Monday, December 18, 2006

RTM and CRI agree to collaborate

Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) and China Radio International (CRI) today agreed to collaborate by exchanging officers and programmes. Malaysian Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin said the officers exchange programme could be implemented next February after all the administrative issues had been ironed out. He said the programme was among the proposed areas of cooperation discussed during his visit to CRI last October.

“At that time CRI requested RTM to send its officers to work there. I also agreed then to accept CRI officers to work in RTM,” he told reporters after receiving a courtesy visit from a four-member CRI delegation to Malaysia today.

Zainuddin said the officers selected for the exchange programme would be based at the radio station for one year. He noted that such an exchange programme was crucial to expose the officers to the culture and customs of the host nation hence, helped them to create programmes that meet the listeners’ needs.

On the exchange of programmes, Zainuddin said RTM and CRI would do this via web links, selecting specific packages that contained suitable Malay and Mandarin programmes to be exchanged. “RTM will provide a package of specific programmes that can be sent to Beijing and vice-versa. However, the programmes created must be suitable for the targeted areas,” he said.

The scope of these programmes would be history, tourism, culture, social and education.
Zainuddin said programmes, prepared by CRI, will be aired by RTM radio stations including its Mandarin station, i-FM and Klasik Nasional, for two hours every week. However, the exchange of programmes will only be implemented after the officers exchange scheme had been carried out, he said.

(Source: Bernama/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)