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 location made it possible to reach Singapore, the fifth receivable channel. It was a relay station without local programming catering to Batam. Its regular broadcasts started on 26 June, three weeks after 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 thought that Indonesia was far away. [1] [2] The transmitter extended its reach in August 1982, enabling the signal to be picked up across Singapore. [3]
Local programming
On 9 November 2021, local programming originating from Tanjungpinang began with the inauguration of the facilities, which included a small studio for local production. At the time, TVRI had pledged its commitment to broadcast to remote areas of Indonesia, as well as improving the quality of local output. With its opening, all Indonesian provinces could watch a TVRI local station. [4] On 27 May 2022, groundbreaking work for a full local building began. [5] In December 2024, three people working for the construction of the building were arrested for corruption, [6] costing the state IDR 9,3 billion. [7]
