CNN writer calls for media diversity

"If you had at least three national television broadcasters, then there will be a variety of media views and people will have a choice.  When there is just Botswana Television (Btv), people tend to become suspicious about it and what the station is broadcasting," said David Gurien, a CNN senior writer.

The fact that television stations run largely on revenue derived from advertising also plays a role in the Botswana situation, especially given that the population is small. "But in the United States, there are towns which are much smaller in population than Gaborone, yet some of them have more than one television station.  But it's expensive to operate here, as most of the population is in scattered rural areas.  One has to cover areas as far as Maun and that means having bureau offices there and more staff.  I think the economics don't work well for a lot of folks," he said.  He opined that it is easier and cheaper for newspapers and radio to do business here than television.