growth

Govt-owned TV service Decline in

AFTER keeping people guessing for months Fiji’s caretaker cabinet finally made a decision last month on the country’s permanent television service.

Despite submissions from five interna tional and two local concerns, it was decided the permanent service would be 100 per cent government-owned.

Television New Zealand has been providing temporary service since Octo ber.

Under this temporary arrangement TVNZ owned and operated Fiji One and leased on-air time to government-owned Fiji National Video Centre (FNVC) for news bulletins and other locally pro duced items.

Under the proposed government takeover, the Fiji One operation will be bought by the government and is expected to be combined with FNVC to provide the core of a Fiji television service. Negotiations are now underway for the sale of Fiji One.

According to TVNZ’s general man ager international operation, Jon Blomfield, TVNZ proposes to enter into “programme supply” and “management services” agreements with the Fiji gov ernment.

TVNZ would provide staff to assist with business planning and technical, programme and production expertise.

Blomfield said TVNZ was “very happy indeed” with the proposal. TVNZ jointly tendered with Sky Television for the 39 per cent shares in the Fiji

Broadcasting and Television Corpor

ation put on tender in March this year.

Many predicted the partnership would be awarded the partnership.

Initially it was expected 39 per cent of FBTL shares would go to one of the seven who tendered, 10 per cent to Fiji Post and Telecommunications Limited and the remaining 51 per cent would be held by government.

Apisalome Tudreu, permanent secre tary for Information, Broadcasting, Tele vision and Telecommunications, said none of the seven had met government requirements.

A detailed contract between TVNZ and the Fiji government for the proposed arrangement has yet to be signed. A TVNZ executive was in Fiji last month to work out the details of the contract which is expected to be signed this month. □

WESTERN Samoa’s Finance Minister Tuilaepa Sailele expects economic growth this year to decline by four to six per cent, as a result of devastation from Cyclone Val last December.

The balance of payments will have an estimated deficit of WSS20 million (USS8.2 million) this year due to a steep rise in import payments and poor export performance.

Exports in the first quarter of 1992 were WSS12 million (USS4.9 million), although three quarters of this was in the form of automotive wiring exported by Yazaki Samoa Ltd.

Tuilaepa tabled a government budget on May 20 with an expenditure of WSS238.8 million (USS97.9 million) for the 1992/93 fiscal year beginning July 1.

Measures to curb spending will be introduced. These include monthly budget reviews, controls on the use of government vehicles and a staff ceiling on the public service. □