Located west of Puerto Rico and the Southeast of Cuba in the Greater Antilles, the Dominican Republic has an estimated population of 10.2 million (CIA, 2019). Its economy has been fast growing since the 1990s when the macroeconomic stability was restored. Having overcome the economic huddles the country encountered in the 1980s, the Dominican Republic had positive improvements in the life expectancy, attainment of education, and access to water and sanitation. Moreover, the newspaper, magazines, television, and radio are the most commonly used means of communication. The level of technology applied in communication only reveals that the country is one of the most developing countries in the world. The governments’ commitment to ensuring that people have access to the internet and get access to news all over is a sure sign that technology and media are very important aspects in the Dominican Republic. In this paper, I will discuss the media in the Dominican Republic, its influence in the economy, and, the influence of digital globalization on the Dominican Republic’s media.
Media Models
Media organizations and houses in the Dominican Republic are mainly owned by the very most influential people in the country and society. There are a number of television stations as well as hundreds of radio stations across the country. Furthermore, the newspaper is a widely used means of communication in the country. Because media houses are mainly owned by the most influential individuals in the country, there have been constant barriers towards media freedom. According to a report published by BBC in 2018, most journalists who report corruption and drug trade cases always face the wrath of the media owners since they are protecting against their interests.
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According to the Business year (2017), Listin Diario is the largest and most circulated newspaper in the Dominican Republic. Its daily circulation is 166000 in which the Saturday edition circulates at the rate of 180000 while the Sunday edition circulates at the rate of 150,000. The newspaper was initially owned by private investors but it is currently owned by the BanInter Group. Alongside this major Newspaper are other newspapers in circulation within the country. These include but not limited to the Holy whose daily, Saturday, and, Sunday circulation rate stands at 82, 000. Following closely is the El National which boasts a daily, Saturday, and, Sunday circulation rate of 42, 000. The third commonly read newspaper is the Úlima Hora (Statistics NA). It is published at the capital city of Santo Domingo. El Caribe, a privately owned newspaper circulates at the rate of 40000 while El Nuevo Diario circulates at the rate of 20, 000. La Information which delivers regional content circulates at 22000 while the English paper The Santo Domingo News circulates at the rate of 22000.
In addition, the Dominican magazines deliver news through weekly production of content. The most significant ones include the Ahora and Rumbo. Other magazines which have less importance though concentrate in presenting graphical representatios of violent events. Some publications such as El Semenario Camino and Desoertar concentrate on producing religious content for its citizens.
Television has gone through serious upgrading since its initiation in the country in 1942. Currently, the government boasts ownership of Radio Television Dominicana. However, several other TV stations are privately owned. The most commonly watched TV channels include Circuito Independencia, Color Vision (Canal 9), and Canal 6. The country boasts a total of seven land-based TV stations and thirty cable operators, making the number forty. Concerning radio stations, the Dominican Republic has a total of more than 180 radio stations with at least 56 FM radio stations. Two of these are owned by the government. The content covered by radio stations is not only national events and news but also programs which educate people such as courses directed to students in remote parts of the country.
Media Sources
There are several media sources in the Dominican Republic. All these sources are in a huge way involved in disseminating information to the public. First and foremost, Television is a common source of information to the country. With a number of Television channels available, the citizens have a variety to choose from depending on their preference. Television gives audio visual information to the citizens.
Other media sources include newspapers and radio which are commonly used within the country. Several newspapers exists which all give information on daily basis. The information concerns daily events, sports, economy and war. Radios are able to penetrate even the remote areas in the country where newspapers and TV cannot. Radios give audio information to the citizens on the current happenings and events in the country.
The Dominican Republic is a developing nation. According to BBC, the Dominican Republic is fast growing in terms of technology. This is because of the concerted efforts by the government and private investors to make the Dominican Republic a digital nation. With media houses investing heavily on new technologies in order to deliver faster and efficient news to its citizens globally, the government has not lagged behind in supporting this initiatives by launching a Republica Digital campaign aimed at transforming communication in the country. By 2017, only around 25% of the total population had access to the smart phones and half the population of the Dominicans had regular access to the internet (Freedom house, 2017). However, government efforts to build 5, 000 free WI-FI sports in public parks, hospitals and squares, is a sure sign that the government is interested in making the internet accessible to most of its populace.
Furthermore, the Dominicans use several online platforms to communicate such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, among other social platforms ( Klaus kästle, 2019) . The media houses have also found it necessary to use such platforms to channel their news and information to reach may people who cannot get access to the TV or newspaper. That means, the country is highly using online news outlets to dispatch important information. People no longer have to worry about internet access since it is easily accessible for everyone.
Similarly, the government has made efforts to ensure that the country’s population is not illiterate in terms of technology. According to Freedom House (2015), new measures include building newer fiber-optic networks which will upgrade the quality of communication in the country. Furthermore, the installation of free WI-FI spots in public areas and hospitals gas made it easier for the country’s population to freely access any information they require.
Apart from the social platforms, there are several online news sources which are used to disseminate important information to the country. Internet sources such as the Dominican Today and DR1 all are news outlets which disseminate their online news in English language ( Klaus kästle, 2019) . With such an improvement, people are able to get news online at just a click of a button anywhere and at any time.
Influence of Globalization
Over the last 20 years, the Dominican Republic has witnessed serious changes in the communication landscape, thanks to the Global digital revolution. Initially, disaster management, education, terrorism management, management of disease, and social media had not experienced technological changes to make such processes easy (UNESCO, 2019). However, the global revolution which took place has had a serious influence that is now changing the Dominican Republic into a digital nation.
To begin with, the influx of smartphones into the country has made it easy for many citizens to have easy access to information at a tap. Smart phones have easy access to the internet and thus people are able to get access to information on current issues across the continent. Similarly, one is able to subscribe to social platforms in which several news outlets share their news. Besides, there is no age limit to access to smart phones since all people are able to use them even in the remote areas of the country. Currently, most people are on Facebook, Twitter, and other social platforms in which they can freely share information globally ( Klaus kästle, 2019) . 20 years ago, only a few people could access such platforms in the country.
According to the Business year (2019), the education department is a huge beneficiary of this digital revolution in the Dominican Republic. With over 180 radio stations, some educational programs are aired out on radio on weekly basis so as to provide knowledge and sensitization especially to students living in the remote parts of the country. This has not only made learning easy but it has also increased access to education especially for those citizens that feel less privileged. Similarly, the introduction of one computer for every child, access to the internet, and, quality education is a sure sign that this revolution has come to the education sector. This has had significant impacts in leapfrogging literacy levels within the country since students grow with a technological mentality.
Application of technology has had great influence in the economy. Provision of 5,000 free WI-FI spots in hospitals has made sure that hospitals are able to beef up communication within departments as a well as improve on the quality of their services. Research in the area of healthcare has really improved since the digital revolution, thus, the war on diseases has become easy. Similarly, monitoring immigration has become easy when new technologies are put into place. It has become easy to monitor the type of people coming into the country without spending a lot of time on the borders.
In my opinion, globalization has had a positive influence in the Dominican Republic. Monitoring terrorism has also been beefed up by this revolution. Today, cyber security and surveillance has really increased. Digital methods of mitigating terrorism have been implemented by the country to ensure the safety of its people. As a result, security has increased and there has been reduced war (UNESCO, 2017). Some magazines give graphic representations of war thus enlightening the society of the effects of war. As a consequence, people fear to engage in war activities thus engage in activities that promote peace.
In conclusion, media and communication is important in the Dominican Republic. As one of the growing economies in the world in terms of technology, the country has had great improvements in the past 20 years. The efforts by the government and other private investors are so much evident in order to make the country a technological hub in the region. Efforts to improve education by providing quality education, having increased access to the internet as well as provision of free computers to every student is an evidence of the governments’ commitment to ensure the country is a communication hub. Similarly, installing free WI-FI sports in all public hospitals, parks and public squares is a sure way to know that the government is committed to ensure that each person in the country is technologically literate. There is therefore need for the country to continue developing its digital resources to ensure fast and efficient news to all its population.
References
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