Community television to debut in Fiji

By Pauline Walker

IN a rambling building over flowing with enthusiasm, Nadi’s Community TV is gathering strength for its leap to the airwaves. The month of September should see CTV appearing on Fiji’s chan nel 5, bringing eagerly-awaited local pro gramming to the Nadi valley. “People want to see themselves and their own culture on television,” says Regina Yates, who with her husband, John, co-founded Community TV. This was evident from the “phenome nal” response - 7000 signatures - to the petition that was circulated three years ago, and from the widespread community sup port that CTV continues to receive.

“Everything here has been donated,”

Regina exclaims, waving a hand at the stu dio and control room that occupy one end of a long one-storey wooden building just outside Nadi. She happily rolls the credits, naming donors of carpeting, sound equip ment, the heavy timber for mounting stu dio lights, and much more. Over 150 indi viduals and organisations have given time, money and materials to CTV.

Much of the video equipment has been provided by the Yateses themselves, whose “day job” - they own Iconics, a film and television production company - keeps them in food and enables them to subsidise CTV. Local young people staff the station, a multi-ethnic crew of ardent volunteers from all walks of life.

Their free training by John and Regina Yates in all aspects of production, includ ing camera work, mixing, editing, lighting,

directing, presenting and interviewing,

would have cost thousands of dollars else where.

They have over 250 hours of program ming ready to air. Licensed for broadcast in 1997, Community TV lacked only the sophisticated gear for transmission. And early in June, CTV obtained funding for this from an overseas donor. Delivery and installation of the transmission equipment would still take time, but the goal was in sight. The old building outside Nadi, fresh ly facelifted, by volunteers with gallons of donated paint, rocked with excitement at the announcement. “Fun” programmes (such as a local “candid camera” show)

and children’s programmes will supple ment CTV’s basic menu of education and information. Among the topics to be aired are local events, music, sport, environmen tal awareness, street kids, women’s issues, health, herbal medicine, aerobics, tourism, dancing, cooking and fishing. Free-to-air and non-commercial, Community TV also offers free access, meaning that “any per son or group regardless of religion, race or age can approach CTV to produce a pro gramme on local issues”.

Without advertising, the new channel relies greatly on creative fundraising. And this has led to a fascinating and flourishing sideline: handmade paper.

A few months ago, CTV invited Sofia Tekela - an artist giving papermaking workshops in Suva under the auspices oL the UNDP and USP’s Oceania Centre for Arts and Culture - to come to Nadi. Sofia’s two-day workshop at CTV became a 25minute video on basic papermaking, which is soon to be dubbed in other languages for

distribution, at cost, throughout the region.

“People can watch it and learn,” says

Regina enthusiastically.

Meanwhile, with typical zeal, she attracted a group of volunteers - local youth, some working and some unem ployed - who have been turning recycled paper and all kinds of organic materials into stacks of beautiful handmade paper.

“Each sheet is unique, a little piece of art,”

Regina points out. Bursting with ideas, her little group has made greeting cards, merit awards, photo albums and many other items, even “disposable fashion” garments, of handmade paper, their sale raises funds for CTV and provides a little income for the paper-making crew. So Community TV in Nadi is fostering creativity as it raises money, raising community awareness as it solicits donations, and motivating and training young people as it produces local programming to educate and entertain.

“It’s all interwound,” says Regina Yates.

“It’s extraordinary”. ■