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African Waves
Network Set to Beam Africa Positively to a Global Audience
Efforts to beam quality information about Africa through uplink
satellite multi-channel services to a global audience received a boost
with the test transmission of the African Waves Networks (AWN). The
station expects to meet its obligations by presenting basic ethnic
programmes about Africa to Europe and North America and serve to correct
and counter the imbalance of the unfair flow of information from the
west which always presents Africa in negative light.
Work is currently underway in Ibadan, the Capital of Oyo State in
South-West Nigeria on facilities for this global satellite broadcast.
Ibadan, home to this new broadcasting initiative is coincidentally the
city to host the first ever television station in the African continent.
Chairman of AWN, Mr. Rasak Lawal explained that the station will
broadcast to the whole of Europe, America and Africa saying that “the
coverage area of even the continent’s current biggest satellite
television service provider is limited to Africa”.
Mr. Lawal disclosed that the AWN has an installed capacity of 14
channels and is currently test-transmitting ten of these while the rest
four will serve as back-ups. He added the AWN uses eight of the
activated ten channels while the other two are available for acquisition
by interested television stations desirous of reaching a global
audience.
A breakdown of the station’s proposed bouquet of ethnic channels
includes: AWN-E1 and E2 which are dedicated channels for Nigerian
English films, basically from Nollywood, these channels would broadcast
four films repeatedly four times daily; AWN-H is the channel meant to
broadcast Hausa language programmes including films, news and current
affairs; AWN-Y will serve a Yoruba audience, broadcasting films, news
and current affairs in Yoruba language; AWN News will broadcast news and
current affairs.
The news channel is proposed to broadcast news that will correct the
imbalance by reporting accurate information and showcasing rich
documentaries from Nigeria and other African countries.
Two channels will beam religious programmes to the Christian and Moslem
communities: the AWN-CC will cater to the Christian community while AWN-Salam
will cater to the Moslem community.
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He said “AWN has already booked satellite spaces on Eutesat W2 and
Eurobird 1 and from Ibadan, it would transmit its signals to France from
where the signals would be downlinked to the UK and other parts of
Europe. The Network also hopes to broadcast via Rupert Murduch’s BSkyB”
The Network has entered into agreement with a local firm, ADLSTAR Media,
to provide local and business development contents. |
