Local TV broadcasting in a tent in quake-hit town
VAN / ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The local TV channel fiteverything into two compartments inside in a single tent. ‘We did not experience much difficulty as the tent is large, says Yılmaz Tekin. DHA photo
Llocal television channel in the eastern province of Van is broadcasting from a tent since the province was brought down to ashes with a 7.2-magnitude earthquake late last year.Yılmaz Tekin, the reporter, editor and newscaster for the broadcasting station Van TV, told the Hürriyet Daily News that they first thought about moving to a prefabricated container after the company’s office was damaged in the devastating earthquakes that struck the city last year. “But prefabricated containers are generally too small to facilitate the logistic requirements of live broadcasting. Therefore, we moved to a tent.”
He added they did not experience much difficulty as the tent was large, but they were having technical difficulties from time to time. “It was a big challenge and much of an effort to fit all this equipment into this tent, but we sorted that out by hard work.”
The TV channel is owned by Zahir Kandaşoğlu, the former chairman of Van Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VATSO). Tekin said the TV channel undertook all the expenses with its own funds and has not received any from charity funds, which were raised to aid the province soon after the quake.
The station was forced to call a halt to its broadcast for two months until Dec. 22, 2011, as their offices were located in a building earmarked for demolition due to the heavy damage it suffered in the quakes. They then resumed their broadcast inside a tent after that date.
“Now we better appreciate our former circumstances. At the moment, we have fitted everything into two compartments inside a single tent. I hope we overcome this situation as soon as possible,” said Mehtap Enter, who produces the station’s radio programs, according to the Doğan news agency.
Tekin said Van TV had just renewed its offices and was preparing to launch a satellite broadcast prior to the quake. The station is planning to move into a new building that is set to be built by summer.
Over 600 people lost their lives and thousands were rendered homeless in the wake of a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that rocked the city on Oct. 23, followed by another temblor on Nov. 9 and repeated aftershocks.
