Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC)
Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) is the state-run public media institution of Fiji. It broadcasts across six radio stations, two in each of the three principal local languages (Fijian, Hindustani, and English), and operates a free-to-air television channel, FBC TV, inaugurated in November 2011.
Media assets
Television: FBC TV
Radio: Radio Fiji 1, Radio Fiji 2, Gold FM, Bula FM, 2Day FM, Mirchi FM
State Media Matrix Typology
Independent State-Funded and State-Managed (ISFM)
Ownership and governance
Originally established as the Fiji Broadcasting Commission upon its incorporation in 1998, the entity was rebranded as Fiji Broadcasting Corporation in 1999. FBC remains fully government‑owned and is overseen by a four‑member board appointed by the state shareholder.
Major upheavals followed the December 2022 elections. The entire board resigned and was swiftly replaced. Ajay Bhai Amrit was instated as board chair in January 2023; however, he later vacated that role in September 2023 upon his appointment as Fiji’s High Commissioner to Australia. FBC’s Chief Financial Officer, Vimlesh Sagar, was appointed to act as Chief Executive after the dismissal of then‑CEO Riyaz Sayed‑Khaiyum. That termination occurred on January 30, 2023—and Sagar stepped in immediately thereafter as Acting CEO.
Source of funding and budget
FBC has historically been fully funded through the state budget, in the form of a government-paid “PSB fee” subsidy. Reports estimate a state subsidy of approximately FJD 11.2 million (USD 5.2 million) annually.
In the 2023–24 budget, this allocation was FJD 10.4 million (USD 4.9 million), but recent government plans announced in July 2024 aim to open this subsidy to other public media outlets, likely reducing FBC’s next allotment to around FJD 6.2 million (USD 2.9 million).
Editorial independence
Under the previous administration of Prime Minister Bainimarama, FBC, along with other media, operated under heavy constraints that stifled freedom of the press. Press freedom has since improved substantially following Rabuka’s assumption of power and subsequent reforms, including the repeal of the oppressive Media Industry Development Act in April 2023.
Journalists and media watchers have observed that, in recent years, FBC enjoys greater editorial autonomy, with no confirmed instances of direct governmental interference. Nonetheless, no domestic legislation has enshrined FBC’s editorial independence nor provided external oversight mechanisms, meaning its autonomy relies primarily on current political goodwill.
August 2025