Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Fearing difficulties, Fiji Times rejects RNZI ad

Posted at 07:03 on 16 April, 2009 UTC

The Fiji Times newspaper has refused to accept an advertisement from Radio New Zealand International.

RNZI sought to place the advertisement to inform Fiji about how to listen to its broadcasts after Fiji’s interim government ordered the shutdown of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s FM radio transmitters in Fiji.

The ABC’s service includes a daily RNZI programme.

Radio New Zealand’s Communications Manager John Barr says they merely wanted to remind listerners in Fiji of the frequencies to tune in to RNZI.

“The response that we got back from the Fiji Times was that they could not accept the advertisement from Radio New Zealand. They considered it provocative and it would potentially result in difficulties for their senior staff.”

Radio New Zealand International continues to broadcast into Fiji on shortwave radio and the internet.