By Landing Colley
The Director General of the Gambia Radio and Television Service (GRTS) has lamented on series of challenges facing the national television station, this include lacks of modern equipment and mobility, which is affecting their functioning.
Abdou MS Touray informed the lawmakers on Friday while presenting the institution’s 2019 activity report.
“As we strive to ensure the delivery of quality broadcasting service to the public, GRTS continuing to struggle with financial constraint, lack of modern equipment, facilities and inadequate mobility which continue to meditate our development strategies. Despite these challenges the corporation has manage to cover all major national events,” he said.
He added that “another major challenge is the over staffing of GRTS. It is a call for concern and the situation was inherited from the past when staff numbers have increased considerable during the former regime. If uncheck the trend can hamper development and sustainability of the institution.”
However, he said the management is making conscious effort to revise the trend to restructure and reposition the institution.
“The emerge of new television stations in the country also created a competitive atmosphere in the broadcasting industry which required the state broadcaster to compete for survival with its aging machinery, lack of digital mobility and huge mobility constraint, with pre-carry financial situation that continue to affect the institution unless government intervene,” he said.
He said GRTS has already register a subsidiary report called Digital Gambia limited (DGL) which he said came in to existence to take charge of signal distribution as for the recommendation of international telecommunication unit (ITU).
He noted that approval was granted for this company to operate signal distribution in the Gambia and currently the company has started operation with its board of directors.
According to him the digital migration will offer television stations the opportunity to have several channels instead of transmitting on a single channel.
During the year under review, he said the daily news in English at 8pm and 10 pm were running regularly, news bulleting are broadcasting in all major language in the country and a weekly Arabic news bulleting was also consistence, up till date.
“The institution has carried out major national event such as the TRRC which is still ongoing, the Janneh Commission and traditional event like the national assembly proceeding, independent day where all successfully covered,” Mr Touray said.
