Pacific Public broadcasters seek foreign aid

A group of public broadcasters in the South Pacific have joined forces with a key aim of co-ordinating their requests for foreign aid reports the Radio Heritage Foundation. The Pacific Association of Public Service Broadcasters was set up earlier this month at a meeting in Vanuatu and brings together NBC Papua New Guinea, SIBC Solomon Islands, TBC Tonga and VBTC Vanuatu.

According to one report, one of their main objectives is to collaborate on requests to foreign countries and aid agencies for money to fund digital broadcasting, new equipment, staff training, infrastructure and much more. No information was made available on what their current combined budgets amount to, what commitments their own governments are making to support their future broadcasting plans from domestic resources and how much foreign aid money has already been poured into the four broadcasters in the past two decades.

All four broadcasters are facing increased competition from local commercial stations and losing market share of local listeners. These local commercial stations fund themselves by raising capital from shareholders and selling advertising. The four partners have started their efforts by signing a Friendship & Co-operation Agreement, and are now busy drafting the constitution, regulations and policies of their new organization.

“The challenges faced by the four Pacific pubcasters reflect those of fellow public service broadcasters in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA, where tough economic conditions have already frozen or

reduced budgets” says Radio Heritage Foundation chairman, David Ricquish. They also face common issues of increased competition from digital and internet broadcasting platforms and essentially, no longer operate just within their national borders. Their regulatory structures no longer offer as much protection from competition as before.

 

“Expect their increased requests for foreign aid to be met by a closer look at their efficiency, their governance and whether or not their programs and services continue to meet contemporary listener

expectations and needs” adds Mr Ricquish. If potential Chinese ’soft loans’ for these pubcasters will be accompanied by more than a cursory look at these issues remains to be seen.

“Whether there remains a role for pubcasters in these relatively small Pacific economies and if there is, what it might be and how best to resource it, is one key issue now confronting these PAPSB members,” concludes Mr Ricquish. The Radio Heritage Foundation says it’s good to see them taking a collective approach to these challenges, and some responsibility for their own futures.

(Source: Radio Heritage Foundation via Media Network Weblog)