plans hiccough?

Packer’s Fiji T.V. plans hiccough?

Fiji is to have broadcast television by June, 1987, or even earlier, according to some re ports, but just who is to provide it has suddenly become the biggest question around Suva.

Kerry Packer’s Channel Nine group from Sydney, Australia, was given the government’s approval to set up a Fiji national system, providing some local programming and a good deal of material derived from Pack er’s flow of international material through the Intelsat satellite. Now, however, there is wide-spread speculation that the government may be about to change its mind.

The managing director of Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd., which owns and runs Channel Nine, Mr Linton Taylor, accompanied by their legal adviser, and Mr Warwick Cooper, formerly information secretary at the Australian High Commission in Fiji, arrived in Suva in mid-October for de tailed discussions with govern ment officials.

Initially the Channel Nine officials, and more so Mr Coop er, who described himself as a consultant to P.8.L., sounded very optimistic about getting the service up and running within nine months.

A news conference was arranged for the morning of Thursday, October 17, the day they were due to depart at the conclusion of their talks. On Tuesday evening a reception was held at one of Suva’s top restaurants and a very impress ive video presentation was made of the Channel Nine proposals.

Late on Wednesday evening, however, efforts were made by Mr Cooper to inform the media that the news conference had been called off. No reason was given.

Those who could not be contacted arrived at the Suva Travelodge at 8.30 a.m. and were told by Mr Cooper that Mr Taylor had decided to cancel the news conference. Again no reason was given.

Lack of information on the point, particularly in a town like Suva, which is renowned as one of the gossip capitals of the Pacific, inevitably led to speculation that the Channel Nine group was disappointed by the response it got from the Fiji government’s negotiating team, led by the Director of Information, Ratu Isoa Gavidi.

Observers say the Channel Nine group came to Fiji on the understanding that they had blanket approval from the gov ernment to establish the televi sion service and could, thus, demand and get whatever faci lities they required. But, these reports say, when they sat across the table to hammer out the agreement they found the going tough -t and a lot of questions raised by the govern ment men.

Besides Ratu Gavidi the Fiji negotiators included the Director of Lands, Mr Brij Lai, the Deputy Secretary of Fin ance, Mr Pandaram, the Director of Telecommunicatins, Mr Ben Whiting, a senior tele communications engineer, Mr Prapart Singh, and the Division Surveyor, Central, Mr Verma Nand.

Reports in Suva say that while the Fiji government, in accepting the Channel Nine proposal, had specifically said its decision was ”to accept in principle” this qualification was somehow not conveyed to P.B.L. officials in Sydney.

The Fiji government has agreed that its shareholding in the local television company will be 20 per cent the equity

being given in the provision of land for the station and the transmitting site.

During the talks in Suva the prime minister, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, was overseas attending CHOGM in the Bahamas and also on a side-trip to the United Nations in New York and to Washington to open Fiji’s new embassy there.

Mr Linton Taylor went back to Sydney without, apparently, accomplishing very much.

Word then was that he would return to Suva mid-November to continue negotiations.

The Fiji-based company, Television, South Pacific which was the only other or ganisation to have its proposal considered by the Fiji govern ment - plus Australia’s Chan nel Ten (currently controlled by the Rupert Murdoch media in terests), and NBN-3, the Newcastle, NSW, station which has been granted the licence to establish television in Papua New Guinea, are believed to be intently watching events in Fiji and, according to Suva speculation, if P.B.L.’s approval develops a hiccough they will be ready with their own offers to set up Fiji’s television in dustry. FOOTNOTE: Gossip was further fuelled in Suva by the appearance of what looked like a “shiner” on Mr Cooper’s right eye. This, he explained, was not a product of any difference of opinion with any one, but the result of acci dentally striking an open win dow in a corridor of the Gov ernment Buildings.

In Sydney Mr Taylor of P.B.L. firmly dismissed the report that his company’s arrangement with Fiji was under review or likely to be amended or rescinded.

“That is quite unfounded and without any substance,” he said.

“Our negotiations to date have been cordial and I expect to confirm our arrangements on my next visit to Fiji in the week commencing November 17.”

Mr Taylor would not comment beyond that and also declined to say anything about reports of a difference of opinion within the group which had been in Fiji. Mr Cooper remained consultant to P.B.L. on the Fiji project, he said.