RTV Theory and Practice - Special Issue

commerciat rađio which merely plays records and talks . The puestion is whether politicians and the people are willing to рау the price - through taxes - for an alternative to the purely commercial system. s )»A*E RADIO AUSTRALIA Of particular interest must be the future of Radio Australia which was establisheđ in 19 39, RA is the most successful broadcaster in the Pacific region , a region which over the past ten уеагз has gained more and more prominence in world politics . At a time when the power struggle between East and West moves to the Southern Hemisphere , the presence of a strong short-wave service is of utmost importance. There is no other medium to cover the Pacif ic region except radio . 6 ) Distances are enormous, most nations relatively роог . Напу have a government-run newspaper and/or radio (the radio station often relaying RA news) , none have so far television with the exeption of those islands under US influence . 7 ) Most islands nations have journalism students training under Australian teachers at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji. But Western concepts of broadcasting often cannot be applied in the Pacific where custom dictates a type of behavior which is often incompatible with Western ideas of balanced and critical reporting . The only reliable source of information that can be well received in the Pacific is RA 8 ) because RA employs specialists in the region who can travel relatively freely (most countries being members of the Commonwealth) and because it has a commitment to the region . RA is not always welcome , of course , as the events in Fiji have clearly proven . The coup of Мау 14, 1987 during which the democratically elected government of Dr . Timoci Bavadra was overthrown by Brigadier Rabuka had come as a shock to all Pacific nations since no such political move had ever been taken place in the region . For years , there have been tensions in New Caledonia , there even had been an local uprising in Vanuatu at the time of its transition to independence . But never had there been a military coup . The Australian media immediately invaded Fiji but RA already had had a correspondent there . Fiji has a national broadcaster, Radio Fiji, with a national AM service , broadcasting in English , Hinđi and Fijian from three studios throughout the island nation . The capital Suva has also one commercial FM station which concentrates on piaying music . It soon became clear to the populatlon that local news bulletins were exceptionally short on facts . Fijians switched to RA . Rabuka eventually became so enraged with RA J s broadcasting that he tried to outlaw the possession of SW radios - practically impossible in a country which has a flourishing tax-free trade

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