Thursday , 28 March 2024
enfrit
As having been announced by president Ravalomanana by beginning of the year, everyone believed that the TVM 2 project had been made history by the arson of the national channel's facility. The Communication and Culture minister of the transition government is although re-launching the idea.

Television: the second national channel project is back

 

Gilbert Raharizatovo is betting on the speech effect. The second national channel project is reactivated. How come? Doubts are legitimate since TVM had not yet fully recovered from the terrifying arson and havocs of latest January 26th. The Communication minister is standing by cooperation with some wealthy African countries. A ministry official is being sent in mission through several countries to find partnerships in the project. 

Apart from investments in infrastructures and materials, the Communication ministry strains to develop the audiovisual human resources. Training of journalists and other professionals will be programmed. Partner countries are currently asked for scholarships for Madagascan journalists. 

A second public service TV channel is good news for the major part of the population for which, only the national channel is available. A more commercially oriented channel with attractive programs would be quite welcome. If it is, however, a propaganda channel for the regime, the public would get no gain. 

After their criticisms of the previous government’s control over TVM, the HAT and the government of transition are acting, at least, twice worse. Every day, a minister or a HAT member must intervene in a long interview, either on national radio, or on TVM. Spectators begin to get used to Andry Rajoelina’s long speeches, fully broadcasted without any journalistic treatment. In the same way, the young First Lady has a 10 minutes long report in the daily news. 

January 26th, 2009 was the apocalypse day for TVM and RNM. On May 13th Square, Andry Rajoelina announced that TVM had to be taken over, because it didn’t broadcast anymore over Antananarivo. Actually, there was an antenna problem on that day. Once in Anosy “to free” the prosecuted students, the TGV movement degenerated and stormed TVM’s facilities in which soldiers sought refuge after the beginning of hostilities. 

The drama occurred. The brand new building, the modern studio, the offices… all has been wrecked then set alight. TV cam recorders, costing around 60 millions of ariary, have been dumped from as high as the third floor. The flames engulfed everything, materials as well as archives. The firemen had not answered to calls, as they were waiting for that time’s mayor’s green light. The TVM facility walls resisted, those of the RNM would have had to be destroyed. Both channels currently operate in buildings wrecked by arsons. 

A political personality has been arrested for his presumed implication in the national channel buildings arsons. The act was indeed political since, on the same day, the Ravalomanana government’s communications withered in ashes. Anyway, these deliberate attacks have been amnestied in advance by the authorities of transition. As a proof, the principal suspect in the TVM case is now member of the HAT.