[8] Following a series of delays, Television Malawi opened on 1 April 1999, in time for that year's elections.
[3] The launch also conincided with the passing earlier in the year of the new Communications Bill, that gave MBC editorial independence from the government.
Since Malawi lacked a proper production house, it had to rely on programming from South Africa and Zimbabwe.
The daily local schedule ran from 6pm to 8:15pm, and was now reaching practically the entire country, apart from two districts in the north.
However, the public put TVM under pressure for the excessive broadcast of foreign content from the United States, South Africa, China and France, but still with the aim of increasing its local programming.
At the time, very few people watched television and was plagued by financial and technical problems.