16 March 2012 Last updated at 13:26 ET

Austria profile

• Overview
• Facts
• Leaders
• Media
• Timeline

Newspaper compete fiercely for the attention of Austrians

Austria's public broadcaster, Oesterreichischer Rundfunk (ORF), has long-dominated the airwaves. Lately, it has faced competition from private broadcasters, particularly in Vienna.

Private broadcasting in Austria is a recent development. Local commercial radio was given the green light in the 1990s. A national TV licence was granted to commercial station ATV - which opened in 2000 - and local TV stations have sprung up.

Cable or satellite TV is available in most Austrian homes and is often used to watch German stations, some of which tailor their output for local viewers.

A daily newspaper is a must for many Austrians. National and regional titles contest fiercely for readers.

There were 6.14 million internet users by June 2010, around 75 per cent of the population (InternetWorldStats.com).

The press

• Die Presse - daily
• Kronen Zeitung - mass-circulation daily, regional editions
• Kleine Zeitung - Graz-based daily
• Wiener Zeitung - Vienna-based daily
• Der Standard - daily
• Der Kurier - mass-circulation daily
• News - current affairs weekly

Television

• ORF - public broadcaster, operates national channels ORF 1, ORF 2
• ATV - national, commercial; via cable and terrestrially

Radio

• ORF - public, operates Radio Oesterreich 1, pop music station OE3, youth station FM4 and a tier of regional services
• Krone Hit Radio - commercial, nationally-networked pop music station
• Energy 104.2 - commercial, Vienna pop music station
• Radio Arabella - commercial, Vienna music station

News agency

• APA (Austria Presse Agentur) - owned by 15 newspapers and ORF