BY MIRIAM MALAWA
MINISTER for Information and Communication Technology, Timothy Masiu says there are plans to improve the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) as it looks forward to celebrate its 50 years anniversary this year.
Minister Masiu said this when responding to queries of governments’ plan to improving the oldest radio station (NBC) in the country
“We have a lot of plans to improve NBC, we just built a new radio station in Hela Province and there is a new radio station in Jiwaka province that will be opened very soon. All of the radio stations are being renovated and we are putting in new transmitters and media web transmitters. And of course, there’s a lot of transformation taking place now,” he said.
Masiu said the government hopes to see NBC regained its former glory and make sure that it is an iconic radio station in the country.
“NBC started this country in 1973 when it was ABC, and then when ABC left, they decided to call the organization National Broadcasting Corporation. We are celebrating 50 years this year and we cannot celebrate 50 years without anything. We will be making sure that NBC is heard in all the remotest areas of this country,” he said.
“That’s my passion and that’s the very important stance I am making now, to making sure that NBC radio is being heard in the rural areas.”
He said there are few challenges such as the availability of proper radio receivers.
“There are few challenges we have and one is called the receivers radios. Today the radios that are being manufactured does not have the medium wave and soft wave. So, we would want to make sure that the factories that are manufacturing radios have those frequencies that will be broadcasting to the radios. We have Radio West New Britain broadcasting on medium wave transmitter and the radio station can be heard as far as Eastern Highlands, Madang and Morobe province.”
Minister Masiu also commended the Marape-Rosso government for allocating K10 million to NBC.
“I know that this year, with that money we can bring in a lot of transmitters, and we can bring in all the radio stations in the country.”
