IN 1993 CFL had an approach from a group of Papua New Guinean investors to assist with the development of commercial radio in Papua New Guinea.
“The approach came at a good time as we were looking around for a new challenge and they don’t come much bigger than PNG!” says Mr Parkinson. “Challenging and rewarding.”
The result was the creation of PNG FM Ltd, and in November 1994 its first station Nau FM went to air. Twenty years later PNG FM is a fully owned subsidiary of the Communications Fiji Ltd group and comprises three radio stations, the PNG Total Event Company, and a major shareholding in Paradise Cinemas and PNG FM CinemADs.
PNG FM Ltd is structured along similar lines to the CFL Fiji operations. At the nucleus of the company are Nau FM, which is youth oriented (similar to FM96); PNG’s biggest station Yumi FM, broadcasting in Tok Pisin (Pidgin English); and Legend FM, similar to its Fijian cousin.
The stations cover all the major populations centres across PNG with an increasing number of smaller centres added each year.
“Papua New Guinea is a massive in regional terms so we have to use satellite to distribute our signals to our 15 transmitter sites across the country,” said Mr Parkinson.
Getting accurate audience surveys in PNG is very difficult but a recent survey, funded by AusAID, suggested that Yumi FM had reach of 34 per cent with Nau FM 29 per cent, making them the top commercial stations in the country.
PNG FM in partnership with the CPL Group and Damodar Films launched PNG’s first multiplex cinema in February 2012.
The multiplex featuring three cinemas opened in the Vision City mall in Port Moresby. The company then followed up with a second three cinema multiplex at Waigani that opened in June 2014.
This is an exciting and challenging new venture for the organisation.
