Region 10 to have own TV channel soon
By Rabindra Rooplall
THE Region 10 Broadcasting Inc. (RBI), set up for the purpose of applying for licence to broadcast in Linden and surrounding communities, is hoping to have its regional television channel soon, according to Chairman of the RBI Board, Sharma Solomon.
Chairman of the RBI Board, Sharma Solomon
In a tripartite meeting convened last July by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, who holds the information and telecommunications portfolios, Head of the National Frequency Management Unit, Valmiki Singh, advised Solomon that the RBI could be assigned a channel for use as a regional television channel.
In an earlier agreement, the previous administration had promised to let Region 10 have its own television channel. In anticipation of being granted a licence to broadcast, the RBI had purchased the requisite equipment, only to have the government renege on its promise.
Singh has undertaken to make an assessment of the RBI’s transmission equipment.
When contacted, Solomon said the matter is with the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA), which had its first board meeting on Thursday last.
LONG DELAY
Leonard Craig
“So that is one of the main reasons why this matter was held up so long, since Region 10’s matter is top priority with the GNBA….Outside of the application which they (GNBA) would have reviewed on Thursday, there is an amendment which includes additional UHF frequencies; because, as it is, we are able to transmit as far as Ituni and close to Rockstone, and with two more frequencies, we can be able to service the Kwakwani area, the Berbice River area, and along with Anarica, and moving closer to Region 7 in Bartica,” Solomon explained.
Solomon said that along with the region’s interest, there are plans to work closely with the board of NCN to have access to building facilities. As such, the RBI Board met to recruit someone who could provide both technical and administrative skills to assist with development of the RBI operations.
“Outside of the infrastructure which has been put together since 2014 — which includes the area where the dish is and the construction of the technical building and the acquisition of the technical equipment — we would also want to hire someone who could provide technical services and also administrative management, which will be outsourced,” Solomon emphasised.
DISCUSSIONS
Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and Director of Information, Imran Khan, had earlier held discussions with Mr. Virgil Harding who manages the operations of the Annai-based community radio station Radio Paiwomak. Those discussions included efforts to strengthen the operations of Radio Paiwomak along with extending the broadcast range.
The Prime Minister has indicated that discussions have commenced with regard to extending NCN Television’s range beyond Linden to hinterland communities.
Chairman of the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA), Leonard Craig, has said that the licensing of Linden TV is based not only on the decision of the GNBA, but as a government policy to give the mining town a television station.
“It is a policy to do that, and as such, we have to respond to a policy of the government. We have not addressed that application specifically, but as an authority we are in sync with the policy. The reason for not yet addressing specifically Region 10’s applications is because they still have some maintenance work to do, and one such is to have NCN rent space, and (have) Channel 13 (returned) to Linden; but a specific agreement has to be made, and when that agreement is made, the GNBA will respond appropriately,” Craig said.
He explained that the matter would be dealt with at a sub-committee level and be reported back on December 10, 2015.
GIFT
Back in the 1980s, Green Construction had donated the first TV station, Channel 13, as a gift to the bauxite workers and the residents of Linden.
The operations were managed at the time by Guymine, which, some years later, put a second channel, Channel 8, into operation under Linmine.
Later when bauxite was experiencing a downturn, there was an unbundling process which saw the two channels being placed under the management of a board supervised by BIDCO. During that time, the TV operation was receiving an annual subvention from the government.
With the establishment of the National Communications Network (NCN), the two channels were transferred to that entity.
Lindeners have, for years, been lobbying for the provision of other TV stations to be allowed to operate in the town. Their contention is that they have been subjected to biased television coverage. Similar claims have been made by residents of Ituni and Kwakani.
