Televizioni Tojikiston, formerly known as Shabakai Yakum (, meaning “Channel One”), is the national broadcaster of the Central Asian state of Tajikistan, headquartered in the capital city, Dushanbe. It began broadcasting on November 3, 1959.
History
Television facilities were built between 1956 and 1959. Tajik Television was formed in 1959. The first program aired by the station consisted of a bilingual Tajik/Russian news bulletin followed by a movie, "Огонекв горах" (Light in the Mountains) and footage of Nikita Khrushchev's visit to the United States.[1] The first words were spoken by Rafuat Abdusalomov. The station broadcast from a transmitter in the Tajik SSR capital, Stalinabad (the current Dushanbe) on channel 1 in the Russian standard.[2] In 1959, there were no less than 300 television sets in Dushanbe.
The first edition of Axbor lasted three minutes and was delivered in Tajik and Russian languages. By 1960, it was a ten-minute bulletin.
Development of the station continued in 1960, receiving its mobile studio on February 2 and starting seven-day broadcasts on July 1. By 1962, more than 29,000 television sets existed in Dushanbe and neighboring areas. The Dushanbe studio remained independent until the end of 1962 when it finally became a part of the Tajik SSR Radio and Television Committee.