New Players
Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia was founded on March 12, 1996, under the provisions of the 1994 International Broadcasting Act , as a private non-profit corporation. RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors.
In 2017, after almost 20 years of operation, Radio Free Asia has r been forced to close its Phnom Penh bureau. According to their own statement: "The government’s relentless crackdown on independent voices in recent weeks has made it impossible to keep the bureau open while guaranteeing the integrity of RFA’s journalistic mission."
On September 20th 2004, RFA Web sites in nine Asian languages, plus English, and several additional dialects were launched. From then on, the sites were continuously updated with news and features from Southeast Asia.
Ownership Type
non-profit / private
Geographic Coverage
national
Content Type
free content
Group / Individual Owner
Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) -
an independent US federal agency charged with overseeing all U.S. civilian international broadcasting funds RFA with annual grant.
General Information
Founding Year
1996
Founder
Richard Richter - founding president. A distinguished broadcast journalist, Mr. Richter retired during the summer 2006.
Ceo
Bay Fang - Executive Editor, supervising coverage across all of Asia. A longtime journalist and former diplomat, she has also served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State – a role in which she oversaw public diplomacy and public affairs for Europe and
Further Information
The Cambodian media landscape counts at least two new outlets, a TV and a newspaper. Since the former started its daily activity and the latter its broadcasting in 2015, MOM decided not to include as most relevant medium. With less than a year of existence, the audience shares would not be representative of their popularity.
It can be highlighted, however, that their growth is taking place rapidly and their strategy seems more aggressive than the existing media on the market. Both are now hiring journalists and newsroom staffs from existing newsrooms, heightening the competition on both TV and print sectors, which are already highly concentrated.