Everything that is wrong with the Fijian media and the way it allows itself to be used as a PR tool for powerful vested interests is encapsulated in today’s Fiji Sun story on the Coalition gifting $1.7-million of taxpayer funds to Communications Fiji Limited under the guise of “public service” broadcasting.
The Sun‘s Managing Editor, Frederica Elbourne, allows CFL’s Charles Taylor to spin the most astonishing justification for the government supporting a profitable private radio network when it cannot balance its budget without Australian taxpayer funds, secure life-saving drugs for the nation’s hospitals and basic service delivery is a shambles.
Why should the taxpayer prop up the fat cats of CFL when William Parkinson‘s company has doubled its profits in the past 12 months? That question – which is entirely pertinent under the circumstances and Grubsheet asked 72 hours ago – isn’t even posed by Frederica Elbourne. Instead we get this:
Crikey. And what about that last bit from William Parkinson? “This network has been steadily built and developed over the last 40 years solely from shareholder funds”.
Yes, mate. It’s called private enterprise. Business. Working hard, investing and making a buck. And you have been very successful at it.
You are not an arm of government, let alone a charity. And when Fiji is in debt to the tune of more than $10-billion, what possible justification can there be for you to hold out your bilo when more than half the nation lives in poverty and there is so much need?
There is only one word for this kind of attitude on the part of William Parkinson and the other pigs at the trough at CFL when they’ve announced a doubling of their profits and teenagers are dying of dengue fever in the nation’s hospitals.
Obscene.
UPDATE WEDNESDAY AM:
The obscenity of Biman Prasad giving public money to millionaire media proprietors when the health system is in crisis. Today’s Fiji Sun front page.
$1.7 million is a fairly hefty price to pay for a company which will become governments PR machine for the 2026 elections.
CFL will be giving Rabuka and his band of thugs centre stage next year, which means the election campaigns will not be on an even playing field, as other parties will not be given the same “benefits” as Rabuka has just scored with his gift to Willy.
Another piece on the chess board slides into place to ensure Rabuka survives another term.
This is blatant bias and hypocrisy on the part of the Coalition Government.
When they don’t have the money to revamp the hospitals and in this modern day and age people are dying of preventable diseases like dengue, they of course begin to path their way for the 2026 elections by buying off the media’s allegiance.
CFL has now completely lost all credibility and any hope of genuine journalism by succumbing to the lure of $1.7m from the Government. This is when it can afford not to be that greedy having posted a massive profit which is increasing given the investments it has made in Fiji and PNG.
Isn’t there a regulator or any independent bodies in Fiji which can call this out?
An attempt to distance themselves from Fiji Times perhaps…CFL’s “cleaner” reputation is going to be very useful in influencing the 2026 elections. Or will it be 2027 elections?
The FijiFirst government had the Media Act. The PAP government has $s.
A media act that was as useless as the tits on a bull, with the media so called professional journalist.
Mind you, CFL has no qualified and experienced radio person and journalist. I mean can’t one see the difference between FBC and FM96 for heaven sake.
This government is funding nuisance and that is CFL using taxpayer money. Shame on them.
CFL is known for their abuse of women and LGBTQIA+ and this government only gives rise to enablers of violence by giving CFL any money.
GD. Imagine if the Australian govt decided to publicly throw money annually at private TV and radio companies in Australia! There would be pandemonium. Heads would roll, the public would be out on the streets and officials would resign. But not here in sleepy corrupt fiji. This is corruption of the highest order and no one is blinking an eye…except William and his sleepy eye.
This is the perfect case for an anti corruption investigation once these clown are kicked out of office. In fact this is the universe building up to the inevitable public humiliation for William and CFL once a new govt comes in. In the meantime William is having the biggest orgasm of his life cos this is what he had always wanted for almost 40 years…a friendly corrupt govt that gives him money on an annual basis.
What new service will CFL now provide that it hasn’t provided before? What public service will CFL now provide that fbc isn’t providing yet? The answer to both is nothing. So Biman “the not so bright”, is now annually giving millions of of taxpayers dollars to mai, fiji tv and CFL for work that is already being by the government owned FBC! This is beyond stupid and beyond corruption.
It would be the same as the government giving millions of dollars to private contractors to compete with the govt owned PWD in building roads for the public! Now get your head around that one.
When CFL, fiji tv and mai tv make profits they will not share it with the taxpayers who are now funding them via Biman and Rabuka. Why should my tax dollars be used to eventually give dividends/profits to the fat cats that own shares in CFL and fiji tv? Why should the new methodist church make profits at the expense of tax payers that belong to other denominations and faiths?
BTW what exactly has CFL, fijitv and mai tv promised to provide by way of public service content and coverage for the coalition govt? What exactly is in the contract? Who is going to check that contractual obligations, if any, are met on a regular basis?
And all this talk of the largest reach by CFL is nonsensical and an outright lie. For years William’s very dear buddies at Tebutt research has been peddling lies about CFLs reach and listenership. Everyone in the business sector ignores these annual made up survey results. No one takes the numbers seriously. If the Tebutt numbers were so believable then CFL would be the only company that businesses would advertise with. I have made sure my family company throws the research results in the dustbin every time William coughs one up when he feels like he losing listernership. William pays tebutt and everyone is happy except businesses like ours who don’t get to see the detailed survey results even though we ask for it.
In any case CFL only operates a FM service which is mostly confined to urban and fringe areas. Charles Taylor who has never been very bright deliberately ignores the fact that the only radio service capable of the widest reach in any country including fiji is an AM service, which only the government owned FBC has. Thats why FBC is heard in every island in the Fijian group and also rotuma and CFL simply isn’t.
Frederica isn’t too bright. After years of attacking Bainimarama and his govt she is now like a damp rag when it comes to this present corrupt lot. She and others like her won’t ask the hard questions and won’t even do simple research for a detailed informative story for her readers. There are many so called journalists like her in the local media. They are either just too lazy, compromised, complicit, scared, bought off or nonchalant about doing their best for the fijian public. Every media organization in Fiji fits one of the categories above. So essentially the media in Fiji is f**ked and that is why public are being drawn more and more towards publications like Grubsheet. Unfortunately grubsheet can’t keep track of everything and that’s why the hopeless fiji media will keep on treating the public like shit, appealing to the demographic that believes every lie told by this disastrous and corrupt govt. You see there’s a lot of sheep to be fed.
In the meantime it will be interesting to find out after a year as to how much money has been spent by mai tv, fiji tv and CFL on serious public service programs that FBC is not providing yet. In the words of Biman Prasad that will be a “very, very, very” interesting investigation. And it’s at that point in time that Charles, Vijay and Satya will have a shit fight about who was not in charge of CFL as opposed to the current shit fight about who is in charge. I don’t think even sleepy eye can sort out this impending implosion.
William Pakistan’s role is to get money for his company. It doesn’t matter how he gets it as long as it is legal. So, the boy is only doing his job.
The government’s decision to funnel taxpayer money to profitable private company CFL under the guise of public service broadcasting is a blatant fraud, especially under the watch of Biman Prasad as Minister for Finance.
While funds are withheld from critical sectors such as education, healthcare, and public services, Biman and his colleagues seem content to line the pockets of private enterprises. This is nothing short of mismanagement and betrayal of the people’s trust.
The Ministry of Information is effectively defunct, and we see that this role of the government is being played by media outlets such as CFL.
From day one, the media has been under tight government control, and figures like Parkinson and Vijay Narayan of CFL have become obvious mouthpieces, offering nothing more than sycophantic praise. Maybe because they have been anticioating a grant from government.
It’s a predictable cycle where Biman and other government ministers appear regularly on Vijay Narayan’s “Straight Talk”—a programme that serves as nothing but a platform for government appeasement.
Vijay Narayan’s soft questioning does not challenge the government’s failings or address the issues that truly concern the nation. His failure to hold Biman and others accountable is glaring. The media outlets, including CFL, are complicit in legitimising the government’s wrongdoings.
Biman Prasad must be investigated, but who will do the job? The institutions that should be holding him accountable have been systematically weakened and compromised, leaving the public powerless against this government’s corrupt practices.
Anybody remember the death of the young girl from the Ferris wheel incident at showcase, hosted by CFL? We’re still waiting for the report from Agni Wrong Button Singh. Don’t hold your breath for any findings regarding CFL’s responsibilities from a health and safety perspective as event organiser. Especially when you have a corrupt and useless Ministry of Employment.
Government is running a budget deficit for two years in succession of about $600 million each year, this is money over and above tax revenue, And this is what Fiji’s worst Finance Minister and worst Prime Minister on record do, paying CFL blood money to keep this group of thugs in power to continue to rob us. We are run by an oligarchy of street corner crooks.
No one has discussed how the star radio announcer met his fate. Is that to be kept a secret? Or being in denial will make it go away? Or just pretend like everyone in government is doing. I mean they all are doing great, aren’t they?……………….for themmselves.
Wasn’t he drinking kava and lost control of his vehicle? The star alright?
Drinking with who? Lol
I’ve said this before…the so called and self proclaimed “investigative journalist” Vijay Narayan and his bunch of clowns are gutter level journalists who have no morals and standards. They suck up to this government, shield their abuse of public funds, corruption, nepotism, and abuse of office. Baimaan and Rabuka have their dicks so far down Vijay’s throat that Vijay can’t seem to do anything else except nod “Yes Master”.
And in return…CFL gets Government jobs and funding.
CFL’s selective reporting is a tell tale sign of how corrupt and deliberately negligent CFL and other media companies have become in Fiji in their greed for money.
Fiji government please give CFL more paisa.
Who else can abuse our women more than they do? They need all the money they can.
Women’s Fund Fiji should be ashamed of themselves for having Parkinson on their board. Useless swines galore in women’s organisations and these women are equally to be blamed.
It’s absolutely disgusting how Pupu Parkison’s CFL through his totally inept GM Charles Taylor is using Maikeli Raduva”s death to justify their supposed reach, which in turn is being used to justify bimans tax payers money gift to CFL.
It’s totally sick how William will always use any excuse to get what he wants. For Pupu the ends always justifies the means. And it doesn’t matter if pupu uses the death of a colleague to justify to the government and the fijian people why he should be given almost 2 million dollars in tax payers money to produce public service content which is already provided by the government broadcaster fbc.
It would be akin to the suva private hospital saying to the coalition govt to give it tax payers funds to provide basic medical services already provided by CWM and other govt hospitals and health centres. What bullshit is that?
Charles Taylor satement says the following-
“Our network has the largest
reach of any broadcast network in
the Taylor said.
A testament to that reach’ was the
recent no-expenses-spared homage
to a long serving staff member who
died from injuries sustained in a
road accident.
Many said the international trib-
ute paid to CFL announcer Maikeli
Radua was the “biggest of its kind since Michael Jackson and condo-
lences poured in from around the
world.”
What the f**k!..so according to Pupu and Charlie they are justified in receiving almost 2 million dollars of taxpayers payers money from biman and rabuka because of their “reach”. And this “reach” is supposedly proven by the no expense spared funeral that CFL paid for. And if blowing their trumpet was not enough, Charles then says the funeral tributes were almost as big as Micheal Jackson’s (gasp). This sickening statement was made clearly to elaborate CFLs supposed popularity and reach so that the coalition govts gift to a private broadcaster could be justified to the Fijian public!
So what if Maikeli Raduvas death and funeral is used as the excuse to justify the private cfls lust for public funds.
How low can these people go? These bastards are bereft of compassion and integrity and have basically sold themselves as the prostitutes that they are. It’s shameful what the fijian media has become.
Media freedom at it best. Fiji has the most independent, free media in the world.
Fearless transparent journalism by straight talking puppets on tax-payer dime, interviewing government lackeys and sycophants asking questions worse than a class 8 debating team.
To profit from a colleague’s death is lower than a slug. Death will come to us all in good time.
Many await to listen in to Parkie and Jale’s funerals on “the network that has the largest reach of any broadcast network.”