Tajik television is marking 67 years since its first broadcast, which aired on October 3, 1959.
The first broadcast featured a three-minute edition of the Akhbor news program in Tajik and Russian, followed that evening by the screening of the feature film Ogonyok v Gorakh (Light in the Mountains).
Rafоat Abdusalomova became the first television announcer in Tajikistan. She opened the inaugural broadcast together with director Akbar Jurayev and cameraman Narimon Baqoyev.
From three minutes of news to daily broadcasting
Construction of the television studio began in 1956. The facility occupies around four hectares, while its main antenna is 197 meters high. In 1959, the studio employed 54 people.
By the end of 1960, the Russian-language Novosti news bulletin had been expanded to 10 minutes, while total daily broadcasting time had reached three hours and 30 minutes.
That year also saw the launch of a Mobile Television Studio (MTS), with daily broadcasts beginning on July 1.
In its early years, television programs were produced on film. During the 1980s, the broadcaster began adopting new technologies, later transitioning to digital equipment.
From Central Asia to Europe
During the Soviet period, Tajik television programs were broadcast across the Central Asian republics and, through Central Television, to other parts of the Soviet Union.
Today, the channel has around 10 editorial departments and broadcasts 18–20 hours of programming a day.
Its programs are also available via the LMI-1 satellite to audiences in countries across Asia and Europe, from Japan to France, as well as in parts of Africa.
In July 2006, Tajik Television officially adopted a new name — First Channel (later also known as Shabakai Avval, and now broadcasting under the name Tajikiston.
The country’s television sector has since expanded, with new channels covering a range of topics and formats. More than 15 domestic television channels currently operate in Tajikistan, with news programs remaining a regular part of the schedule on most of them.
The Asia-Plus Media Group congratulates its colleagues on the 67th anniversary of the first broadcast! We wish you professional success, exciting new projects, engaging broadcasts, and a grateful audience!
