KUCHING: It is indeed a proud moment for Sarawakians as Sarawak finally has its own television station called TVS. TVS will definitely promote Sarawak to other parts of the world while creating more opportunities for the locals in this creative industry.
TVS first premiered on Oct 10 on Astro Channel 122, and was officially launched by the Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud on Oct 11 at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK).
Here is an abridged version of Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg’s speech during the official launch of TVS.
I believe this is the moment the people of Sarawak have been waiting for — the state’s very own television station which aims to raise the creative industry in Sarawak to a higher level.
It is time to strengthen the state’s dignity on the national stage and in the international arena through the broadcasting platform and I am confident that TVS will facilitate this.
I am also very confident that the state, with Tun as the Head of State, will continue to provide a conducive environment for the children of Sarawak to work in the creative world.
We pray that Tun and Toh Puan will continue to be blessed with health and protected by Allah SWT.
TVS — the pride of Sarawakians
Today is another historic day for the people of Sarawak as we gather for the launch of TVS by Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib. TVS is the first state-owned TV station in Malaysia. It belongs to the people of Sarawak and the pride of the state.
It has been quite a long and arduous journey for us to get TVS to be up and standing. Thank you to all the people who have made TVS possible, especially those in the Sarawak Media Group (SMG), for being able to weather all the challenges and today proudly present TVS to all Sarawakians and Malaysians.
Fulfilling the promise
TVS started airing programmes yesterday afternoon (Oct 10) in conjunction with our Head of State’s 84th birthday celebration. It’s a great gift for the people of Sarawak but more importantly, it is a platform to promote the work of players in our local creative scene and give them the opportunity to monetise their talents.
Setting up Sarawak’s own TV station was among the first few promises I made when I took over from the late Pehin Sri Adenan Satem. This evening, thank God, I am glad to have fulfilled one more of my promises to the people of Sarawak within a period of three years or so.
Platform to showcase creative work
TVS, no doubt, will be a platform for our content creators, producers and performers to showcase their work. TVS is a dream come true for all Sarawakians that will tap the potentials of the creative industry and develop an economy centred on the creative industry. It is a tall order but I do not want to underestimate the capability of Sarawakians to rise to the challenge.
I believe that Sarawak is not short of talents and content materials to showcase to national and even world audience.
Who does not know Dayang Nurfaezah, Bob, Miss Malaysia World, Dewi Liana and Fransisca Luhong, the new Miss Universe Malaysia? All are children of Sarawak. I believe there are many more talents out there that have not been polished and given the opportunity to stand out.
I sincerely hope that TVS with its ‘Fresh and Inspiring’ concept will provide an alternative avenue for our local talents to reach the national and world stages.
Digitalising Sarawak
Sarawak is on the right track in digitalising the various sectors of its economy in the last three years. In the just concluded fourth Idecs, we were also given insight into how digitalisation through the media industry could present tremendous potential to Sarawak.
The media industry has a lot to gain from the digital economy through compelling contents. With the right differentiation strategy and clear unique selling propositions, TVS will stand out from the rest in the national broadcasting scene. It looks forward to becoming a regional player and setting its sights on the rest of the world.
The creative people must invest in new knowledge and state of the art technology. The only way for us to go is up and we have started.
TVS is not only a platform for the community to get official local, national and global news but also a platform that encourages national integration between the multiple races and cultures. The bonds that we have must not only be preserved but shared as we move forward.
I would like to congratulate SMG, the people behind TVS, for bringing Sarawak to a whole new level. I hope SMG will continue to produce exciting contents and develop more talents in the near future.
Of trial run and technical stability
This year, TVS is on trial run with Astro. As a new station, it is necessary for TVS to be on a trial run for a certain period of time to ensure technical stability and that the workflow is up to industry standards.
Broadcasts in the form of analogue like RTM have previously have been discontinued. All free broadcasts that use towers to send signals in Malaysia now use digital technology under one platform only, that is MyTV. MyTV requires a setup box that has been distributed free by the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia for free before.
Next year, we plan to expand TVS to the DTT (digital terrestrial television) platform, which is under MyTV which does not have subscription fee.
I would like to congratulate SMG and TVS once again for putting Sarawak one up above the rest of the states. This will certainly go down as history in the annals of Sarawak.
