Indonesia’s first Catholic TV starts streaming

Indonesia’s first Catholic TV starts streaming

Indonesia’s first Catholic television has started streaming and will soon broadcast via satellite. The Commission for Social Communications of the Archdiocese of Jakarta told the Vatican’s Fides news agency that the first Catholic television channel is called "Hidup TV", meaning “Life TV”.  The TV was presented at the recent annual meeting of "Signis Indonesia" in Central Java, 11-16 Feb.   At the meeting, Father Harry Sulistiyo, head of Jakarta' Archdiocesan Commission for Social Communication, explained that the television station is the outcome of the pastoral effort of the country’s dioceses.  He said that Hidup TV currently streams programmes and will shortly broadcast through the satellite Q-Band frequency, and will be available throughout Indonesia via satellite antennae. 

"We thank Archbishop Ignatius Suharyo of Jakarta who encouraged and supported the Commission for Social Communications in conceiving and founding Hidup TV", Executive Secretary of the Commission for Social Communications of the Bishop’s Conference of Indonesia (KWI), Fr. Kamilus Pantus, told Fides.  He said that Hidup TV is primarily pastoral, supporting catechesis and preaching.  He said that all diocesan commissions for social communications will contribute with the production and programmes of different formats, such as forums, movies, documentaries and music.

Father Sette Lalu, director of the Commission for Social Communications of the Diocese of Manado (North Sulawesi) pledged his support to the project and described that Hidup TV as "a creative initiative to meet the needs of the faithful, in a world marked by the development of information technology".

Today, Hidup TV has digital streaming three hours a day, and in the near future will reach eight hours a day.  Currently it streams reflections, spiritual comments, children's programmes and music programs.  (Source: Fides)  

www.en.radiovaticana.va