Jorge Rumaropen
PORT MORESBY (PNG Post-Courier/Pacific Media Watch): The people of Kavieng town, New Hanover and Tigak islands in New Ireland can now tune in to Papua New Guinea's National Broadcasting Corporation radio and Kundu 2 television service in the comfort of their homes.
This was made possible when the national broadcaster, NBC, officially launched the services over the weekend.
Speaking at the launching, the acting managing director for NBC, Memafu Kapera, described the event as a milestone and a new beginning in transforming not only for the NBC but the New Ireland Provincial Government’s objective to provide communication and information services to its people.
He said as the national broadcaster, NBC needed to play its part in helping to transform the lives of people and communities across Papua New Guinea.
He said as a major public institution, NBC was a key partner in helping to achieve the PNG Vision 2050 Plan and the Millennium Development Goals for national development.
“To be effective, the NBC must adapt not only to community needs but also to the challenges of fast-changing communications and information technology environment and NBC must meet the governance and service level standards expected of public enterprises,” Kapera said.
He said that like other national broadcasters around the world, NBC faced a future of constant changes when audiences had greater choice of media services with the technology that was readily available.
He also said that NBC had to compete with privately owned commercial media for audiences and to some extent, for advertising and sponsorship revenue to sustain itself and unlike those private media organisations, NBC must continue to meet its public service obligations.
Kapera also acknowledged three of New Ireland’s "sons" to have played an important role in the formative years of the NBC in 1973.
They were personalities and managers who were responsible for the emergence of PNG’s own home grown communication and information network that informed, educated and entertained the young nation and set the foundation for what it was today.
He named John Malisa, Otto Malatana and late Chris Rangatin.
The launched FM radio service can be received on 95.0 hertz while the TV service can be tuned into using the VHF band, channel 2 on 182.25 megahertz.
NBC also has plans to extend the service to cover the whole province in future.
New Ireland brings to a total of 13 provinces to have been the recipient of these two services after the first roll out in West Sepik Province last year.
Pacific Media Watch
