The Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation has requested a 191-million-Br cash injection from the government for the payment of employees and satellite fees. The state broadcaster has been facing challenges due to declining advertisement revenue during the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Corporation has asked for 131 million Br for employee wages for four months starting in March. The remaining 60 million Br was requested for the payment of the Corporation's satellite fees.

The Corporation, which spends 32.8 million Br monthly on employment wages for its 2,322 employees across the country, has been raising revenue through sources like advertisements, sponsorships and other means such as training and property disposal. It is also eligible to receive financial support from the government.

The Corporation had collected 239 million Br in revenue until January and has now requested support for four months. In the last two years, the Corporation has received 60 million Br and 90 million Br, respectively, from the government for satellite fees and has managed to fully finance itself through the revenue it generated in 2016.

The request for the support was forwarded to the Speaker of Parliament on April 28, 2020, to be forwarded to the Ministry of Finance. The executives of the Corporation are awaiting a response this coming month. The Corporation has an annual planned budget of half a billion Birr, three radio channels, three television channels, digital media and 115 transmitters across the country.

It had shown an unprecedented growth in revenue before COVID-19 caused financial liquidity issues, according to Tefera Tolera, executive officer for the Corporation's financial administration division.

"We can't even collect the receivable money from companies since some of them have closed offices," he added.

Other television broadcasters in the country are also under heavy financial burdens for similar reasons. The Association of Ethiopian Broadcasters, in a letter dated April 27, 2020, to the Prime Minister's Office, detailed the importance of media in disseminating critical information on COVID-19 to the community and requested financial assistance for private television broadcasters in the country.

The letter further stated that a total of 13 television broadcasting institutions have spent 156 million Br worth of content and airtime distributing information on COVID-19 as public service announcements for free.

Although the institutions are commercial in nature, broadcasting public service announcements was their responsibility as citizens, according to Endashaw W. Michael, general manager for the Association, which has 13 television channels and one radio station among its members.