May 7, 2017 - Members of Ethiopian Parliament criticized the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corportation for failing to live up to its responsibilities as a public media, according to the Reporter. The members of parliament said the corporation is influenced by public officials and does not always serve the interests of the Ethiopian people.
The corporation was also criticized for tedius programming and increasing reliance on advertisements, according to the report.
The corporation General Manager, Seyoum Mekonnen, acknowledged some of the problems the corporation is facing, and even cited examples of interference from some public officials. As an example, he disclosed recent calls from officials of the Ethiopian Metals and Engineering Corporation (METEC), an organization affiliated with the Ethiopian Ministry of Defense, who mistakenly thought a report on transportation shortage involved their buses. He also disclosed that the corporation does not have a strong auditor general.
Some parliament memebers said they would like to see some serious changes to the corporation, even to the extent of disbanding the corporation and creating a new one in its place.