Nauru Television

Nauru Television (NTV), established on May 31, 1991, is the government-owned, non-commercial sole television company in the Republic of Nauru. It is operated by the Nauru Broadcasting Service and overseen by the Nauru Media Bureau.^{[1] [2]}

Specificities

Nauru Television broadcasts 24 hours a day - up from 5 hours a day when it was first launched. It "operates a [...] PAL – B colour service transmitted free-to-air [...] through 1x10w and 2x100w transmitters".^[3]

Original plans to levy a fee per household were dropped, and NTV is funded by the government.^[4]

Content

NTV's guiding policy upon launch called for it to present "a programme schedule that reflects and promotes cultural, educational, community and social interest in Nauru", and to have "a balance of programme types (news, current affairs, documentary, sports, adult and children’s comedy, drama, health, education, etc)". Local and international news would be covered, along with "major local sports and social events".^[5]

By the early 2000s, NTV exclusively broadcast content provided by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, due to the country's dire economic situation and NTV's lack of a functioning camera. Its capacities were subsequently expanded with the assistance of AusAID.^[6] In 2002, UNESCO reported that NTV's "only locally produced programme is a popular daily half-hour news bulletin produced by NTV personnel in the S-VHS format. Local news items are shot utilising three field cameras which double as studio fixtures for post production".^[7]

NTV broadcasts both in Nauruan and in English.^[8]

Four Corners issue

In 2004, the government of President Ludwig Scotty, seeking re-election, ordered Nauru Television to broadcast the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Four Corners programme on past economic mismanagement under former President Rene Harris, every evening during the week before the election. Harris complained that NTV "had refused to give him equal time to present his side of the story". Scotty was re-elected.^{[9] [10]}

References

1. ^ "PACIFIC ISLANDS TELEVISION SURVEY REPORT 2002", UNESCO
2. ^ Nauru Yearbook 2006, Commonwealth of Nations
3. ^ "PACIFIC ISLANDS TELEVISION SURVEY REPORT 2002", UNESCO
4. ^ "PACIFIC ISLANDS TELEVISION SURVEY REPORT 2002", UNESCO
5. ^ "PACIFIC ISLANDS TELEVISION SURVEY REPORT 2002", UNESCO
6. ^ "Nauru makes media network from scratch", The Australian, February 15, 2010
7. ^ "PACIFIC ISLANDS TELEVISION SURVEY REPORT 2002", UNESCO
8. ^ "Nauru", L'aménagement linguistique dans le monde, Trésor de la langue française au Québec, Université Laval
9. ^ "Budget gives Nauru reality check", ABC Radio National, November 7, 2004
10. ^ "TOUGH ADJUSTMENT AHEAD FOR REFOCUSED NAURU", Islands Business, December 29, 2004