Nepal, which
now has to compete with over two dozen newly-launched Frequency Modulated
(FM) stations scattered in various parts of the country. In addition, there
are pirate radio centers run by Maoist insurgents to spread revolutionary
messages. Such changes in the media have been possible because of the
democratic restoration of the early 1990s.

Source:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FA07Df02.html

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Caught in crossfire, Nepal media sends SOS
Launched in Nepal's capital Kathmandu last month, a hotline for journalists
in distress is the latest effort to aid mediapersons facing an onslaught of
illegal arrests, kidnappings, and torture by security forces and Maoist
rebels. According to RSF, at least 15 journalists are currently detained in
Nepal. Six of them were arrested after the cease-fire was broken in August
2003. In December 2003, four journalists were detained or interrogated by
the police and security forces.

Source:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_521793,001300660000.htm