The long awaited media award for EMTVs outstanding coverage in the Pacific, announced last month, has finally arrived in PNG.
The current pandemic restrictions kept Asiavision’s news awards to a virtual presentation for the second consecutive year, but didn’t stop the prestigious awards for all member broadcasters from Asia and the Pacific to go ahead.
EMTV won the award for the “Outstanding Reporting from the Pacific” category, after the organization was short listed amongst other from the Pacific, including Fiji, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands.
The award recognized EMTV’s coverage of the Funeral of the PNG’s Founding Father Grand Chief Sir Michael Thomas Somare.
“We planned our coverage for the Founding Father and we executed it to perfection,” said Head of News Sincha Dimara.
The operation was code named – “Operation Kumul One”, engineered by Sincha Dimara, Scott Waide who was at the time Regional Head of News and Paul Vunituraga, Head of Productions.
“We were on our toes throughout the final farewell, trying our best to speak and tell stories of the man who led the country to independence, his family, his acquaintances and even the people he worked with on independence in 1975,” Ms Dimara said.
Two groups were sent out to cover the final farewell, one was deployed to Wewak two weeks prior to the departure of the casket of the late Grand Chief to his home province while another was stationed in Port Moresby covering the events that unfolded here through a live broadcast.
“For the first time in the country’s history, the three broadcasters EMTV, NBC and TV Wan put their commercial differences aside to work on this project and we acknowledge the contributions of our colleagues,” said Head of Productions Paul Vunituraga.
The Live Broadcast was hosted by Legendary and respected Television personality John Eggins which was viewed in the country and abroad through the networks live stream.
This is the third time EMTV has won an award from Asiavision.
