Addis Abeba — The Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA) has issued final written warnings to African Renaissance Television Services S.C. (ARTS TV) and Ahadu FM 94.3, accusing the two broadcasters of "repeatedly violating" provisions of Ethiopia's Media Proclamation and professional ethics "despite earlier engagements and warnings."
Discover moreNews: MediaRadiolegal In two separate letters dated 07 July 2026 and signed by Abyu Mekonnen Kebede, Lead Executive for Media and Advertising Monitoring, the Authority said the broadcasters had continued to "air content that contravened" obligations under Media Proclamation No. 1238/2021, prompting the issuance of final written warnings under Article 74(g) of the law.
Movie & TV Streaming According to the letters, the EMA said it is mandated to monitor media content, ensure broadcasters operate in accordance with the law and professional ethics, and take administrative measures against outlets that repeatedly violate legal requirements.
The Authority said both broadcasters violated Article 68(1)(a) of the proclamation by failing to exercise due care in news reporting and "broadcasting unverified information detrimental to the national interest."
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Geographic Reference Article 68(1)(a) of Proclamation No. 1238/2021 States that "program or news should be balanced and impartial in reflecting diverse viewpoints to serve the public at large."
It also accused the stations of violating Article 68(1)(b) by "broadcasting unbalanced information" instead of presenting news and programs in a balanced manner reflecting diverse viewpoints.
Proclamation No. 1238/2021 68(1)(b) states that "broadcasters are expected to make reasonable effort to ensure the content and source of their program or news is accurate and put in place systems and procedures to correct mistakes when it happens."
TV & Video Discover moreSocial ServicesethicsTV & VideoMagazinesLegalNewspapersEthicsGeographic ReferenceDemographicsPrinting & Publishing The letters further cited alleged violations of Article 55(2)(f), which requires licensee of any broadcasting service to ensure that the services and the personnel comply with "a high standard of accuracy, fairness and impartiality in news and programs that deal with matters of public interest."
The Authority accused both stations of airing biased reporting detrimental to the public interest.
Africans & Diaspora In addition, the EMA said the broadcasters breached Article 58(1) governing commercial broadcast service licensees, which requires "broadcast news and programs that promote the public interest and in particular good governance issues based on democratic principles of accountability and transparency."
Regarding ARTS TV, the Authority said that "despite previous feedback and warnings", the station had "continued to commit repeated violations of the law and professional ethics" instead of making significant improvements.
News In its letter to Ahadu FM 94.3, the EMA likewise said that "despite discussions with the station's leadership and previous feedback and warnings", the broadcaster had "failed to make meaningful corrections and continued committing repeated violations."
The warning letters do not identify the specific programs, reports, or content that the Authority accused the two broadcasters of airing in violation of the Media Proclamation.
TV & Video However, the Authority instructed both broadcasters to ensure future programming complies with the law and professional ethics, stating that the letters constitute final written warnings issued pursuant to Article 74(g) of the Media Proclamation.
Article 74(1)(g) of Media Proclamation No. 1238/2021 provides that a media outlet "shall receive a written warning"if it fails to fulfill its content-related obligations as stipulated under the Proclamation.
As of the time of publication, neither ARTS TV nor Ahadu FM had publicly responded to the Ethiopian Media Authority's final written warnings.
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Today's final written warnings to the two broadcasters come after the regulator recently took administrative action against another broadcaster, JFM 106.7, citing alleged violations of the Media Proclamation.
In a statement issued last week on 22 July, the Authority said a content monitoring and on-site inspection of JFM 106.7 found what it described as "several violations", including failure to comply with Article 64(4) of the Media Proclamation, which requires broadcasters to "allocate 60 percent of its weekly transmissions time to programs that relate to the affairs of the license area and the rest transmissions time to national, regional and other programs."
The Authority subsequently suspended JFM 106.7's broadcasting operations for six months, until the station fulfills the obligations outlined in its licensing agreement.
Social Services The Ethiopian Communications Authority was also notified that the station's assigned frequency, 106.7 FM, could not be used during the suspension period. AS
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