Radio New Zealand International has announced the introduction of a new thirty minute weekday programme exchange with the BBC Pacific service. The programme, to be launched on Monday 17 July, will see the BBC’s Pacific service relaying a bulletin of Pacific regional news and Radio New Zealand International’s Pacific current affairs programme Dateline Pacific at 0830-0900 UTC. Dateline Pacific draws on the work of Radio New Zealand International staff and on stories filed by Pacific journalists from around the region.
In exchange, at 0100 UTC on weekdays Radio New Zealand International will be broadcasting a BBC World news bulletin, followed by detailed BBC correspondent’s reports from the four corners of the globe and a round-up of the latest in international sport.
Radio New Zealand International manager, Linden Clark, says she is delighted with the launch: “This will allow us to get more listeners for our flagship current affairs programme across the Pacific. It’s also recognition of the relevance of the Dateline Pacific programme which is already relayed by Radio Australia around the region.”
The Radio New Zealand International programme will be carried on the BBC’s Pacific network of FM relays and satellite services. Radio New Zealand’s own shortwave broadcasts cover the area from Papua New Guinea in the west across to French Polynesia in the east and all the countries in between. A new digital (DRM) shortwave service is just now being launched across the Pacific region with partner relaying radio stations in Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga and Niue all now equipped with digital software receivers. More countries will be equipped so they can receive the new digital signal over the next few months.
(Source: R. New Zealand International/R. Netherlands Media Network Weblog)