About Us

Who We Are

The National Broadcasting Corporation has been Papua New Guinea’s national broadcaster for 50 years. NBC is the biggest state-owned media organisation in the country. We provide an essential service by delivering programs that enrich, inform, entertain, reflect national identity and give voice to the people, since 1973. We cover the entire country through our provincial stations. To this day NBC is well known as the “Voice of PNG”.

Our “Values” guide the daily behaviour and attitude of all our staff, while our “Principles” are the foundations of our work practices of “Honesty, Fairness, Independence, Respect for the Rights of Others, and Avoiding Conflict of Interest”.

Our “Editorial Policies” ensure that all News and program material is of the highest integrity, and can be trusted by the people of PNG, while our “Content Standards” relate to societal elements and therefore can be subject to changing circumstances.

Our History

NBC was born out of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Before PNG’s independence, ABC was providing broadcasting services to Papua New Guineans via radio service. In 1973 when PNG gained self-government, the ABC transferred the radio service to PNG and it was called NBC.

Since then NBC has evolved itself to become one of the best and most listened to stations. It has set up provincial radio stations around the country.

NBC started as a radio station and over the years it has expanded into television. More recently, NBC is also operating online, with a new website launched in 2023 and a presence on social media.

Our Functions

News & Information Division

The News and Information Division is responsible for news and current affairs. It broadcasts news and information to the people on all three platforms: radio, television and online. The News Division is the core division of NBC, as it is responsible for providing latest news and information to Papua New Guineans on the hour every hour on 90.7fm and on 585am band. NBC Television news telecasts 6pm nightly and replays at 10pm. Apart from news, its flagship programs are Radio Current Issues programs and Television Current Affairs. Its news and programs operations are guided by editorial guidelines which are based on facts that are independently gathered, fair, accurate and impartial. The News Division is mainly made up of qualified journalists, camera operators/video editors and translators. The Head of the Division is known as Executive Director News, or ED News, who oversees the operations of the news division and also acts as a Chief News Editor. The ED News reports to the Managing Director.

National Radio Program Division

Broadcasts relevant content for national audiences on 90.7fm and on 585am band. Program division is another core division of the NBC. Its core function is to broadcast programs such as schools’ broadcasts, community/health awareness, conducts government talkback shows, health and educational information. It also engages in in-depth discussions on the economy, politics social sector with civil society, NGO’s, elected leaders, and youths discussing various issues affecting the country and the region. Program Division comprises of senior broadcasters and presenters who are well-versed with national and regional issues and broadcasts on daily basis from 5am (station opens) to 12am (station close). The Head of the Division is known as Executive Director National Radio who oversees the operations of the national radio division. The ED reports to the Managing Director.

Tribe FM

Tribe FM was born out of the main National Radio and it’s commonly known as a youth station. It operates on 92.3fm and its target audience is younger than other parts of NBC. Its core function is to engage with youths by airing their views and concerns and providing news and information as well as entertainment that best suits the taste and needs of youths in our society. Presenters of this station are mostly young people. Tribe-FM is managed by an Executive Producer who reports to the Executive Director National Radio, who then reports to the Managing Director.

Provincial Radio Stations

NBC has established provincial stations in almost all the provinces, making it the biggest national broadcaster in the the Pacific region. NBC’s provincial stations broadcast relevant content for provincial audiences on their respective FM and AM frequencies. The provincial stations relay news and other important programs such as Parliament sessions from the main National Radio 90.7fm on to their provincial stations. Most often their local stations broadcast programs and local news to suit their audience daily. Each station has their own station managers known as Director Provincial Radio, and they report to Executive Director Provincial.

Television

NBC Television was introduced in 2008, by the then Prime Minister and Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare as a gift to the people of PNG. It is another core channel complementing NBC Radio Broadcast. It telecasts relevant content for television audiences. Its core functions include telecasting TV programs, national news, live broadcasts such as Parliament sessions and others. NBC-TV has other units within its operations, including NBCTV Programs, NBCTV- News and the technical unit, which all work in collaboration with the radio team to deliver the desired output daily. The Head of the Division is known as Executive Director National Television, or ED NTS, who oversees the operations of the television division daily and reports to the Managing Director.

Engineering And Information Technology

Operates and maintains all technical infrastructure, information technology and broadcast facilities. This is the division that ensures all content produced by both NBC Radio and NBC-TV are transmitted smoothly to their targeted audience.

Core functions/responsibilities

The broadcast equipment referred to comprises of the following

Its staff is made up of mostly engineers and technical officers/technicians.

The divisional staff ceiling is at about 52 with HQ having the highest. The Head of the Division is known as Executive Director Engineering & IT, or ED EIT, who oversees the operations of the Engineering division daily and reports to the Managing Director.

Finance

Manages NBC finances. It is a support division which deals with the staff salaries, financing, auditing etc. This division also caters for the provincial stations staff. Although it’s a support division it also plays an important role in ensuring NBC operates within its budget and that staff are paid on time.

Human Resource And Administration

HR Division is a support division that deals with officers’ welfare, including recruiting and training officers. This division also takes care of all the NBC officers around the provinces.

Core functions of HRA Division

Commercial/Business Development Office

Commercial division is responsible for driving NBC’s sales, marketing, business development and general business initiatives, working in close consultation with key internal and external stakeholders. It is tasked with the core functions of planning, executing, monitoring & delivering the organisation’s key business, market presence, market share and profit objectives through establishing vibrant mutual partnerships covering all sectors of the country.

Managing Director

The Office of the NBC Managing Director Provides operational leadership. It works closely with all its Executive Directors to ensure each division functions smoothly. The office of the Managing Director is assisted by its Deputy Managing Director who provides support to ensure the NBC Management are working effectively.

Board

The NBC Board sets out policy guidelines and strategic direction for NBC management to operate as the national broadcaster. The board is made up of about 5 board members and a board Chairman.