Kyrgyz national broadcaster marks 55 years on air

Kyrgyzstan’s national public broadcaster and ABU member PBC is celebrating 55 years of broadcasting by rededicating itself to improving services.

Mr Kubatbek Otorbaev, General Director of the Public Broadcasting Corporation of the Kyrgyz Republic, said this would focus on an “audience first” concept.

“As [PBC] embarks on its ‘next 55 years’, we’ve rededicated ourselves to the mission of adding value to people’s lives through programs and services that inform, educate, entertain, and inspire audiences in Kyrgyz Republic and beyond,” he said.

“This mission focuses on creating distinct content – specific to the audiences we serve – irrespective of the delivery technology. We believe this ‘audience first’ concept will provide even more value to those we serve.”

He said PBC would soon be operating digital television channels, two cable television networks and five radio stations.

“PBC serves the entire state of Kyrgyzstan, reaching an estimated 5.55 million television viewers and 1.2 million radio listeners each week.”

He said that through broadcasting and the Internet, PBC would continue to offer original programming that benefited Kyrgyzstan’s diverse communities while continuing to reinvent itself within Central Asian’s ever-changing broadcast terrain. Part of this reinvention would include using new high-definition (HD) digital delivery systems to enhance services by 2015.

The organisation also planned to strengthen and add value to the relationship between PBC and Kyrgyzstan’s educators, viewers and radio listeners.