Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation

The Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) is the national public broadcaster of the Republic of Mauritius, that is the islands of Mauritius, Rodrigues and Agaléga. The headquarters of the MBC is found at Réduit, Moka, it also operate a station in Rodrigues. The MBC programmes are broadcast in 12 languages, notably French, Creole, English, Hindi, Urdu, Bhojpuri, Tamil, Gujarati, Telugu, Marathi, Mandarin/Cantonese and Hakka, it provides 17 television channels in Mauritius, 4 in Rodrigues and 2 in Agaléga and 7 radio channels.[1]

Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation (MBC)
TypeBroadcast television,
broadcast radio,
internet website and
streaming media
Country
Mauritius
AvailabilityNationwide
Founded8 June 1964 (1964-06-08)
by Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam
HeadquartersMoka, Moka District
Broadcast area
Mauritius, Rodrigues, Agaléga
Worldwide (online with restricted programming)
OwnerGovernment of Mauritius
Key people
Director General
Vijay Kumar Parmessur
Former names
Mauritius Broadcasting Service
Official website
mbcradio.tv

Overview

The MBC operates under the aegis of the Prime Minister’s Office. It is established as a body corporate under Act No. 7 of 1964. According to the provisions of the Act, its main objectives is to provide independent and impartial broadcasting services of information, education, culture, and entertainment in different languages taught or spoken in the country, and to ensure that the broadcasting services cater for the aspirations, needs, and tastes of the population in the matters of information, education, culture, and entertainment.[2] Opposition parties and media commentators often criticise the MBC for pro-government bias.[3] The MBC is a member of the Association des Radios et Télévisions de l’Océan Indien (ARTOI), Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, and an associate member at the European Broadcasting Union, the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, and the South African Broadcasting Association and of the Conseil International des Radios-Télévisions d’Expression Française.

List of MBC Channels

TV Channels
Initial Name Re-Brand Date Launched Notes
MBC 1 (Mauritius) None 8 June 1964
MBC 2 (Mauritius) None 30 July 1990
MBC 3 (Mauritius) None March 1996
MBC Digital 4 BTV Mauritius February 2011
Sports 11 YSTV (Mauritius) 2011 Re-branded to YSTV on 18 Avril 2019
Ciné 12 Ciné Tv 2019
Knowledge Channel Kids Channel (Mauritius) 18 September 2007 Closed on 31 January 2015
Senn Kreol None 30 January 2013
Bhojpuri Channel None 30 January 2013
MBC Sat None November 13, 2014

Radio Channels
Initial Name Re-Brand Date Launched Frequency Notes
Radio Maurice None Not Known 684Khz (North), 684Khz (South), 68Khz (East), 684Khz (Centre)
Radio Mauritius None Not Known 819Khz (North), 819Khz (South), 819Khz (East), 819Khz (Centre)
Best FM (Mauritius) None October 2010 103.5MHz (North), 96.4MHz (South), 96.4Mhz (East/West), 99.4 MHz (Center)
Kool FM None Dec 1989 91.7Mhz (North), 89.3Mhz (South), 91.7Mhz (East), 97.3Mhz (Centre)
Music FM NRJ Maurice 14 May 2018 92.7Mhz (North), 94.9Mhz (South), 94.9Mhz (East), 90.8 mhz (Centre)
Taal FM None Aug 1995 98.2Mhz (North), 95.6Mhz (South), 94.0Mhz (Centre)
Rodrigues FM None Not Known

History

It was established as a body corporate on 8 June 1964 under the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation Ordinance no. 7 (1964). Prior to that date it operated as a Government Service under the name of Mauritius Broadcasting Service.

The original ordinance establishing the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation was amended and consolidated by Acts of Parliament: Act no. 65 of 1970, Act no. 22 of 1982 and Act no. 65 of 1985. These amendments were necessary to accommodate interalia changes at both technological and social levels as well as to satisfy the aspirations of all segments of the Mauritian nation.

TV broadcasts started on a pilot basis in 1964 with the installation of three repeater stations at Fort George, Mount Thérése and Jurançon. On 8 February 1965, television was officially launched with a daily evening transmission of about three hours. The first live local program was broadcast on the occasion of the visit of Princess Alexandra in 1968.

The phasing out process of black and white television started in 1973 and indeed the OCAMM Conference which was held at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute in the same year was broadcast live in colour (SECAM system). By 1978 the MBC was fully equipped for the broadcast of colour programs. The MBC started it operation in Rodrigues on 7 November 1987. A second channel was launched on 30 July 1990, the MBC 2. The MBC 3 became operational in March 1996.

In 2005, the MBC was the first public television broadcaster in Africa to launch Digital Terrestrial Television channels. In 2007, the MBC also extent its digitalized service to the islands of Rodrigues and Agaléga.[4] In 2011, the MBC move from its former headquarter in Forest Side, Curepipe to Moka. The Bhojpuri Channel and Senn Kreol was launched in January 2013.

In 2012, the President of the Republic stated that the MBC is run with a mindset of unfairness, partiality, and is not worthy of a democratic nation.[5]

On 14 November 2016, MBC rebranded the logo of its 17 channels and introduced a standardised logo with different colour variations for each channel. Additionally, new onscreen graphics were introduced.

MBC broadcasts many of its own shows, promoting the country and the physical and mental health of the people of Mauritius.

On 1 December 2016, the MBC released the MBC play app, which is still under development, on Google Play Store, allowing users around the globe to stream Live TV & radio channels of the corporation. Later on, after releasing a stable version, this app is also expected to be available on the Apple App Store.

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See also

References
  1. "BROADCASTING SERVICES IN MAURITIUS". Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  2. "MAURITIUS BROADCASTING CORPORATION" (PDF). Government of Mauritius. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 November 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  3. http://www.transparency.org/files/content/corruptionqas/Country_Profile_Mauritius_2014.pdf
  4. "Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting in Mauritius - History". newmediaforms. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  5. "Island republic's television stations a "tool of the government," says president - IFEX". IFEX. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
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