The Director General of the Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS), Alhaji Momodou Sanyang, has revealed that the digital satellite project being undertaken by GRTS has now reached a very advanced stage of completion.
Sanyang, who was speaking yesterday while presenting his institutions corporate audited accounts and activity report to the Public Accounts/Public Enterprises Committees of the National Assembly, said the GRTS’s commercial digital FM radio is also fully operational, and presently received globally.
According to him, upon completion of the satellite project, the GRTS will like other major broadcasters such as BBC, RFI, among others, be accessible to listeners worldwide.
“The completion of our satellite project will also phase out the MW transmission, and certainly reduce operational costs tremendously in terms of fuel, repairs and maintenance at Bonto,” he added.
The DG of GRTS, however, told members of the committees that his institution’s greatest constraint lies in the area of finance.
“We continue to render unpaid services to institutions valued at tens of millions of dalasis,” he stated.
Mr. Sanyang noted that notwithstanding the foregoing state of affairs on the ground, the Board of Directors, management and entire workforce of GRTS are fully committed to ensuring the successful realization of the mandate of the national broadcaster.
While calling for consistent support of government to that end, Sanyang also appealed for government’s intervention by way of subventions and an increase in the User-Fee Levy of 1.25 which, he said, presently hardly meets the institutions monthly salaries.
Meanwhile, after making some observations, members of the PAC/PEC Committees commended GRTS for, among others, its financial management discipline.