While so much attention has been deposited at the media door of Japanese and Chinese ventures, there are several less appreciated Asian venues which may warrant a step across the electronic threshold. One of these is Malaysia, a country of 17 million people with an economic growth rate of roughly 10%, and perhaps the largest English-speaking state in the region outside India.

Only four countries in Asia (China, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei) opt against an open-skies policy for broadcasting and satellite services. And all four engage in explicit or implicit censorship for domestic purposes. But in Malaysia, an officially Moslem state, the table is being set for a genuine liberalization in international acquisitions, coproductions and media consulting services.

At present, rtm (the state broadcaster) occupies two channels, TV3 is run as a private service, and MetroVision occupies a fourth spot in its capacity as a limited urban station.

Megatv, a new cluster of cable offerings, brings five full foreign channels to Malaysia in the form of cnn, Discovery, espn, hbo and The Cartoon Network. The latter is to be married to a primetime domestic schedule of series, sitcoms, musicals and movies – some of which need to be acquired offshore or coproduced with new partners.

The expressed policy preference is that these new partners not be American or British, hence the Canadian opportunity.

This expanding cable menu, and the business potential it represents, can be accessed by writing to Cableview Services SDN BHD, P.O. Box 12909, 50792 Kuala Lumpur or by faxing 603-716-0664.

In addition, the powerful Ministry of Information will soon be announcing the creation of two, new all-day tv services – one for education and distance learning and the other for popular culture.

One asset for Canucks is that the minister responsible since 1987, Datuk Mohamed Rahmat, is unusually familiar with Canada – having visited both the cbc and tvontario in the last months. His ministry has expressed a particular need for Canadian children’s programming (we’re seen as non-violent) and programming more reflective of acceptable performing arts (we’re seen as non-pornographic).

His colleagues in this quest are Deputy Minister Datuk Drs Suleiman Mohamed and Parliamentary Secretary Datuk Mohd Shafie Apdal. All three of these key figures can be contacted through Rahmat’s private secretary, Mohd Daud. Daud’s address is: Ministry of Information, 8th floor, Angkasapuri, 50740 Kuala Lumpur, or fax 03-282-3323.

Some final tips: William W. Reid, the commercial counselor at the Canadian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, can be a definite asset for introductions and practical follow-up. Feel free to contact him at P.O. Box 10990, 50732 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, or fax 03-261-1270. His local number if you run into trouble or queries is 03-261-2000.

There are no visa requirements for Canadians and the international airport at Subang is an easy hop from, or crossover to, other major communications markets in Southeast Asia. The local currency, the ‘ringgit,’ is fully convertible and does not encounter exchange problems familiar to other area countries.

And, so as to underline the new move to openness, Malaysia will host several high-profile international broadcasting events in 1996, including the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association annual powwow and the annual general meeting of Public Broadcasters International.

So do good business and ‘Selamat Datung!’

Bill Roberts handles international affairs for tvontario. These are his own views.