Kundu2 needs full support from govt

Letters, Normal
Source:

The National, Wednesday, June 8th 2011

IT is time the national government fully fund and equipped Kundu2 to broadcast 24 hours, seven days a week, throughout the country before the general election next year.
Kundu2 is truly a national television service with more PNG content programmes that suit our lifestyle and ways of living.
Therefore, Kundu2 is our nambawan PNG TV station.
I don’t seem to understand why some PNG politicians are funding and bringing EMTV coverage into their rural and remote electorates using government funds.
EMTV is a commercial TV station with Fijian interests.
If EMTV wants to cover the entire country, then it has to invest millions of kina, just like what Digicel PNG is doing.
It is an irony for PNG politicians to bring EMTV into their rural and remote electorates and declare it as a “government service”.
A true public government service comes only when PNG politicians and the national government “seriously” fund Kundu2 to extend its coverage to every nook and cranny of PNG.
As a journalism student, I can say that almost 90% of EMTV’s programmes are produced overseas for foreign TV audiences; hence such “borrowed” overseas-based TV programmes are inappropriate for PNG viewers.
Furthermore, EMTV is only a Port Moresby-based station covering news and currents events of what is happening in the NCD everyday.
Since Kundu2 is Sir Michael So­mare’s gift to Papua New Guineans, the prime minister, his deputy and NEC must seriously look into pumping millions of kina to truly make Kundu2 a PNG TV station.
The government, in consultation with National Broadcasting Corporation, should also come up  with a “policy” for all government departments and agencies, government-owned businesses and provincial and local level governments to use only Kundu2 as a “one-stop government information service” for their  public relations, promotions, public awareness and commercial advertisements.
This is one way how government institutions can work in collaboration with each and “do business with each other” to help drive the government’s Vision 2050 forward.
With such support, Kundu2 will be able to sustain its operations, improve its telecasts, produce more PNG local content programmes, buy more locally-produced programmes and even generate money for the government.
The provincial governments can also support Kundu2 through their local NBC provincial radio networks to see more Kundu2 reporters and cameramen based in all 22 provinces to report on news and current affairs of these provinces.
It is time to think PNG content so that we can be proud of Kundu2, a 100% nationally-owned TV station.

Journalism student 
Madang