The existence of freedom of_ expression in general and media freedom in particular isrnone of the most important indicators of the presence of democracy in a given country.rnArticle 29 of the 1995 Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia hasrnlaid the legal structure for the existence of freedom of _expression in Ethiopia.rnAccordingly, all the subsidiary laws advocate the flourishing of media freedom inrnEthiopia. The legal framework for transforming state broadcasting into public servicernbroadcasting (PSB) is encouraging. However, what is happening in practice isrnquestionable.rnThis thesis looks at the state of affairs of State Broadcasting in Ethiopia, usingrncontent analysis as a quantitative data-gathering instrument. Key informant interviewsrnand legal documents have been used to collect data as a qualitative means. The study hasrnselected 131 news items from 15 days of Ethiopian Radio Amharic prime time newsrnbulletin. The data collected via content analysis has been supplemented by the datarngathered through qualitative means. In this study, the practice of state broadcasting hasrnbeen tested against the principles and practices of public service broadcasting.rnOne of the findings of the study is that there is a very tight form of politicalrncontrol in the activities of journalists working in state broadcasting in general, and inrnEthiopian Radio in particular. Government officials, predominantly from the Ministry ofrnInformation, directly and indirectly interfere in the editorial independence of journalistsrnworking on Ethiopian Radio.rnIn order to protect state broadcasting from political interference, and to maintainrneditorial independence, the study suggests a new law should be drafted by the EthiopianrnParliament. This would facilitate a smooth transformation from state broadcasting tornpublic service broadcasting. Article 29, sub Article 2 of the 1995 Constitution of thernFederal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia explicitly supports the enactment of a law thatrnpromotes media independence in the country.rn[rniiirn10rnPublic service broadcasting must be guaranteed protection from political and/orrncommercial interference. This will be closer to reality when the appointment andrnaccountability of PSB officials, their duties and responsibilities are clearly supported by arnlaw according to the accepted principles of PSB. Public service broadcasting demandsrnthat editorial independence be respected. Moreover, the programming should serve thernpublic interest and, in particular, should be balanced and impartial. At the very least, PSBrnshould be editorially independent as an institution, and should serve the public fairly,rnhelping to empower people so as to enable them make to decisions and to play a rolerntowards the establishment and continuity of a democracy.