From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 15, no. 2, June 2000.

Television Tonga prepared for the launching of its service on July 4, with a workshop on television news and programme production, held at the Tonga Broadcasting Commission’s Main Studio in Nuku’alofa in May.

The two-week long workshop was run by Paul Hawker, an experienced Television Producer from the Eagle Film and Video Pty., Sydney. Paul, who has been working in television production for 15 years, said that with the skills that the staff of Television Tonga had attained he was optimistic that at the end of the workshop they would be able to produce television news programs.

Tavake Fusimalohi, the General Manager of Radio Tonga, at the opening of the workshop expressed his concern over the high cost of running a television station. He said that Television Tonga had approached both the Australian High Commission and the British High Commission for assistance so that the station could down-load television programs from the ABC, and the BBC.

The Australian High Commissioner to Tonga, Mr Angus Macdonald, commented that although the ABC was fully owned by the government of Australia, it had the same kind of independence that is enjoyed by the Tonga Broadcasting Commission and it could ask some hard questions of government.

He supported the view that television news should project the local culture and play a part in the democratisation process.