The local English language newspapers are the Times of Oman and the Oman Observer. Foreign newspapers and magazines are available in the larger hotels in Muscat and are usually about three days old. These publications are also available in the Holiday Inn in Salalah.
There is also a magazine/handbook entitled Oman Today, which is published every two months and is widely available. Each issue has listings of clubs, activities, restaurants and entertainment.
Oman TV has a daily news programme in English at 8:00pm and shows English-language films two or three nights a week.
The Sultanate of Oman FM Service is the local English-language radio station. It broadcasts daily from 7:00am to 9:00pm with news at 7:30am, 2:30pm and 6:30pm.
The BBC World Service is also available, and a list of frequencies on which it can be picked up is in Oman Today.
The 1984 "Basic Law" clearly provides for freedom of opinion within limits of the prevailing law.
Press
Oman has 26 publications available to the public, five of which are daily newspapers as well as four weekly magazines.
Television
The only terrestrial TV broadcaster in the Sultanate of Oman is the state-owned Oman TV run by the Ministry of Information. Oman TV broadcasts two channels (Arabic and English). Programming from both channels is available via satellite. Viewers in Oman can watch CNN, BBC, STAR, Zee TV, Canal France, MBC as well as other channels in addition to 24-hour sports and music channels via satellite.
Radio
Radio Oman, the official state broadcaster, is operated by the Ministry of Information. Radio Oman runs two channels on AM, FM and short-wave (Arabic and English) and some programmes can be heard via the internet. Broadcasts can be heard in the Sultanate of Oman from UAE, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
Internet
The official Internet Services Provider is Oman's General Telecommunications Organization (GTO). According to statistics, Oman had reportedly 40,000 internet users in April 1999 and about 17,000 online subscribers. This represents a subscribers' increase of about 27% since December 1998.