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Thumbs-up to our own TV station

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Datuk Dr Chamil Wariya.

KUCHING: Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) chief executive officer Datuk Dr Chamil Wariya welcomes the move to establish TV Sarawak, a new television station under Sarawak Media Group (SMG), as this will be a platform for Sarawakians to obtain news and information on current affairs from Sarawak’s perspective.

He said that this was currently lacking, explaining that in Radio Televisyen Malaysia’s (RTM) programmes for instance, news on Sarawak was usually only featured for a few minutes and it was part of a larger news programme.

TV Sarawak would be able to resolve this by focusing mainly on Sarawak affairs.

“This is certainly a good addition. Furthermore, now we are in the era of multimedia so TV Sarawak can also be watched online and via mobile phones since most people have smartphones these days.

“With this, they can tune in to TV Sarawak not only within Sarawak but outside the state as well,” he said when contacted by New Sarawak Tribune on Thursday (July 23).

Chamil pointed out that funding, content, and gaining a strong following were among the key challenges in this endeavour.

“Initial start-up costs will be high. Running a television station is not easy; it is going to cost money.

“In order for a television station to survive, it needs a lot of support from advertisers, in terms of purchasing airtime. For advertisers to come in, the criterion is usually ratings – how many people watch the programmes,” he said.

According to Chamil, it is important for TV Sarawak to command a strong following and viewership in order to attract advertisers and sustain.

He said that another challenge was producing contents which would attract viewers. He added that the operator must be clear on value proposition and the kind of programmes it aimed to offer to its audience.

“The customer segment also needs to be understood — which audience segment in Sarawak is targeted in terms of purchasing power, whether they are more interested in fiction or fact, and so on. These must be studied in depth before launch,” said Chamil.

He added that strategic partnerships could also be looked into, especially for smaller entities. 

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