TV viewers in the tiny Pacific island nation of Niue are getting bored with the constant diet of repeats being offered by the Broadcasting Corporation of Niue (BCN). But the broadcaster can’t do anything about it for the time being. Since hurricane-force winds destroyed BCN’s main antenna and satellite dish in January, the station has been unable to access live programmes from Australia and New Zealand. BCN General Manager Patrick Lino admitted to Niue News that “a lot of people are showing withdrawal symptoms.”
To make matters worse, Television New Zealand has dropped its Pacific service to Niue, the Cooks and Samoa because Fiji TV, its largest customer, pulled out of the arrangement preferring to purchase the rights and re-sell them to its neighbours. “Some of the programmes we previously bought from TVNZ at a good fee are now too expensive for us to buy but we are negotiating with Fiji TV to try and get a more reasonable deal,” said Mr Lino.
Meanwhile, China is to erect a new 76-metre TV transmission mast, and $144,000 from a Cook Islands Relief Fund is paying for a 40-meter tower and a new 7.5 metre satellite dish which will hopefully arrive from the US in August, said Mr Lino.
