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Craig named head of Broadcasting Authority; La Rose to chair Chronicle

Government has named consumer advocate, Leonard Craig, to chair the all important Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA).
Craig is known for taking on telecommunication companies like GTT and Digicel, and has represented himself before the Public Utilities Commission.
The announcement was made yesterday by Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, while he was hosting Government’s weekly post Cabinet briefings.
GNBA is the regulatory body tasked with overseeing the operations of radio and televisions stations in Guyana. Established three years ago, the body was under immediate pressure after news came out that former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, before ending his two terms in office in 2011, approved several radio and cable television licences for mainly friends and his party members.
In so doing, he sidelined applications from several prominent media houses including Kaieteur News, Stabroek News, Capitol News, HBTV Channel Nine and CNS Channel Six.
Craig would replace Bibi Shadick, the former Chairperson, and Member of Parliament for People’s Progressive Party/Civic while they were in Government.
The new administration had committed to reviewing those radio licences and correct some of the loopholes in the country’s broadcasting laws.  Harmon also disclosed, yesterday, that the administration has nominated Amerindian activist, Jean La Rose, as Chairperson for the Guyana National Newspapers Limited (GNNL), the publisher of Guyana Chronicle. She has been described as an untiring advocate for indigenous rights and environmental integrity.
She is currently Programme Administrator of the Amerindian People’s Association (APA).
La Rose is an indigenous Arawak who was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2002 for her struggles to halt mining in their territories, to secure inhabitants full rights to traditional lands, and to save Guyana’s forests.
The state-owned newspaper has been racking up heavy losses in recent years. Then the coalition government accused past management of political bias.
There have been sweeping changes at the Chronicle with former Editor-in-Chief of Guyana Times, Nigel Williams, as the new chief, in place of Mark Ramotar.
President David Granger has demanded professionalism there. At the National Communications Network (NCN), the state-owned entity that manages a network of television and radio stations, insurance executive, Bishwa Panday is to head the Board of Directors. Panday was a member of the Chronicle Board of Directors and a long time cricketing executive. The naming of the new Chairpersons would follow sweeping changes also at several other state boards.