South Sudan’s public TV is to change its news coverage by broadcasting sports, economic and international news and leaving out official reporting.
Currently, SSTV news bulletins in English and Arabic cover mostly official activities and statements and the technical quality of its broadcastings is low.The new SSTV Director Moyigga Nduru announced that the public television is restoring full packages of international, economic and sports news together with weather forecast.
Mr Nduru said the government-founded TV station faces a number of problems difficult to individualize.
He added that most of the SSTV news are about departures and arrivals giving the impression that South Sudan is a country on the move.
Mr Nduru said there were many complaints from viewers and people preferred to watch Nigerian movies and British soccer instead of tuning to SSTV.
He added that Juba dominates the SSTV news but it must change.
Mr Nduru said most of the information coming from the states is not news but the footage from official activities of governors and commissioners.
Mr Nduru said SSTV journalists should treat news according to their merits and not following governors, commissioners or ministers everywhere.
He said that after one week in office he is trying to find ways to change the attitudes of the staff to air good stories.
The SSTV director made these statements Saturday evening during the celebration of Al Mashir Arabic newspaper’s first year of publication in Juba.