Pangcheng Rissoma

Pangcheng Rissoma (literally "Broadcasting [of] Rissoma"; official English name Rissoman Broadcasting Corporation) is the state-owned radio and television service of Rissoma. A public service corporation, it is fully funded by the state and it is the only service to offer both radio and television to the country, and is the only television service to broadcast from inside the Rissoman border. The use of telecommunications is currently governed through the Information, Communications and Media Act of 2006.

PR has been an active member of the Sondria Northullic Broadcasting Union since 1980.

History

For many years, Rissoma did not have modern telecommunications. The first radio broadcasts commenced in March 1972, when the National Youth Association of Rissoma (NYAR) began radio transmissions of news and music for a half-hour each Sunday, under the name "Radio NYAR." The transmitter was first rented from a local telegraph office in Takhu. By 1976, Radio NYAR was already broadcasting five hours a week, Wednesdays to Sundays. The government took over Radio NYAR in 1979. A second radio station set up by the government, Moenhwa Pangcheng (Cultural Broadcasting) was founded in 1980. The government merged Radio NYAR and Moenhwa Pangcheng in 1986, renaming the combined organization as Pangcheng Rissoma in 1986, with expansions in radio scheduling as well as construction of a modern broadcast facility occurring in 1991. By then, shortwave radio had oficially reached all of Rissoma. In 1999, PR started FM transmissions of its two networks in selected parts of the country.

For a long time, Rissoma was the only nation in the world to ban television, however the king was secretly caught watching Chichetyan state channel Rupavahini. The first night of television broadcasts finally occurred in June 1994. Until then, few were the people aware of the existence of a television, and sometimes viewers watched channels from Chichetya and Tangwa with favorable conditions. There was a fierce opposition towards the introduction of television, as PR decided to make it a "counter-Chichetyan" service due to the massive influx of Chichetyans coming to Rissoma. Until November 2003, terrestrial broadcasts of PRTV were limited to Takhu, however it was available by cable link, until the government decided to create official microwave links then, before being deprecated by PRTV making its launch on satellite - in March 2006 - expanding the service to a truly nationwide scale. PRTV broadcasts on a network of 31 transmitters and is also available on all cable operators by law. It is the only Rissoman television channel. The government wants to give PRTV a second channel, but according to recent reports, it's been considered "a long stretch".

2020 temporary suspension of all programming and NBC-Rupavahini takeover (ongoing)

In late April 2020, Pangcheng Rissoma received notifications from the CRC that they were infringing on copyright issues after showing reports critical of the Chichetyan government. After the first two initial strikes were given, a third strike disabled Pangcheng Rissoma from broadcasting any news programs on May 10, 2020.

At 21:00, all radio and television broadcasts were interrupted by an announcement saying that the Chichetyan government has technically sacrificed all of PR's operations, as well as independent FM station FM Takhu. It was announced that, while measures were being settled, Pangcheng Rissoma would have a week before its operations were to be restored. This led to a series of counter-negotiations asking Rupavahini and the National Broadcasting Corporation of Chichetya from using its equipment to broadcast radio and television services that are of a foreign country. As of November 2020, the issue is yet to be resolved.

It is believed that Pangcheng Rissoma will resume broadcasting by the end of 2022. The relaunch of the service has been delayed countless times, so were the appeals to the Chichetyan government, most of which were rejected. Since November 2021, it was reported that the only way to restart PR's operations is by starting a new radio network from scratch, or sending a threat to both the CRC and the CBC.

Less people have been listening to radio and watching television following the shutdown, whereas few people watch Rissoman programming from Tangwa beamed by satellite and relayed by cable companies. Outside of Takhu, television is still relevant in Thoson, where a local cable channel, Thoson Central Television, is still operational because it wasn't bound by the regulations. Live programming often ends with the phrase "let tonight be the last night "namo namo matha is heard on radio and television".

A new order will be put to place on June 22, 2023, requesting the CRC and NBC to stop broadcasting on Rissoman frequencies illegally, and enabling the return of Pangcheng Rissoma and FM Takhu.

Controversies

Although Pangcheng Rissoma is extremely popular among the Rissoman people, mismanagement has plagued its growth. The government's attempts to keep its actions and content under its control include deputing senior civil servants as CEOs and toying with the annual budget string. There have been complaints in the past regarding the constant repetition of PRTV's programming.

Despite the set-up with Tangwan assistance of a backup Pangcheng Rissoma service, it was also forbidden from reporting about the murder of a Rissoman in Chichetya in January 2021, motivated by the conflict between the two countries. The murder was reported by commercial TV channels in Chichetya who are the only ones with a neutral stance.

Operations

• Radio Rissoma - also known as Radio 1 or PR1. Replaced by the National Service of the NBC.
• Moenhwa Pangcheng - also known as Radio 2 or PR2. Replaced by the Kathoen Service of the NBC.
• Pangcheng Rissoma Television - known as PRTV. It broadcasts daily from 19:15 to 21:35 every evening, though there are times its schedule might extend. Replaced by Rupavahini Takhu, the only locally-produced programs are television classes provided by the government.