HEARTIEST congratulations to the management and staff of DTV-8 on this splendid achievement of 20 years of broadcasting on Sunday last. I’ve certainly enjoyed the classic videos aired during the past month that chronicled the past two decades. The management was showing off its numerous local productions and file footage of important news events that took place in Berbice over the past 20 years, and why not? That footage was a result of and fine demonstration of the immense work that was put in by DTV, as well as the initial efforts that were made by the TV station to produce local programmes. I am sure that if the strong support had continued from the business community, the same standards would have obtained today.
However, given the economic climate and challenges in TV broadcasting in this present day, DTV-8 has still continued to make strides by the numerous achievements made over the past 20 years; breaking new ground in quite a number of areas. All of this took place, I am sure, with the combined effort of the Rambarran family.
As a young boy, I vividly remember the day DTV signed on for the first time. My parents, after they closed our business downstairs, rushed upstairs and said: “Turn on channel 8—something is showing!” and we did and discovered there had been a new addition to TV broadcasting in Berbice. From that day, DTV-8 had become the regular channel for viewing in our home; like many others, I am sure. The early days comprised the much-anticipated afternoon movies, local productions and the news which fed my hunger for current affairs, something which I believe it was DTV that nurtured in me.
In the world today, there are businesses which come about as a result of a group of individuals coming together, and then there are businesses which are formed by family members. DTV emerged out of the latter and continues to be to this day a business that from the very inception, where its central operations are managed by brothers, sisters and grandchildren—family people! And that should be significant especially in our times today where the focus has always been on the family and its preservation. A classic example of a family business is what DTV-8 is and has always been; and I hope will always be. I highly believe it is because of it being a family business that helped it to achieve so much over the years, since a family business brings with it a true and genuine sense of love, commitment and working values. DTV-8, one of the very few such ideal family businesses in Guyana, therefore embodies a true sense of family in today’s world; a business run by the family for the family.

LEON SUSERAN