Conrad Mill and Aren Baoa

In 1994 following the PINA/PIBA convention in Apia, delegates expressed a desire to set up a form of news exchange for television. The SPC Regional Media Centre with financial assistance from UNESCO ran a trial exchange between the Cook Islands, Niue and Fiji. The system based on an exchange method that operated in Asia, allowed a single tape to be passed around the TV stations. As the tape arrived at each station they would dub the news story from the previous Island news service and add news stories of their own and then mail it on to the next Island station and so on.
The trial had some successes but there were delays and problems with the mail delivery which meant stories dated quickly. In 1995 Conrad Mill the then TV & Video Specialist proposed to Jim Bentley the UNESCO representative in Apia to centralise the idea and develop a magazine programme to be produced at the SPC Regional Media Centre. The one hour, once a month format would gather stories from around the islands TV stations and production houses and the RMC would develop its own stories to supplement the programme. The aim was to gather stories of an "evergreen" genre so it wouldn't date. The compiled programme would then be distributed out to the islands free of charge as long as they would provide stories to the programme.
Seed funding was provided by UNESCO and production began in 1995. A set was built, based on tapa cloth, fishing nets and carvings which were donated by some of the islands.
It was decided that the hosts would sit on mats rather than the formal chair and desk type format. The idea was it would be an extension of the classic Fijian bure or village hut with people sitting around in a casual manner. Links and interviews were written around available programming and it was decided the show would kick off with a music clip from a different island and conclude with a letters segment to gauge people's opinion and get feedback on the show.
The show was produced on an absolute shoestring in the early days. Conrad Mill and Aren Baoa produced, wrote, directed, shot and edited the programme aided by the very capable Fiji hosts, Lenora Qereqeretabua and Yaminiasi Gaunavou, was also known as YG. The show was distributed initially to the island countries of Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu, Niue, Cook Islands, Nauru and PNG. The show was a great success. For the first time Pacific Islanders got a glimpse of programmes and music from other islands.
The once a month format was not ideal. Given the resources and available programming material however, it suited the times.
Over the next six years the show expanded, extra resources were provided such as desperately needed new cameras for the RMC and a fulltime editor. It was distributed to a wider audience reaching Guam and FSM in Micronesia and even the smallest SPC member territory, Pitcairn Island.
Programming was always a challenge but the Pacific Way ran competitions, gave away wind-up radios and water-wheels and went from strength to strength. "I always liked the loose structure of the programme," commented Mill. "It seemed to suit the Island way. When it was due for production each month we would look at the shelf wondering what to put in. Some months it was like Mother Hubbard's cupboard. So we would go out and shoot something, conduct an interview or put in an SPC training video to make up time. No one seemed to mind and we were overwhelmed with letters of support."
Conrad left the SPC in 2001 but the show was still running successfully and had become the longest continuing programme ever produced in the Pacific Islands. In 2004, YG left the show after he completed his contract with SPC and was replaced by the younger radio personality, Rupeni Matakibau. Rupeni and Lenora continued to host the show till 2005 marking a decade of the production.

 Under the leadership of the new RMC Coordinator, Larry Thomas the show continues to evolve and in 2006, Lenora took over as the sole host of the show. A new look was devised and more changes again in 2008. The sitting arrangement changed to standing and tapa cloth background is now replaced with a ‘reflect-media’ which facilitates the integration of digital graphics. Towards the end of 2009 the Pacific Way changed from a one hour monthly show to weekly, half hour programme. The show is now fully funded by the Secretariat. The support from the member countries and television stations has been tremendous and the popularity of the show is evident in places such as Papua New Guinea, where a lot of letters come from and also from the northern pacific territory of Guam where the show is also very well received.