Qarase To Open Christian TV Station

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QARASE TO OPEN CHRISTIAN TV STATION

SUVA (Pacific Media Watch): Fiji Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase will launch the country's third television station next week, the Sun newspaper reports.

Trinity Fiji will be the first Christian television station and will operate 24 hours.

The station follows the country's main TV broadcaster, Fiji Television Ltd, which operates both free-to-air and Sky pay TV channels; and the Nadi-based Community Television.

"Trinity Fiji is television for the whole family," says general manager Pastor Andrew Harries.

"Our aim is to provide wholesome television that caters for the viewing needs of over 500,000 people in Fiji while promoting positive family and community values and offering faith and hope," Pastor Harries said.

A free-to-air channel, Trinity Fiji is completely funded by the US-based Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), the operator of the world's largest network of Christian television stations.

The Fiji project is one of several the network is helping to launch in the South Pacific.

"We are sure that Trinity Fiji will appeal to a wide cross-section of Fiji's potential television audience because our programmes will be clean, entertaining, balanced and at the same time very relevant," he said.

"We will have international news current affairs, talk shows, the latest Gospel music, movies and some of the best preaching."

Trinity Fiji will source a major part of its programme from TBN via satellite, with plans to produce local programmes as soon as possible.

It will initially broadcast to the greater Suva area. Trinity is scheduled to go to the Western Division by March with a transmission site built in Sabeto.

Trinity [claims it] will be the first TV station in Fiji with a completely digital set-up.

+++niuswire

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