Tobar said:

What doesn't make sense is why Obi-Wan can have a live conversation between Coruscant and Kamino which is described as being "beyond the Outer Rim." But then later has to relay a recorded message from Geonosis to Tatooine before it can reach Coruscant.

If I remember correctly, his long-range transmitter was damaged in the duel over Geonosis with Jango.

I do agree that in the OT, mass communication (at least beyond the outer rim) isn't a big thing. Perhaps that's due to Imperial sanctions on the news or just general information lockdown, which seems very evil Empire to me.

If you wanna really reach, in the Holiday Special, there's a lot of long-range communication, Empire-mandated viewing of certain programs, and even a live transmission directly from Tatooine. =P