VZCZCXRO6950
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHCO #0610/01 3630613
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 290613Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY COTONOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1241
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COTONOU 000610 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/PD (DBWHARTON, EKEMP, SANCHEZCROWE), AF/W 
(ASTEWART) 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO OEXC ECPS BN
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR KNIGHT'S COURTESY CALLS ON LOCAL BENINESE MEDIA 
OUTLETS 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: In order to familiarize himself with local media and 
establish good working relations with them, the Ambassador initiated 
a series of courtesy calls to meet the directors and to see the 
facilities and working conditions. 
 
¶2. On December 7, the Ambassador hosted a meeting for three 
Directors of the Fraternite Group of media enterprises made up of a 
TV station, Canal 3; a radio station, Fraternite FM, and a print 
media outlet, Fraternite in his office. In his welcoming remarks, 
the Ambassador stressed the important role that media play in 
building a stable democracy and told the Directors how delighted he 
was to meet with them to learn more about them and their media 
outlets. Malick Gomina, Director of Fraternite Group of Media, told 
the Ambassador that they started their operations with print and 
followed three years later by radio and TV. Gomina mentioned that 
their media outlets are willing to cover events involving all 
political actors, including the members of the ruling party and the 
opposition. 
 
¶3.  Canal 3 operates by satellite and has an international audience. 
The group is planning to open an office in Paris, and for this 
reason, they must improve the quality of their productions, he said. 
Canal 3 has foreign partners such as VOA, BBC and an international 
radio station called Africa Number One. 
In an effort to garner Embassy assistance, Canal 3 Director Berthe 
Mensah Cakpossa pointed out the need for managerial and technical 
training for the administrative staff and the technicians.  Cakpossa 
also mentioned that modern TV stations are now using digital 
equipment, but Canal 3 is not even prepared for that, so she asked 
for equipment donations, as well. 
 
¶4.  Gomina expressed his perception that it was difficult to get a 
visa to travel to the U.S. to purchase needed equipment for the 
station.  The PAO briefly explained the referral process and offered 
to assist in facilitating the visa process for legitimate travel. 
 
 
¶5.  Referring specifically to the kind of assistance the Mission can 
provide, the Ambassador mentioned that he will look into the 
possibility of bringing a journalist to Benin to provide a week-long 
extensive training to journalists. 
 
¶6. On December 8, the Ambassador visited the national press office, 
which operates the state-owned newspaper, La Nation.  He also 
visited two private media outlets: Radio Tokpa and an independent 
daily newspaper, L'Autre Quotidien.  At each location, the 
Ambassador noted that he wanted to visit them to observe the way 
they operate. At each of the sites visited, the Directors requested 
assistance in term of training of reporters. "When the journalists 
are well trained, they perform their duties in a professional manner 
and you have good programming," said Guy Kpakpo, Radio Tokpa's 
Director. Kpakpo also spoke about his desire to participate in an 
exchange program in the United States in order to learn how private 
radio stations are run. During the visit to La Nation and L'Autre 
Quotidien, the Ambassador was introduced to two former IV grantees 
and their Directors said they would appreciate it if more of their 
staff could receive such training opportunities in the United 
States. 
In leading the Ambassador on a tour of the national press office, 
Director Akuete Assevi told the Ambassador that mosQJp/v\Q7. On December 15, the Ambassador visited the government-controlled 
Radio and Television Office of Benin(ORTB). The Director of the 
Office, Julien Pierre Akpaki, who was appointed by President Boni 
Yayi, thanked the Ambassador for visiting ORTB and presented a brief 
description of his office before taking the Ambassador and his 
delegation to tour the various operations. The Ambassador's visit to 
the newsroom coincided with the afternoon news cast, so the 
Ambassador gamely agreed to appear as a special guest and reported 
on his impressions of the news operation. 
 
¶8.  At the end of the tour, Akpaki made a plea for assistance in the 
form of equipment such as tape recorders and new computers. He also 
requested that the Embassy provide training to teach the journalists 
how to present the news during electoral periQypQ^R~session at the 
American Cultural Center in January. 
 
¶9. On December 16, Ambassador Knight visited LC2, the first 
privately-owned TV station in Benin, founded in 1998. After giving a 
tour of the station, the LC2 Director seized the opportunity to 
explain the historical background of LC2, now on satellite, with a 
branch station in Paris and another one in New York. Visibly 
impressed by the quality of the equipment being used, the Ambassador 
 
COTONOU 00000610  002 OF 002 
 
 
congratulated the young LC2 team for the high quality of their 
product. Asked to comment about what LC2 can expect after this 
visit, the Ambassador promised to offer the station moral support 
and training sessions to prepare the journalists for the upcoming 
elections in 2011. The Ambassador reminded them of the importance of 
the media and enjoined them to keep up the good work for the 
promotion of democracy and development. 
 
¶10. Comment: Post will also be submitting a request for an SSI 
Speaker to Promote the development of independent media, open 
Internet access, and press freedom through programYFQE?e 
part of government and the broader society, and the use of online 
journalism and blogging. 
 
¶11.  Over the years, the U.S. Embassy has established good relations 
with the local media community but no Ambassador, in recent memory, 
had actually made a visit to the stations to tour their facilities. 
These visits were given extensive coverage on TV and in the print 
media.  These goodwill visits will hopefully contribute to 
reinforcing these good relations and providing more visibility to 
the Mission's activities.  End Comment. 
 
Knight