Irian Jaya to get its own TV station

Irian Jaya to get its own TV station

The Jakarta Post, Jayapura

The privately-run Papua Television Network will start operations
in Jayapura, the capital of Irian Jaya (or Papua) province, on
Feb. 5, 2002 to serve the people's need for information.

Jimmy Tampi, the station's operations director, said in a
press conference here on Monday that the TV station, the first in
the province, was established to help accelerate development
throughout the province.

"The TV station has been long-awaited because the current TV
stations, which are based in Jakarta, cannot cover all the remote
areas in the province. We will instead have relay towers in all
regencies in the province so that all the people can enjoy its
programs," he said.

He said the launching ceremony would be conducted in Jayapura
and attended by local officials as well as the TV networks'
president Santosa.

He declined to name those who have invested in the TV network
but said some of the investors were from Jakarta and other cities
in Java and Sulawesi.

He said the network's maiden broadcast would be on the
anniversary of the first arrival of Christian missionaries to the
territory, which took place on Feb. 5, 1855.

The Irian Jaya administration has declared Feb. 5 as a holiday
in the province.

According to Jimmy, Papua Television will have its
headquarters in Jayapura, with offices in each district of the
province and in a number of other cities throughout the country,
such as Jakarta, Bandung, Makassar and Surabaya.