State and government controlled broadcasters should be transformed into public service broadcasters, accountable to the public through the legislature rather than the government, in accordance with the following principles: Ø public broadcasters should be governed by a board which is protected against interference, particularly of a political or economic nature; Ø the editorial independence of public service broadcasters should be guaranteed; Ø public broadcasters should be adequately funded in a manner that protects them from arbitrary interference with their budgets; Ø public broadcasters should strive to ensure that their transmission system covers the whole territory of the country; and Ø the public service ambit of public broadcasters should be clearly defined and include an obligation to ensure that the public receive adequate, politically balanced information, particularly during election periods. Institutional Framework for Media Regulation Besides the National Broadcasting Commission, the other critical institution for the regulation of the media is the Nigerian Press Council(NPC). The Nigerian Press Council regulates activities of newspapers and magazines as well as the conduct of journalists generally. Both institutions are in themselves in dire need of reform to make them more efficient and effective. Apart from the issue of the lack of independence, these institutions presently do not have the capacity to carry out the functions for which they were established. They lack adequate equipment and skilled personnel. Most of their staff are deployed from the civil service, especially the Federal Ministry of Information, a practice which besides limiting the competence of the institutions as a whole also affects their independence. The existence of the Nigerian Press Council remains controversial as a Federal High Court recently declared many aspects of its enabling law unconstitutional and void. But even prior to this, it had been unable to develop appropriate procedures and mechanisms for its operations since its inception.