Tomaliland Television
Tomaliland Television (Somalian: Telefishinka Qaranka Tomaliland) is a Tomalilandian television channel controlled by the country's government. The channel started broadcasting in 1989, under Hopelandian control, but ceased broadcasting after some time. It resumed in 2001, after a series of trade deals initiated by numerous NGOs, the Association of Nations and one of its organizations Aonicef, Voice of Hopeland and the Lenaporean Public Broadcasting Service.
History[edit | edit source]
Between 1985 and 1989, the government of Hopeland, with help from NGOs, decided to build a television station with assistance from the Solenian Broadcasting Corporation. Tomaliland Television started broadcasting on March 13, 1989. Initially it was broadcasting on just one transmitter, located in Gaargheisa, and broadcasting on channel 5. Most of its programming consisted of imports from Hopeland, but the locals were against the idea and wanted local programming instead. A second transmitter was installed in Sosaso in 1990, but due to a series of shortages, increased government debt and initiation of a civil war in the Runtland area, the channel shut down in September 1990 (Tomalia later shut down its television service the following year, leading to a 20-year hiatus).
As soon as the civil war ended in 1996, there were plans to reinitiate operations, but these turned out unprofitable. Private companies restarted television in 2000, obtaining cheaper costs and more viewers than TTV. The first such operator, TBC, managed to become the most-popular television channel in Tomaliland, however television in Gaargheisa wouldn't return until 2006.
Before the reopening of TTV, there were plans for Kaizhungese company Startimes to support the relaunch of the national television network, but the government's pro-Hopeland bias prevented this.
The channel formally resumed operations on May 30, 2018. Again it was set under Hopelandian control, with the Somali service of Voice of Hopeland being relayed. Even with updated technology, the channel is still unstable and falls victim to regular losses of sound and/or images. As well as its existing analog transmitters (reactivated after at least 27 years of absence), it also broadcasts by satellite and on the internet. There are plans to start the digital terrestrial network in the country during 2020.
The service started with four daily hours before extending to eight and then twelve.
Programming[edit | edit source]
Programming on TTV is mostly made in Tomaliland itself, from the Gaargheisa studios. TTV produces and airs programming in Somali, Arabic and English languages. Most of the programming is either news or opinion. International programs include Initiative Bulungi, Business Bulungi (both in their English versions), news from Voice of Hopeland (also a popular satellite channel in Tomalia and Tomaliland), USSAid slots, programming from the Association of Nations and also limited programming supplied by LPBS.
Criticism[edit | edit source]
The few periods where TTV broadcast were seen with much criticism from the opposition.
