Lt. Gov. Lemanu Peleti Mauga delivered special remarks on behalf of the territorial government during Monday’s official dedication and launching of a new local television station — HOPE Channel American Samoa — covering religious programming.

Local businessman Bill Hyman, who owned TV station K11UU-D, operating as Channel 11 PCS-TV, previously owned the station site and facility, located in Vaitogi. Hyman announced in August this year that the station would soon be under new management, after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Seventh Day Adventist Church of American Samoa.

In his remarks, Lemanu spoke of the importance of this development by the church, which is to further reach out to others to share the teachings of the Lord in every corner of the territory. He used this opportunity to publicly acknowledged and express sincere appreciation to members of the church who visited him and his wife, the late Mrs. Pohakalani Mauga, while she was hospitalized in Honolulu early this year.

Lemanu said the first choir to visit his wife and sing at the hospital was from the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

Pastor Sione Ausage, secretary general of the Samoa Mission of the church, lead the dedication. And while this is the first time the church has opened a TV station in American Samoa, Pastor Ausage noted that the church’s mission in Samoa over the years has been directed to broadcast development to further expand the church’s mission of religious work through television.

In 2011, the Samoa mission launched its TV station and now its American Samoa’s turn, with the goal that in the future, broadcasting will expand to a radio station, he said.

Speaking to Samoa News after the dedication, Hyman says he is pleased that his dream has become a reality that his former station has been sold and now operational by a church. He revealed that there were local business people as well as companies who wanted to purchase Channel 11, but he continued to withhold making a final decision because he wanted the station to continue in the sole purpose of Channel 11 from the beginning, which was to broadcast religious programming. And when the Seventh Day Adventist approached him, Hyman said negotiations then started.

Channel 11 had broadcast Bahai faith programs and was also a local station that was able to obtain the rights to carry international sporting events, such as rugby.