The Ancient country is slowly becoming a modern country thanks to the far sighted EPRDF leadership. The country is in the midst of a historic transformation in all spheres. The city of Addis whom many think cannot be reformed nor modernized is slowly becoming a modern city. The City administration with the help of the federal government is doing all it can to do the impossible following the footsteps of Mayor Arkebe Enquay who started the transformation way back! The public as we speak is engaged rehabilitating the over farmed and overgrazed country side. Slowly and but surely Ethiopia is joining the modern world. In all of this one thing is missing.
Information is power they say! It has been that way all along but it is more so now that the world is living in the information age. The state owned Ethiopian Television has been the sole information provider and transmitter up to now. Sadly many think the agency has not been up to the task. Although of late, the agency has been trying its best to do more with its international coverage many think it lacks quality programming.
Competition in a market economy is critical and we thought competition may be what is needed to improve the quality of Ethiopian television programming. No one knows for sure when the Ethiopian government will allow private ownership of Television stations. However until that day comes the government should create different management to run different Television stations. Having different management will introduce competition which should help quality programming. Currently there are two Television stations on the air (ETV and ETV2). Instead of both stations being managed by the same agency the government should lease one of the stations to be managed by outsiders with a clear mandate to compete with ETV or at the very least have the two stations address different needs. If the city of Addis Ababa can be reformed and reconstructed to become a modern city, certainly, Ethiopian Television agency can be encouraged to do more. Ethiopian Telecom and Ethiopian Television/Radio are to relic organizations that needs reform now and not tomorrow! Do you agree…Have your say!
it really is a high time ETV goes through a complete overhaul.
in my opinion, it is as if we’re still watchin the same old ‘dergue’ station. Ethiopia has come a long way ever since … but ETV has somehow stalled!!! both the content and the delivery need a rebirth.
i can even dare say that some of the programs are under representation of what Ethiopia has achieved so far. both the ruling party and the government really need to stop the opportunity cost and turn it in to a leverage for the progress of the nation!
PEACE!
I think Aiga used the wrong word to describe EPRDF as a farsighted. I would say it abused the word. However, the idea of giving out the second channel to a competitor is excellent. But the nature and behavior of dicatators like EPRDF leaders is obvious. They don’t want to see happenings of things that may adversely affect their interests no matter what benefit it gives to the public.
Tough it may not admit it, Aiga agrees with it silently.
It sad day today in Ethiopia. We have lost our brilliant fighter and artist Iyassu Berhe who fought all his life for the right and democracy of our people. Yet ETV is not giving it enough coverage. Could you AIGA FORUM give us a page to pass our condlescence.
The Ethiopian TV is beginning to be up to the task, I can confidently say it now. Had it not been for the wrong notion of the EPRDF, “I do not care as long as my good deeds shine” , the image of Ethiopia and its government could have been depicted better. The bad mouths of hate mongers could have been zipped up. We are observing today opponents of the government trying to hide against the face of day light reality. Ethiopia is growing at an alarming pace in contrast and in context of its past history under its brutal regimes. Today Ethiopia is on the take off. Ethiopia is becoming the power of energy(hydro-geothermal- solar/wind- bio-and fossil…etc.). The infrastructure (airports, highways, allweather roads, dry ports, modern telecommunication,…etc) of Ethiopia is dramatically changing. Schools:tens of thousands of prim/sec/colleges, universities (public and/private) are built; clinics, hospitals, health training institutions, medical colleges…etc are built at every corner of Ethiopia. High rise buildings are mushrooming everywhere in towns and cities of Ethiopia. The lives of the agrarian society of Ethiopia are amazingly witnessing big change and poverty is being eradicated. All these news are bad news to the enemies of Ethiopia and its people. When Ethiopia is flooded with oil (will be seen in the near future), and when ports to cities are connected with railways, what would the extreme diaspora woud say? That day would, as it always has been, the doomsday for the scams of history who never learn from their mistakes.
To day thanks to technology, and the new move, though slow by any standard, by ETV, is exposing the diehards to death. They are wailing and crying every day. Though good deeds are basic, if the information (deeds) is not properly disseminated to the audience(the public at large), it does not serve any thing. Therefore, the EPRDF has to rewind the path of its journey and assess its strengthes and weaknesses. Yes, ofcourse, INFORMATION IS POWER. Now, at this juncture, a bitter fight is actually being waged and the days of rumors/lies-scavengers and hate traders will soon be coming to a halt.
Thank you Aiga and God bless you.
Iyassu! A great man gone. I am saddened by his untimely death, however, comforted by the fact that he had a full and productive life that changed Tigrai and Ethiopia.
May his family and comrades find comfort, amid their sorrow, in the knowledge that his life made a difference.
RIP Iyassu.
we really feel deep sorrow of Iyasus’s death.may GOD give strength to his mother and his relatives and may GOD rest him in peace eternally.
My condolence to Eyasu Berhe Family, Friends
I am very sorry to hear of the recent passing of our beloved hero Eyasu berhe
Although I never had the chance of meeting Eyasu berhe the contribution he made to change Ethiopia it will shine for the years come my god bless Eyasu berhe soul , rest with peace. To all of his family,friend my thoughts with you during this difficult time
Mohammed Ahmed Toronto Canada
Lazime2008@yahoo.ca
most of the comments seems the replica of each other, any way, there is no doubt that ETV needs improvement. but my objection, as some one who live in this poor nation even now, is the way most diaspora crave to have a private media. you guys might have lost the truck of reality or ur saying it delibrately. look, we have seen too many free press come and go with the speed of light not because they have been scrutinized by the gov’t, though government palys a mojar role in hassleing them out, but they too severly lack professionalism. to be honest, lack of professionalism is not the sole problem of ETV employees rather a national problem that touches every media stakeholders. to me,amid this horrible media professional dearth, to wish for profound private mediai is falling way behind the reality. all i said doesn’t mean i am content with ETV and its boring programms, but equally important i have no faith in private media, given what happend during election 2005. all of them, both gov’t and private have lot to learn and be rational about what they report and say . the reform has to begin from individual way thinking before institutions, including u commentee diasporas, who want to see addis transformed to paris over night. let us be positive about our country, let us stop hating who is who, let us begin to sing together, only then we can see the country we dreamed for prosperous and strong. alas!!!!!
may God bless Ethiopia!
Two Eritrean military advisors, who have been in a mission in Somalia, are missing according to sources.
The military advisors, Lt Colonel Said Ali and Captain Tecle Weldu have been sseen for the last time in Hargeisa on 16th January 2010. No word has been heard about them since their disappearance.
Rumors coming out of one Somali insurgency group, lead by Dahir Aweys, indicate that the Eritrean military advisors might have been “kidnapped by foreign forces”.
The news came as a shock to the Eritrean government which is denying military involvement in Somalia.
The regime is being engaged in meetings with its military commanders to investigate the situation. It is also doing its level best to conceal the incident from the Eritrean people and the international community.
The United Nations recently imposed sanctions on Eritrea after it accused the Eritrean Government of backing hard-line Islamic insurgents who are battling Somalia’s transitional government.
Firstly i would like to thank Aigaforum for giving us the chance to watch ETV live.
secondly, surly it is up to the task, we must not forget that Ethiopia is third world country and the expectation of high standard sofestication will be myth, however evrey thing will develop in time, looking back the derg and the king era, what we have now is far more developed, thanks to the present Government. The privetisation thing- better not.
Please read this..
http://www.borglobe.com/11.html?m7:post=last-words-of-ethiopian-airlines-et409-captain