After independence since the 1960s, the legacies and traditions in the field of media policy led African countries from the three distinct European linguistic spheres ( French, English and Portuguese) to draw on the institutional models in use by the former colonial powers. Media policy is a fundamental issue for democratic consolidation, and one that has received different responses in the French- and English-speaking African public spheres. This article examines the current situation of media regulation authorities in French- speaking sub-Saharan Africa. It outlines the mission of these institutions and identifies the problems they face as they concretise the dialectic between freedom and public control in the media landscape.