27/09/2026
Liberia Media Market Survey Report 2026
Rich Communication and Technical Services (RICOMTECH)
Location: Monrovia, Liberia.
Excutive Summary:
The Liberian media market is dominated by radio, with over 80 plus community radio stations and 40 plus major commercial stations in Monrovia serving as primary information sources, Television is growing but limited by electricity and cost, the Print media is declining, Online or Facebook news is the fastest growing sector.
The market is heavily politicized over 70% of major stations in Monrovia are owned or controlled by politicians with deep pockets, as noted by the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) and Press Union of Liberia (PUL).
This creates a huge gap for independent community media that constantly goes off-air due to technical problems, which is where RICOMTECH comes in.
1. Methodology:
Desk review of the Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agencies reports, Press Union of Liberia reports, EU EOM 2023 Election Media Monitoring Report, Internews Liberia Media Development (LMD) reports, and field experience from installation and repair work in eight of out of the fifteen Counties.
2. Radio- The King of Liberia Media:
-Numbers:
Liberia has fourty (40) plus major FM stations in Monrovia and over 80 registered community radio stations across 15 counties, of those, about 37-50 are fully functional.
-Listenership:
Radio is by far the cheapest source of information, 71% of Liberians get news from radio daily, average share; ELBC 23%, Truth FM, ECOWAS Radio, OK FM, Prime FM, Joy FM, Sky Fm, Spoon FM, Voice of Liberia
, ELWA Radio, Kear fm, Hott FM and Radio Gbarnga are leaders.
-Content:
72% listen for news, 49% for music and entertainment, 38% for religious programs.
-Key Players:
ELBC (State own), Truth FM, OK FM, Prime FM, Spoon FM, ECOWAS Radio, sky fm, Hott FM, ELWA radio, Puch fm, Kool fm, joy fm, Red Power FM, Radio Bushrod, Voice of Liberia, Kear fm.
-Community Radio:
Remains the heartbeat of rural communication and indispensable for peacebuilding and emergency response. Most relay programs from Monrovia on their various platforms.
3. Television Stations:
- Limited reach:
Only four private Television stations with no national reach, plus LNTV (government), Satellite TV available but expensive.
-Old data shows 7 TV Station, but now with Power TV, Clar TV, Hott TV number has grown in Monrovia. However, lack of electricity in rural areas kills TV market in Liberia.
4. Print and Online:
- Print:
Daily Observer, FrontPage Africa, New Republic, In Profile Daily Newspaper, The News Newspaper, The Investigator Circulation is very low due to literacy 38.3% and cost.
-Online:
Facebook is the new newspaper. Spoon TV Live, OK FM Facebook Live, and FrontPage online get more views than radio in Monrovia. Young people between the ages of 18-35 get news from Facebook and other social media handles.
5. Ownership and Political Control.
-Key Finding:
This is the biggest problem and our finding finds it out that it's true:
-EU EOM found LBS (ELBC and LNTV) gave 88% and 70% of political coverage to ruling party CDC in 2023, Truth FM shifted coverage to highest bidder.
-PUL confirms:
Journalists receive $100 or less monthly salary, this makes them indirect voices of politicians.
-Result:
Stations with editorial policy like ELWA Radio are few, most have no editorial policy besides don't offend government.
-Opportunity for Rich Communication and Teachinacal Service (RICOMTECH); Independent community radios want to be independent but lack technical capacity and business model, they need local engineers, not expensive foreigners due to poor finance.
6. Revenue Model:
-Advertising:
90% of ads money goes to 5 big stations in Monrovia owned by politicians who work in government or have influence, Community radios survive on small NGO announcements ($20-$50).
New Law Created:
House passed Community Radio Sustainability Bill giving 0.25% of national budget to community radios, first ever guaranteed public funding stream for over 80 stations across the country.
This have increased huge demand for transmitter repair and upgrades, like Radio Bomi recently did.
7. Techincal Challenges:
-RICOMTECH Market
From our field work:
1. 60% of community radios use second-hand 300W-1000W transmitters from China that break every three to four months mainly during rainy season.
2. No proper grounding, lightning strikes destroy transmitters.
3. No spare parts in Liberia, must order from China.
4. No trained local technicians, they fly technicians from Monrovia, such keep then Off-Air awaiting the teachinacian.
5. Power problem, LEC and generator current kills equipment, solar is solution.
8. Recommendation and RICOMTECH Strategy:
1. Position RICOMTECH as the Local Solution; a 100% Liberian-owned, no need to fly engineer from Ghana or China.
2. Bundle Service:
Installation plus 6 months maintenance with training of local staffs.
3. Target New Funding:
The 0.25% budget allocation means every community radio will have money to fix their station in 2026.
RICOMTECH will present this report to the Press Union of Liberia, Ministry of Information and House Committee on Information.
Conclusion:
Liberia's media market is not saturated, it is technically starved, there are voices that want to speak but their transmitters are off, for eg. Brought Broadcasting Corporation Incoporated (Encounter Radio 104.9).
The political control of big media in Monrovia is actually an opportunity for community media to grow as the trusted independent voice, if they can stay on air, RICOMTECH is positioned to be the company that keeps them on air.
Prepared by:
Stanley B. Kamara
CEO,
Rich Communication and Technical Services
(RICOMTECH)
Contact: +231886000332
+231881844300
+23233309282
+231770631199
Motto: "Leader's in Communication"
