Government releases K300,000 for NBC

By DENNIS ORERE
THE Government through the Finance Department has released K300,000 as the first lot of funding of the K21 million supplementary budget for the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) to begin the scoping work for a major rehabilitation and maintenance programme.
This was revealed by Minister for Information and Communication Patrick Tammur during the opening of the Directors Provincial Radio Workshop on the NBC 2007-2010 corporate plan at Granville Motel in Port Moresby on Monday.
Mr Tammur said the Government was serious in bringing changes and development to the rural people and this was shown clearly in its recent supplementary budget and would be further demonstrated in the 2008 budget, which would be tabled in Parliament next Tuesday.
“My department is working closely with NBC and other State agencies to bring into the country the first national television service, owned by the people of PNG. The NBC is well-positioned to manage this national television service, given its objective, impartial and professional approach in development programmes,” he said.
NBC managing director Joseph Ealedona said that the corporate plan was the working tool to achieve the plans for a new-look NBC and the need for it to change.
“We will now begin the process of planning a new NBC for the current audience and socio-political trends of today and the future,” Mr Ealedona said.