The Kano State Government has said that Abubakar Rimi Television, ARTV, is no longer meeting viewers’ expectations, citing outdated content and poor-quality news production as major challenges facing the state-owned station.
The Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, stated this during an unscheduled visit to the station following a viral video showing the felling of trees within its premises.
According to a statement issued on Saturday by the Director of Information in the ministry, Ameen Kabeer Yassar, Waiya expressed concern over the condition of the television station and pledged to seek government intervention for its digital transformation.
He said an assessment conducted by the ministry showed that the station had fallen behind contemporary broadcasting standards.
“Study has revealed that the television has now fallen short of viewer expectations due to stale contents and poor quality news production,” the commissioner said.
Waiya noted that ARTV had failed to keep pace with evolving trends in the broadcasting industry, particularly in audience engagement and content accessibility.
“Unlike many stations that allow for real-time engagement and viewing at one’s discretion, ARTV is conservative and cannot compete with other television stations around the country,” he said.
He added that the situation was inconsistent with the digitalisation agenda of the administration of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.
The commissioner urged the management of the station to make effective use of its annual budget to improve operations, enhance staff capacity and strengthen service delivery.
“For the station to make meaningful progress, its management must be proactive in utilizing its annual budget for transformational purposes, particularly in staff training and development,” he said.
Waiya also disclosed that he would submit a special report to Governor Yusuf seeking support for a comprehensive digital upgrade of the station.
Speaking during the visit, the Deputy Managing Director of ARTV, Idris Abba Musa, acknowledged the challenges confronting the organisation.
He said the station was facing operational difficulties, including bureaucratic bottlenecks, inadequate staff training and insufficient digitisation of its facilities.
Meanwhile, the commissioner directed an immediate halt to the felling of trees within the station’s premises, describing the action as contrary to the state government’s environmental and climate change policies.
He said any future tree-cutting exercise at the station must receive approval from the relevant government authorities after due consultation.
