July 04, 2017
Time for Tongan TV says PI media boss
The Tongan Community has come out swinging against the board of Maori TV for axing the controversial Australian produced mockumentary 'Jonah from Tonga.'
The programme is being slated for negative racial stereotyping receiving criticism from Pasifika politicians.
But Tongan community spokesperson Will Ilolahia says channel commissioner Nevak Rogers, who also has Tongan whakapapa, asked him to conduct a poll amongst the community to gauge its response despite overwhelming support for Jonah from Tonga to remain on air.
The Board over rode programming and dumped the series.
Will Ilolahia says the decision was a slap in the face for Nevak Rogers but also a wake up call for Pasifika to demand a channel of its own.
"To have one of our own part Tongan executive get told by the board to stop doing a show that she had selected and consulted us to be straight up, then perhaps we should go the Minister of Pacific Island Affairs and say well okay then start funding our own tv station if we can't get our own laughing shows on television," says Will Ilolahia.
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