One of the key resolutions passed at the recently concluded 48th Annual General Assembly (AGA) of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union is that leading regional electronic media houses a take strong position on the need for clear policy and regulatory approaches to ensure the financial viability of the indigenous broadcast sector in the Caribbean region.
The meeting which was held in Nassau, Bahamas concluded on Wednesday 23 August, 2017.
This year’s AGA held under the theme: Digital Developments in Caribbean Media, also examined the need for the transition from analogue to digital radio and television broadcast across the region (which is currently in process in Guyana); and the need to preserve the intellectual property rights of broadcasters’ content, subject to “must carry” rules.
High on the agenda too was discussion about the piracy of paying broadcasters’ channels/spectrum. It was also noted that some paying broadcasting services were found to be pirating and re-packaging news and entertainment programming which are popular with their subscribers without agreements with the originating producers.
The CBU has resolved to re-invigorate the current programme sharing initiative, CBU Media Share, and establish the minimum amount of content to be circulated among participating Radio and Television services. CBU Media Share is an on-line portal which allows CBU members that are in ‘good standing’ to receive and distribute radio and TV programmes with or without charges to members and other stakeholders.
Meanwhile, at the same forum Guyana’s National Television Network (NTN) has been formally admitted to the 44 member Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU). In addition, Chief Executive Officer of the National Communications Network (NCN), Lennox Cornette, was appointed to the nine-seat CBU Board to serve for the period 2017 – 2019. NCN had previously been represented on the Board of Directors. Other appointees to the new Board include the heads of the Jamaica Gleaner Group; Great Belize Productions; St. Maarten Cable Television; Antigua and Barbuda Broadcasting Systems; and the Starcom Network of Barbados.