TVRI carriage in the Riau Islands before 2021
On 2 June 1980, TVRI began testing transmissions from Batam, a city adjacent to the provincial capital Tanjungpinang, on VHF channel 6. Its strategic location made it possible for its reception in Singapore, becoming the fifth channel receivable overall, after the two SBC channels from the local transmitter and the two RTM channels from Johor, all of which broadcast on the VHF band. It was a mere relay station without local programming catering Batam, and its regular broadcasts started on 26 June, little more than three weeks after the tests began. Juma'at bin Sujak, an assistant technician at Telecoms, was mocked because of the reception of the Batam relay station after discovering its existence at his home, because his colleagues at the company thought that Indonesia was far away. A cadet in an army camp in Jurong also received the signals and thought it was a test signal from SBC on a new frequency. [1] The transmitter was located 20km away from Singapore, with the quality of the reception depending on the location. [2] The transmitter extended its reach in August 1982, enabling the signal to be picked up across all of Singapore (up until then, limited mainly to south-eastern Singapore) and also in Johor Bahru. [3]
Local programming
On 9 November 2021, 41 years after the beginning of TVRI relays in the Riau Islands, local programming originating out of Tanjungpinang started for the first time, with the inauguration of the facilities, which include a small studio for local production. At the time, TVRI had pledged its commitment to broadcast to remote areas of Indonesia, as well as the chances of improving the quality of the local output. With its opening, all Indonesian provinces now had a TVRI local station. [4] On 27 May 2022, groundbreaking work for a full local building began. Local secretary Adi Prihantara stipulated that the importance of a station was largely due to the fact that the islands have a strong cultural diversity and strong tourist destinations. [5] In December 2024, three people working for the construction of the building were charged for corruption and were detained. [6] The state allegedly lost IDR 9,3 billion. [7]
