P84 million Needed to Improve Mass Media Complex

  • P25 million for new channel
  • P39 million to upgrade BTV studios
  • P15 million for transmitters, facilities; P5million for facilities management

GOSEGO MOTSUMI

Presidential Affairs and Public Administration Minister Eric Molale has requested P84 million for the improvement of the Broadcasting Services department.
Addressing parliament last week, Molale said P25 million was requested for the implementation of BTV’s second television channel to cater for diverse audience needs and upgrading Data Broadcasting Systems.
The new channel which came hot off the heels of the recent launch of a youth channel, NOW TV, by the Ministry of Youth will, according to Molale, enhance the country’s vision of a knowledge-based society.
“Large amounts of TV content will be required to sustain the channel during its daily broadcast, content and program right acquisition and training in multi-channel operation,” he said.
P39 million is proposed for upgrading BTV studios and outside broadcast facilities for both Radio Botswana (RB) and BTV. Molale explained that with the digitalization of the studios, there is a need to also upgrade broadcasting facilities for seamless integration of equipment and systems used. “There is need to increase the capacity of media management systems for on air play out and archiving purposes as dictated by a multichannel facility.”
Furthermore, P15 million was requested for the upgrade of Transmitter Broadcast Facilities, connection of transmitter stations to the fiber network, upgrading of remote diagnosis telemetry system, radio and television signal coverage gap filling project. A further P5 million is to be used for facilities management of the Mass Media Complex.