By Vanessa Braithwaite

SECRETARY to the Board of Trustees of the Region 10 TV station, Sharma Solomon, has said that Government has pledged to give technical and administrative support to the station as part of the promise to give it back to the people.Solomon said licence for operating the station has been granted, but has not yet been handed over. Once that happens, the board will explore the options of what was promised by the Government.

“The Government has indicated that they are prepared to support the board in any and all requests that are made to them as far as possible, whether technical or administrative. I believe (that) once the board has (been) expanded, we will be able to explore those offers, from (which) we will be able to extract the offers the Government has promised the board,” Solomon affirmed.

At this point, the handing over of the licence has been stalled, because the Prime Minister has given a directive to have the board expanded to include a wider cross-section of stakeholders in Linden. The board has sent correspondence to the various stakeholders to have a representative become a legal member of the Trust, and when these members have been added, Solomon said, he is confident that the licence will be handed over.

With the progress made so far to have the station established, Solomon said, broadcasting can begin directly after the licence has been handed over.

READY TO BROADCAST
“We are quite confident that the licence is to be approved and signed…. If the licence is placed in our hands this minute, we are prepared to turn on the next minute….,” he articulated.

Concerning technical and administrative aspects of the station, he revealed that relevant discussions with the Government were determined on the basis of the board’s technical support from Anthony Vieira, TV broadcast station pioneer. Vieira, he said, supported the region in not only acquiring a transmitter, but also in setting out a technical and administrative business programme based on how resources are acquired and maintained.

This is in contrast with rumours surfacing that Vieira had bought the station for $7 million, and would acquire complete ownership of the station.

Defending the board on the claim was trustee Pastor Morris McKinnon, who is representing the religious community. He said that legal policies surrounding the ownership of the station or board do not allow for any one person to take custody.

“Nobody can gain custody; no trustee, no board member, can gain custody of this television station. They cannot, in (any) way. There are legal prohibitions and legal arrangements. No one person or no group can gain custody…. This is the people’s thing.”

PURCHASING SHARES
Solomon also commented on the issue, saying that the company’s registration clearly states that it is owned by the people of Linden, and therefore it cannot be sold or transferred. With this being the main purpose, the Board of Trustees has initiated a mechanism to have the common man in Linden purchase shares in the company.

The building housing the station is 98 per cent complete, and this has been made possible through several donations by various committees, such as the Rebuild Committee.
A group is to make a donation to do finishing work on the building.
“Plumbing is finished, electrical work is finished, installation of the air conditioning and everything – the building is completely tiled and painted,” he said.

Solomon also gave assurance that the company has established a sustainability plan so that the station will become, and remain, a viable entity.

The television station was part of the deal hammered out for Lindeners who were protesting plans by the Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL) to raise electricity tariffs. Three protestors were shot dead in the month-long protest.