Television news in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is now broadcast in four different languages, after a program in Kirgiz, a language of the local Kirgiz ethnic group, began to air on Wednesday.

Kirgiz-language news content lines up alongside Chinese, Uygur and Kazak, local authorities said.

"Xinwen Lianbo," a 30-minute daily news show produced by China Central Television, and a similar local news program of Xinjiang, are available from May 2 in Kirgiz from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. everyday, said Wumarjan Mohamed, deputy chief of Xinjiang TV.

"Many Kirgiz people could not understand the TV news due to language barriers, so I think the Kirgiz programs will keep them posted of the latest news," said Nurgul, a resident of Kizilsu Kirgiz autonomous prefecture.

Thirty-nine people were recruited in April to translate, broadcast and produce the Kirgiz content and they have undergone training before the airing, according to Wumarjan Mohamed.

Xinjiang TV began to produce Kirgiz programs in 2004, but most programs available in the language were dramas.

The national census in 2000 showed there are 160,000 Kirgiz people, and most of them reside in Kizilsu Kirgiz autonomous prefecture in western Xinjiang.