NBC board approves new structure

 By HENRY MORABANG

THE National Broadcasting Corporation board has approved a new structure for the national broadcaster during a meeting in Kokopo, East New Britain, at the weekend.

Board chairman Kain Wosae said after the two-day meeting the corporation had been without a board for 18 months and that had affected the organisation.

He said since the appointment of managing director Memafu Kapera and members of the new board, the NBC had taken a tough stand to restore pride in the broadcaster.

Wosae said his board had to ensure radio communication reached the vast majority of people in the remote regions of the country.

He urged provincial radio stations to deliver communication services to the rural population and provincial governments to take ownership of funding for radio stations.

He said under the 1996 reforms, several functions of provincial stations, including funding from the provincial government budget, was approved to support the stations.

“I must say that the East New Britain provincial government is the only government that has been supporting the work of NBC by financially backing the provincial radio station and I am very proud of this government,” he said. 

Wosae said funding had been challenging and many provincial stations had gone off air as a result.

East New Britain radio manager Terry Longbut welcomed the board’s decision but said many of their broadcasting facilities were wearing out and they needed new equipment even though they have been a model radio station.

Longbut said staff housing has also been a chronic problem. 

“The staff are living far away and they need to be relocated by building new houses in Kokopo.

“I call on the NBC board and management to seriously consider building staff houses in Kokopo,” he said.