'First on the scene, first on the screen' - that's the new slogan for RTM 1 but sadly, the TV station did not live up to this, said Deputy Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin.

The government-owned station was severely criticised by Zainuddin for what he described as 'lack of commitment' from its staff in disseminating information on yesterday's earthquake

"I must concede that RTM was not on par with (its slogan) 'First on the scene', "he told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

Saying that he personally directed the newsroom at 12.40am to go for breaking news, but the incident was only reported at the end segment of the 1.15am news.

"The next coverage was at 2.20am and 3am. There were subsequent updates of news however but only at 15-minute intervals," he added.

Zainuddin expressed disappointment that RTM did not provide continuous coverage of the incident.

He pointed out that there should be a paradigm change among its staff. "The commitment, dedication and interest (of the staff) needs a change."

According to him, there were was no staff available to do the breaking news when the earthquake occurred. However, reporters were assigned to affected sites later, but no news was aired.

This, he said, was most 'unprofessional.'

No one to decide

Comparing the network with local private TV stations, Zainuddin said the lack of manpower could also be due to the low salary scale offered and this, in turn, contributed to the inefficiency of the newsroom.

According to him, bureaucracy also hampers the operations of the newsroom.

Zainuddin claimed that the Meteorological Department was late to verify information on the earthquake. He said the ministry would consider installing a telephone hotline to facilitate access of first-hand information with the department.

On steps to improve the situation in RTM , the deputy minister said staff would be trained, a consultant would be appointed, orientation courses would be organised in efforts to change the attitude and adopt a new culture for RTM .

Zainuddin also praised private TV station, ntv7 , for being the first to report on the earthquake. He said he was impressed with the professionalism of the station's news presenters.