Cook Islands Television (abbreviated CITV) is the oldest television station in the Cook Islands. Founded in 1990, it broadcasts from Rarotonga, where Avarua, the national capital, is located.
CITV is owned by the Pitt Media Group, headed by Ms. Shona Pitt, who also owned TV Niue.[1]
The first proposal to set up a television service to Rarotonga was submitted by the Nine Network in 1987, the project would work depending on the situation in Fiji. The plan failed due to the economic downturn caused by the Fijian coups and Nine withdrew from the project.[2]
In 1988, a change in power occurred following elections in the islands and the introduction of television was seen as a priority by the new government. A new proposal was submitted by Television New Zealand, which unlike the Nine Network, didn't recommend a free-to-air system for broadcast. Its involvement was purely commercial, with the Cook Islands Government providing funds and TVNZ purchasing and setting up production equipment and initial basic training for staff under a government contract. Programming was provided under an exclusive confidential contract from TVNZ.[2]
CITV launched on 25 December 1989 (Christmas Day). The government in May 1989 had outlined that the channel would open ahead of the end of 1989.[3] To fund the service a 2% increase on personal income tax was put to place. This was later revised to 1% in order to prepare for the 1992 Pacific Festival of the Arts. This caused the Cook Islands Broadcasting Corporation to use only half of what it had planned for development.[2]
Since the government assured that all Cook Islander citizens were levied with the increase, the plan was to make the television service available in the whole archipelago. The first phase involved Rarotonga, the capital island. In 1990, the service expanded to Aitutaki, the second most-populated island. In the third phase in 1992 the service was made available to Mauke and Manihiki. As of 1993 the final phase of the project was still on the cards, by bringing the service to the remaining islands: Atiu, Mitiaro, Mangaia, Penrhyn and Pukapuka. This fourth and final phase was set to be completed by year-end 1993.[2]
In August 2010, Isaiah Narayan of Fijian commercial station Mai TV visited CITV to install a new fully-automated programming system.[4]
| Location | Channel | Power | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CITV studio (main transmitter) | 2 | 1W | |
| 4 | 50W | ||
| 10 | 50W | ||
| 6 | 50W | ||
| 11 | 50W | ||
| 7 | 50W | ||
| Rarotonga | 9 | 50W | |
| Works Depot | 5 | 50W | |
| Hospital | 11 | 1W |
Islands outside of Rarotonga had their own CITV stations, in line with the plan to make television available in all of the Cook Islands. The Aitutaki service started in 1990 broadcasting on channel 9 with a transposer relaying it on channel 5 with the power of 5 watts. The transmitter in Mauke was carrying the signal on channel 5 with the power of 10 watts and the one in Manihiki on channel 9 with the power of 10 watts. The transmitters in the remaining islands were under construction by the then-Telecom Cook Islands. Satellite broadcasting was out of question due to high costs. Because some islands didn't have daily flights, some tapes arrived at the outer island stations with a delay of up to a week.[2]
Since the beginning, TVNZ has been a crucial part in its development, providing programming as part of its Pacific Service (now Pasifika TV). In 1990, CITV broadcast daily from 5 to 11 pm.[3]
In 1993, CITV produced 14% of its output, one of the highest proportions out of a television station in the Pacific islands. The CIBC goal in 1994 was to aim for 20%. At the time, the channel broadcast a half-hour bilingual news programme, Te Ronge Vega, which was presented in both Cook Islands Māori and English languages, and was broadcast at 7:30pm on weeknights.[2] In Aitutaki, programming was recorded off-air from Rarotonga and flown to the island for broadcast in the following day. In the other outer islands, CITV produced a compilation tape of local and international news reports.[2]
CITV wanted to air CNN International at least once or twice a day in the mid-90s, but the price to pay for the relays turned out to be larger than the total service cost for the station's staff, equipment and programme renting.[5]