Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Tanzania state-owned TV and radio to be reorganized



Televisheni ya Taifa (TvT) and Radio Tanzania Dar es Salaam (RTD) are to be reorganised within the next 18 months, in a move designed to enhance competitiveness of the state-owned institution in dissemination of programmes, it was announced in Dar es Salaam yesterday. Tanzania Broadcasting Services (TUT) Managing Director Dunstan Tido Mhando said the reorganisation also entailed improvement of working conditions by provision of better working tools.
“TvT and RTD are currently operating in unpleasant and difficult conditions,” Mr Mhando told a news conference at the Tanzania Information Services auditorium. He said the two institutions were operating from dilapidated buildings that need refurbishment and better working tools.
“I promise that all these problems will be solved within 18 months,” Mr Mhando, a renowned broadcaster and the former head of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Kiswahili Service, told journalists. He said he would launch an exclusive Kiswahili Service Channel to be used in promoting Tanzania’s image locally and abroad. The new TUT chief expressed concern over professional standards at the institutions, saying they leave a lot to be desired.
(Source: Daily News, Tanzania/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)