NOT only has the Government of Guyana fulfilled its promise in ensuring that a community television station is brought to Linden, but it also invested heavily in ensuring that the station is housed in a modern building and is equipped with modern and state-of-the-art apparatus.

The building, which was remodelled extensively, was commissioned on Saturday by President David Granger. The President, during remarks at the new studio, said that the facility and the service are representations of his Government’s Regional Public Broadcasting Service Initiative, which is pushing for every region to have a modern communication facility, whether it be a radio station or a television station. This has already been established in several towns across Guyana, including Bartica, Lethem and Mabaruma.

This is pertinent, given the complexity in our country’s diverse territory and the disparity in communication, particularly in the hinterland district, the Guyanese leader said. Lindeners, he said, will now have a chance to channel their own communication and Guyanese, in other regions and the Diaspora can be better and truthfully informed about developments taking place in the township.

Director-General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon, said that the aim was not only to hand over the instrument to ensure that Linden can now operate its own television station but to make that operation a top-class one. “Since then, government has provided a facility for LBN to get themselves fully equipped so that the entity can be a world-class operation. I do believe that the people of Linden are at the centre of development of this country and so it is important that we create a platform for that message to emanate from the centre to every other part of Guyana,” he said.

Secretary of the LBN Board, MP Jermaine Figueira, expressed gratitude that the government has invested heavily in ensuring that the facility was modernized with top-class equipment so that information can be transmitted in a way the people of Linden can be most proud of.

Consultant to LBN, Mr. Bobby Vieira, revealed that presently, conversations are taking place about the establishment of LBN Radio and LBN BROADBAND. “While we started out in television, there is a vision for us to go directly into radio….LBN will not stop only at television, the next stop will go to radio; discussions are now taking place for LBN to become a broadband provider or reseller,” he said. This will enable Lindeners to access cheap and reliable internet service.

LBN will have three frequencies, namely: The Learning Channel, a local channel, and NCN. These frequencies are expected to be relayed to neighbouring communities such as Ituni and Kwakwani. The application for a television station in Linden was made after residents complained about the limited and biased content that they were subjected to during the PPP regime. This was one of the requests made in 2012, following a deadly protest, resulting in the death of three Lindeners. The government signed an agreement to grant the licence on August 21, 2012.