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| | Media in Mongolia today |
Like other transition countries, Mongolia has faced it’s own challenges in media development, and press freedom. Democratization in Mongolia began in the early 1990’s, after decades as a Soviet satellite state.
The transition from a state owned and operated media system, to that of a free and open press, poses many challenges in terms of ownership, privatization, financial and political constraints.
An internationally recognized independent group, Freedom House, says in a 2008 report about Mongolia that freedom of speech and press in the country are protected by law, and the government “generally respects these rights in practice.
However, in 2008, the U.S.-based Freedom House gave Mongolia a “partly free” rating due to a number of current problems in the media environment including ongoing legal harassment and financial difficulties facing journalists.
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Media Development Trends in Mongolia |
In 2009 the number of media outlets reached 392, a fifty percent increase from a decade ago. 91% or 357 of these outlets participated in the Mongolian Press Institute’s monitoring survey, submitting data about their organizations. About 60% of these media outlets are print media, the remaining being electronic media companies.
It can be seen from previous Mongolian Media Monitoring surveys, conducted by the PI, that the number of media outlets has consistently increased since 2000. In 1999, 5 daily newspapers existed whereas now there are 15, while the number of TV companies operating in Ulaanbaatar increased from 5 to 18.
In 2004 - 2008 period, on average (annually), 4 new TV companies appeared in the capital, 12 short wave radio stations in local areas and the number of national broadcasting TV companies reached 5. It is evident from the media outlet development stages and trends that from 1990 to 2001, newspaper out- lets grew in terms of quantity, radio outlets started increasing from 2001 and TV outlets from 2004. Electronic media outlets, however, only began to increase in 2007.
It has been increasingly difficult for customers to distinguish between the emerging media outlets and access the necessary information.
Also, for media companies the competition for customers and advertising income has intensified, and the need to implement program and marketing policies at professionally high levels has increased.
Accompanied with rise in media outlets, there is evidence of a shift to market specialization. Besides trade publications, the number of newspapers and magazines specializing in areas of women, men, children, advertising, family and hygiene, religion, history, politics, mining, economy and erotica has increased substantially.
Unlike the print medium, electronic media is also shifting to attract niche and specialized audiences, an example being Bolovsrol channel TV (Education TV), specializing in education, training and knowledge. Also channels specializing in sports, culture and TV shopping have started emerging.
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