Privately-owned Sistem Televisyen Malaysia (TV3) is in talks with Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and another firm to dispose of operations in Ghana, a report said today.

Weekly newspaper The Edge , quoting unnamed sources, said the other party was from Ghana but gave no details.

The sale was part of TV3's plan to axe all non-profitable businesses under a restructuring exercise to cut its RM600 million (US$158 million) debt, it said.

Company officials were not immediately available for comment.

Seventy percent stake

TV3 entered Ghana in the early 1990s in line with a cooperation program between developing countries advocated by the government.

According to TV3's 2002 annual report, the company has a 70 percent stake in four companies in Ghana but two were dormant.

The active firms are the Gama Film Co Ltd, which is involved in film production, audio-video recording and video exhibition, and TV3 Network Ltd which operates a free-to-air television service and provides other media and communications services.

TV3's operations in Ghana posted a pre-tax loss of RM7.98 million in the year to August 2002. -- AFP