Fiji television this year?

you bet, says Ratu Inoke

FIJI seems likely to have a television service by the end of the year, with at least Suva and Lautoka re ceiving signals as the first stage of the new system. Reports from Suva suggest that there are two main contenders for Government approval: Television New Zealand and TeleDifussion de France/ Sofridad. While TVNZ is keenly seeking to offer its television programmes to is land states (the Cook Islands, for exam ple, takes a satellite feed from Auckland) relations between Fiji and New Zealand are still shaky. The other main conten der will, on the other hand, be helped by France’s recent courting of the interim Government in Suva.

The Fiji Times has reported that OTC International Ltd, of Australia which is one of the least favoured on the five strong shortlist is now about to make a new bid for the television licence in partnership with the Fiji Broadcasting Commission.

Confirmation that television will start up this year was given by Information Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola when he recently opened an electronics display in Suva. He said he could confidently say that the first transmissions would go to air before the end of 1990.

The Permanent Secretary for In formation, Broadcasting, Television and Telecommunication, Taufa Vakatale, said no decision had yet been made on the licence but that, judging from the proposals received, it should be possible for the successful applicant to have prog rammes on air this year. The Govern ment had made it clear that any televi

sion service introduced will be self financing but controlled by the Minister.

In March 1986, the former Alliance Government licensed Kerry Packer’s

company, Publishing and Broadcasting

Limited (PBL) to run Fiji’s television. At that stage, Packer controlled the Nine network stations in Sydney and Mel bourne and Fiji was seen as a logical extension of that operation. PBL had planned to begin transmissions covering Suva, Lautoka, Ba, Nadi, south-west Viti Levu and Tavua.

But then two events occurred which changed the plans: the Bond Corpora tion took over Packer’s television in terests and later ran into severe financial trouble, and the Australians withdrew from Fiji due to the military coups of 1987 and the new Government cancelled the licences. □