From Matangi Tonga Magazine, Vol. 16, no. 1, June 2001.

A third television station for Tongatapu, the Doulos Broadcasting Network, DBN was commissioned by King Taufa‘ahau Tupou IV on May 2.

The new station, located at Houmakelikao, is one of 2325 stations around the world that is networking with the Trinity Broadcasting Network of Tustin, Santa Ana, U.S.A., utilising 17 orbiting satellites.

Dr Paul Crouch, the president of the Trinity Broadcasting Network said that the new station was his first one in the South Pacific, and was the fulfillment of a vision he had 28 years ago when he proposed to the King that a Christian television station be established in Tonga. Dr Crouch and his wife Jan (pictured above with the King) said they were convinced that they had been directed by God to spread the gospel throughout the world using the satellite technology.

The new station broadcasts from 5 a.m. until 12 mid-night. ‘Isileli Taukolo, the station manager, said that Jesus would be pre-eminent on anything that DBN  broadcasts.

Television viewers in Tongatapu and ‘Eua may choose from three stations, which are the Oceania Broadcasting Network OBN, Television Tonga, and DBN. For a viewer to be able to see all of these channels you need a multi-system television set, and in the Nuku’alofa area you will have a better reception with a good antenna than if you out in the villages.

If you have an NSTC system or American system, you can only access DBN and OBN, but there is a twist here, because with DBN you have to adjust your television set to UHF. Television Tonga on the other hand runs on PAL or the Australian system as it is known locally, and again with a multi-system set you should be able to access both American and Australian systems. The new Television Station DBN, broadcasts only religious programs down-loaded from Trinity Broadcasting Network station in Tustin, Santa Ana, USA. Both OBN and Television Tonga broadcast local programs, and world news.

Vava’u has its own  Friendly Islands Broadcasting Network,  launched in February and on air daily from 5pm until 12pm. Sangster Saulala, a shareholder of FBN said they cover local events and it broadcast a weekly Vava’u news bulletin.