Ok Tedi Mining

Radio Fly is a community radio station which is funded and operated by Ok Tedi Mining Limited. It provides a vital community information service to isolated areas of the North Fly region, parts of West Sepik, the rest of Western Province and some areas along the border of West Papua. It broadcasts in English and Tok Pisin. The isolated location of Western Province means that access to mainstream media is very limited, but Radio Fly fills that void.

The station is vital for the Community Mine Continuation process, informing villages of visits from community relations officers, and keeping them apprised of the environmental conditions and mine activity. A large chunk of the programming is focused on health and education messages as well as sustainable development, which is a topic very close to the listeners’ hearts.

As well as playing a wide range of music and entertainment, Radio Fly serves as a medium for dissemination of relevant information. The Tok Save (announcement) service is widely used by people all over the province, to announce social and business gatherings such as government visits, sports meets, women’s training sessions, weddings, funerals, and workshops.

Legal, health, farming and business-oriented programs are widely heard, and children’s and religious shows are very popular with regular listeners. Volunteers with a particular interest often come into the studio to present their own programs, and there is a three-times-daily news bulletin, which covers local, national and international stories. The Fly Weekly Top 10 Hit Parade is a compilation of the most popular requests and dedications of the week, as made by listeners.

OTV is the closed circuit television channel run by OTML, and a complement to Radio Fly. It has a more limited audience than Radio Fly, as televisions are hard to run and maintain in remote areas. OTV has a children’s program, current affairs, public announcement service and sports programming. There are also plans afoot for a lifestyle show, a music program and a regular news bulletin. As development continues in the region, OTV will continue to grow in audience and programming, performing an increasingly important service.