A Collapsing Media Industry

The Rwandan media industry is undergoing a slow and painful collapse. A sector that once held promise for enhancing democratic accountability and national dialogue now finds itself crippled by unsustainable business models, staggering debt, and disintegrating professional standards.

A detailed report commissioned by the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) in 2023 paints a bleak picture of this financial and institutional crisis. The study—Assessment of the Financial Sustainability of Media Houses and Media Associations—offers the most comprehensive diagnosis to date, exposing a sector teetering on the edge of irrelevance and insolvency.

The study covered 67 media houses and 9 media associations across Rwanda and revealed a media environment that is starved of resources, drowning in debt, and increasingly unable to fulfill its civic role.

Revenue in Free Fall

More than 40% of Rwandan media houses operate with annual revenues below Rwf 5 million. Shockingly, some reported earning as little as Rwf 300,000 per year—less than the price of a modest smartphone. For context, this revenue is expected to sustain entire newsrooms, pay for transportation, production equipment, electricity, salaries, and licensing fees.

Advertising, once the media’s financial backbone, has shriveled. Government entities, the sector’s largest clients, have migrated to their own communications teams and social media channels, drastically reducing the flow of public advertising money. Meanwhile, the private sector has failed to step in.

Businesses often find media ad packages unconvincing, citing poor audience data, outdated formats, and a lack of professionalism. Online advertising remains embryonic, with only 19% of media outlets earning any income from digital channels.

The result is a sector incapable of covering its costs. The collapse of community radio stations—once heralded as a tool for rural development and inclusion—has been especially severe.

Debt Crisis in Broadcasting

One of the most alarming revelations in the report concerns the level of debt owed by radios, particularly to public institutions such as the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA). Community and private radios, required by regulation to pay RBA for access to transmitters and signal distribution infrastructure, are now deeply in arrears.

As of the study’s conclusion, the collective debt owed by several radio stations to RBA had surpassed Rwf 35 million. For many outlets, these debts are long overdue and have become unpayable.

The RBA has issued multiple warnings and even threats of disconnection, which would mean the permanent shutdown of some of these broadcasters. Several radios are also unable to pay annual license fees to the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA), which range from Rwf 500,000 to Rwf 1.5 million depending on the license category.

Most of the owners/managers of broadcast media houses (71%) who were interviewed said that masts rental cost them a lot of money and 17 of them admitted having debt accruing from defaulting on monthly payment for mast rental. Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA) affirmed that as of February

2023, there were 23 media houses that owed the public broadcaster a total of Frw 1.5 billion in unpaid mast rental fee.

The inability to service these debts is not a sign of poor will, but of financial incapacity. Media houses have no cash flow to meet basic operating expenses, let alone to settle institutional arrears. This poses a threat not just to the radios themselves, but to the principle of universal access to public information.

Journalists on the Breadline

The human cost of this crisis is perhaps most tragic. Journalists in Rwanda, especially those in radio and print media, are among the most poorly paid professionals in the country. Over 70% of media houses pay their reporters less than Rwf 100,000 a month. Some pay as little as Rwf 20,000, while others offer nothing at all—relying entirely on unpaid interns, volunteers, and freelancers.

These are not exceptions; they are the norm. Only 26% of media houses make contributions to the Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) for their staff. Just 29% offer any form of health insurance. The vast majority of journalists work without contracts, without labor protections, and without recourse in case of abuse or dismissal.

The profession’s collapse is particularly harsh on young journalists and women, who face sexual harassment, lack of mentorship, and unsafe working environments. Many have no choice but to seek supplementary income through emceeing, commercial advertising, wedding photography, or even abandoning journalism altogether.

Institutional Fragility and Mismanagement

The crisis is not just one of money, but of institutional collapse. Only 43% of media houses have financial reports. Less than half have written budgets. Just 15% had conducted any kind of audience research in the past two years—meaning they have no evidence-based strategy to attract advertisers or grow readership.

Most media houses are still run by founders who juggle editorial, financial, and managerial responsibilities—often without any training in business administration or modern newsroom practices. Media associations, which are supposed to play a coordinating, training, and advocacy role, are also functionally bankrupt.

Many operate without a strategic plan, and several have no permanent staff. In this environment, journalists have no collective bargaining power, and ethical standards are inconsistently enforced.

A Systemic Breakdown

The implications of a failing media industry are far-reaching. When media outlets cannot pay debts to RBA or RURA, when journalists cannot feed their families, when associations cannot organize training, and when editors cannot afford internet access or transport—then journalism itself becomes an act of desperation rather than a public service.

Many media houses have resorted to survivalist tactics. Some publish press releases without verification, others focus on clickbait, gossip, or paid-for content to make ends meet. The result is a deterioration of trust in the media, a rise in misinformation, and a sharp decline in the watchdog role that a democratic society requires.

A Path Forward—or Further Collapse?

The RGB report concludes with recommendations that are as urgent as they are challenging. It proposes the creation of a national media innovation and investment fund to support business transformation. It calls for tax incentives, access to low-interest loans, and targeted subsidies for community media. It urges RURA and RBA to offer debt rescheduling mechanisms for struggling radios and to ensure that regulatory compliance does not become a tool of financial strangulation.

It also calls on media houses to adopt better business practices—audience research, digital diversification, human resource policies, and strategic planning. Capacity-building for editors and managers is essential, as is support for media associations to revive their role as industry stewards.

Yet even these solutions will not matter unless they are implemented quickly and backed by real funding. Rwanda’s Vision 2050 includes the goal of a vibrant, professional, and independent media sector. That goal is slipping out of reach.

If current trends continue, Rwanda will soon find itself without a functioning media sector—only a scattering of underfunded voices, drowned out by debt, silence, and irrelevance. The collapse is no longer theoretical; it is unfolding in real time.