MBC Mauritius - Curepipe

Mauritius Broadcasting Service
The Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) is the national public broadcasting service (Radio and TV) of the Republic of Mauritius and its outer islands including Rodrigues and Agalega. 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 
Kool FM Mauritius is broadcasted by the MBC (Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation) as well as Taal FM Mauritius and World Hit FM Mauritius.
The Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) distributes also TV channels over the island; the most popular channels are MBC1, MBC2 and MBC3. On these channels there are a lot of local productions, the everyday news and  

Show more

films.
History
Radio Broadcast
Radio Broadcasting in Mauritius started on a private basis on 9 August 1927 by one Mr. Charles Jollivet with a Medium Wave radio transmitter of 1 kilowatt assembled by himself, two manual record payers and a carbon granule microphone. The station was lodged at his residence in Beau-Bassin and was known as "Radio Maurice". It was later transferred to the attic of the Plaza Theatre in Rose-Hill. The daily programme consisted mainly of music and news and lasted for 2 hours.
A second station under the aegis of the "Société des Radiophilles" set up by one Mr. P. Adam came into operation around 1937. It was originally located at his residence in Forest-Side and was later moved to the Town Hall in Curepipe. The broadcast was made by a Philips Transmitter of 60 watts - wavelengths 42 metres. It was mainly used to send messages to the members of the Société.
In the wake of the Second World War hostilities in 1939, the British Ministry of Defence took over the control of these two stations. About the same time, delegated by Général de Gaulle, Mr. H. Montocchio together with Mr. F. M. d'Unienville operated another Radio Station known as "France Libre d'Outremer" located near the Highlands sugar factory. The equipment used was a second-hand short wave transmitter of 1 kilowatt purchased from the South-African Broadcasting Company.
By the end of the Second World War, "France Libre d'Outremer" was taken over by Government and was merged with the "Société des Radiophilles" of Curepipe. This was the prelude for the birth and development of a national broadcasting station, for, as from 1st July 1944 the Mauritius Broadcasting Service (MBS) was set up as a sub-department of the Government Public Relations Office, then managed by Mr. H. Ardill and Dr. Vaughn - Head of Information Services. Transmission was done from the studio in Plaza, Rose-Hill until 1946 when the station was transferred to the then Teachers' Training College at Forest-Side - now PSC building. Three segments of programmes (Morning, Midday and Evening) were broadcast daily using a second-hand Short Wave transmitter converted to a Medium Wave - 225 metres wavelengths. At about the same time, the Globe Reuters News Service, formerly the Government Press Service, was annexed to the MBS and administered jointly.
Today, the MBC has 6 radio channels.
TV Broadcasting
TV Broadcasting was introduced in Mauritius as an act of faith by the then Prime Minister to consolidate the spirit of nationhood so as to face the struggle for and afterwards the challenges of the Independence of the country.
TV Broadcast on a pilot basis started late in the year 1964, pending completion of the installation and operation of the three Repeater Stations (Fort George, Mount Thérèse and Jurançon). With the operation of Jurançon on 31st December 1964, this phase was completed. Subsequently, on 8 February 1965, Television was officially launched with a daily evening transmission of about 3 hours.
The first TV outside Live broadcast was launched on the occasion of the royal visit of Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra in 1968.
Broadcast of formal educational TV programmes started in 1969 when it was necessary to increase the daily duration of programmes by one hour.
Midday transmissions, during weekdays only, originally of half-hour duration and later extended to two hours include a News bulletin started in 1974. At first, the broadcast was intended to TV dealers to enable them to provide a service to their clients. During weekends and public holidays, the afternoon transmission was of a longer duration.
In the years which followed Independence, the roles and obligations of Television as a tool to stimulate socio-economic development and cultural synthesis of the nation was enhanced. The utilisation of Television was optimised. Thus, both the number and variety of local programmes have continuously been increasing.
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). Since then, colorisation of all equipment was an on-going process so much so, that the eve of Christmas 1975 heralded the colour broadcast of a considerable number of programmes. By 1978, the colorisation process was fully completed. Thus, the quality of programmes as well as their content were improved.
On 7 November, 1987, Television was introduced in Rodrigues and the duration of broadcast today averages 13 hours daily.
The development of television was speeded up as from 1990, following the implementation of a 2nd Channel (MBC 2) on 30th July 1990. This was followed in October 1995 by the operation of two PayTV Channels: Canal+ and SkyNews. A third Channel (MBC 3) became operational in March 1996.
Moreover maximum TV coverage of the island has been ensured by the installation of additional Repeater Stations at strategic locations.
The TV landscape is fast changing due to the development in the field of electronics and broadcast via satellite. Private companies are investing in the broadcast business. Thus MCVision, a local private company, is running two PayTV Channels. It is operational since 1st February 1999. MBC owns 15% share of the MCVision Company.
About MBC Act
The original Ordinance establishing the Mauritius Broadcastong Corporation was amended and consolidated by Acts of Parliament.: Act no. 65 of 1920, Act no. 22 of 1982 and Act no. 65 of 1985. These amendments were necessary to accomodate interalia changes at both technological and social levels as well as to satisfy the aspirations of all segments of the Mauritian nation.
The objects of the MBC and the parameters within which these objects are to be achieved are spelt out at Section 4 of MBC Act no. 22 of 1982 which broadly are to ensure broadcasting services of information, education, culture and entertainment.
The MBC is administered and controlled by a Board of 7 members. The execution of its policy and its day to day control and management rest with the Director General who is the Chief Executive Officer of the corporation and who has under his direction an establishment of about 500 employees.
MBC Revenue
The MBC derives its income mainly from licence fees and advertising. A monthly licence fee is payable by all domestic electricity consumers (Act no. 56 of 1954) possessing a TV set - this accounts for 60% of its total income. Advertisement on Radio and TV contributes to about 35% of its income.
MBC Programmes
Radio and TV programmes cover a wide range of subjects and are broadcast in different languages including French, English, Hindustani, Creole, Chinese and a host of other Indian languages. Programmes are mostly purchased from foreign suppliers whilst a fair proportion is produced by the corporation and another slot is relayed on the corporation's channels following bilateral agreements with broadcasting organisations concerned.
News bulletins including local and foreign items are broadcast daily at specific times.
The corporation also ensure broadcast on both Radio and TV of educational programmes devised and produced by the Mauritius College of the Air.
Live broadcast (radio and TV) OF LOCAL EVENTS ARE CARRIED OUT ON REGULAR BASIS.
MBC Members
The MBC maintains close and cordial relations with a number of Broadcasting Associations. MBC is a member of the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA) , the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the Asian Broadcasting Union (ABU) and the South African Broadcasting Association (SABA) and of the Conseil International des Radios-Télévisions d'Expression Française (CIRTEF), AIBD, Doordarshan and INA amongst others.
MBC Digital Channels (DVB-T)
Satisfying demands of the different socio-cultural groups was a very big constraint with only 3 analogue TV channels prior to December 07. Today, the MBC broadcasts a plethora of programmes on its 17 TV channels in Mauritius to satisfy customer demands and meet viewer expectations of all the components of the social fabric of Mauritius. MBC's programmes on digital; are geared towards both wide audience and niche markets.
The Rationale
Following international trends, demand for additional channels has grown and this has led to the spectrum congestion in the frequency band allocated to Mauritius. Addition of channels would imply increase in spectrum and transmission power consumption. Having no more frequency band to allocate, ITU-T mandated the conversion to all-digital television (DTT), also known as the digital television (DTV) transition, because all-digital broadcasting will free up frequencies for communication.
Digital is a more efficient transmission technology that allows broadcast stations to offer improved picture and sound quality, as well as offer more programming options for consumers through multiple broadcast streams (multicasting).
Television is a vital part of our communications and information infrastructure. In line with ITU recommendations, MBC upgraded from analogue to digital technology, keeping pace with the technological advances that are reshaping all types of global telecommunications. The transition to digital terrestrial television (DTT) broadcasting is a revolutionary change that has dramatically affected free air to air television. DTT technology allows each broadcaster to provide a huge wireless information pipeline into every home, delivering up to 20 million bits per second through each 6 MHz broadcast television channel. This capability not only permits the transmisison of sharper images and CD-quality surround sound but also supports a much greater quantity and diversity of TV programs. And it makes possible an entire new array of information services, including interactive capabilities (data duplex) that will help all citizens of our island to take fuller advantage of the benefits of the information age, in a more uniform way.
Simulcast before Analog switch off (ASO)
Once you switch on digital, how long can you simulcast? Simulcasting is at high costs, therefore the shorter the period, the better. There is a deadline for ASO which signifies that viewers will only be able to receive digital broadcasts with the aid of a set-top-box. MBC has set its ASO date for 2011/2012. We expected fast customer take up of the digital channels which, as at date, is 50%. We have 100% coverage and we expect to have 75-85% penetration within 2 years. During this time, we shall have double illumination, i.e., our analogue transmissions TV1, 2 3 will stay on, but all our new services will be strictly on digital. MBC digital is free-to-air, i.e., horizontal. Not all viewers will be hoping to switch to digital services as they may be comparatively happy with the offer on analogue terrestrial platform. The appeal of the service offered (content) and the price of the STB will boost penetration. Others may resent the imposition to purchase a digital decoder. Therefore, there is a need to spur the last phase of digital growth rather sooner than later.
MBC SAT
MBC has set up its teleport in 2006. Comprising a 4.9 m Andrew transmit/receive antenna with Prime Focus feed and a stand-by 2.4m Prodelin transmit/receive antenna with offset feed.
2 TV and 2 Radio channels from MBC are uplinked unto Eutelsat W3A satellite, Ku-band, African beam for point-to-point link to Rogrigues and Agalega, where signals captured via satellite are fed to the DVB-T transmisison network. DVB-S technology is used. We have been allocated a bandwidth of 4.1 MHz by Eutelsat.
MBC SAT is received all over Sub Saharan Africa, South Africa, Madagascar, Comoros, Reunion, Mauritius and Rodrigues. International events coverage are beamed to the rest of the world through our teleport. With our permission, broadcasters within the satellite footprint can receive our transmissions.