Minister sets 2020 deadline for nationwide TV coverage by 2020

Ensuring all Lao citizens have television coverage by 2020 is a priority for Minister of Information and Culture Mounkeo Oraboun.

Speaking at a national television meeting yesterday in Vientiane , Mr Mounkeo said expanding television coverage would allow people, particularly in rural areas, to access important information. The television network signal currently covers 60 percent of the country, the majority of which comprises urban areas.

“In areas where villagers cannot access the media, especially television, people are very poor and I want all Lao households to be able to watch Lao-produced television to help fight poverty,” Mr Mounkeo said.

The minister urged Lao media to supply clear and timely information to Lao people, while also educating and entertaining their audiences.

Mr Mounkeo said human resource development was a fundamental issue that needed to be addressed to improve the quality of Lao TV. This problem, combined with financial difficulties, had delayed the development of television stations throughout the country.

The minister said the first television station was established in Laos 25 years ago and was created to disseminate information for the government, not generate profits. Now it is necessary to build the station's capacity to generate income and reduce the cost to the government while also helping to improve the knowledge of the next generation.

Mr Mounkeo praised television officials for their achievements during the past five years. He said Lao national television was able to maintain its role in promoting the Party's policies even as Laos moved towards a market-orientated economy. It also helped prevent emerging social problems and encouraged patriotism among Lao people.

He said television programmers needed to work harder to produce content that reflected the directives of the Party and was also interesting and informative for viewers.

Mr Mounkeo spoke about the global push towards digital television and Laos ' plans to transfer to digital from the current analogue system.

The nation had planned to completely transfer to digital by 2020, but local officials have limited expertise and there are concerns about the ongoing management of this technology.

At the conclusion of the two-day meeting yesterday Mr Mounkeo congratulated all participants for their contribution to Lao TV.

The first meeting to address this issue was held in 2001.

This week's meeting was in response to a resolution passed by the Ministry of Information and Culture at a nationwide meeting held in Champassak province last January.

By Vientiane Times
(Latest Update September 17, 2008)