NU plans TV and newspaper

BANDARLAMPUNG, Lampung: Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) chairman Hasyim Muzadi said here on Friday the country's largest Muslim organization wants to build a television station and publish a newspaper.

The starting capital for the project is around Rp 148 billion (US$16.4 million), he said in Lampung provincial capital of Bandarlampung.

Hasyim said the NU central board would propose the plans to its leadership congress on Nov. 28 to Dec. 2 in Surakarta, Central Java, for an endorsement.

He said the planned TV coverage will focus on education, health and religious affairs.

According to him, it's time for Indonesia to have an alternative TV as existing stations tend to produce uneducated programs and instead direct the public into a hedonist lifestyle. -- Antara