…says 60 minutes airtime no big deal

POPULAR television station, CNS Channel 6, has backed the government’s amendments to the Broadcasting Amendment Bill, with Managing Director of the station, Savitree Singh-Sharma saying that they do not have any issues with the bill.
Sharma said that “we don’t have any problem with the amendments because we at Channel 6 have been giving government time from the inception of our station, we have been giving government and not only government but the opposition and the other political parties, free air time … since we started this station. (Upon thinking, what the) amendments mean to us, it really wouldn’t bother us because we have been complying with this many years ago”.
According to a Department of Public Information (DPI) release, Sharma further clarified that the TV Station has no problem with administration’s request to reapply for license to operate within 30 days. “In the past under the PPP administration, Mr. Sheik had us reapplying, reapplying and reapplying all the time and sometimes I even suspected that our applications were screwed up and thrown in the bin. So, if this government asks us to once again reapply (to) regularise the system, I don’t have a problem and I know that Channel 6 wouldn’t have a problem with reapplying again.”
Sharma explained that the company was in support of a request for an audience with Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, to have further discussions. Sharma pointed out that “I signed a letter asking for an audience with the Prime Minister and nothing else. I have not given my opinion on the Broadcast Bill and the amendments, I did not say that I am for, or against it, all I did is sign a letter asking for an audience with the Prime Minister and I thought that was fair enough”.
The Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill 2017 was approved by the National Assembly Friday evening. The Bill amends the Broadcasting Act 2011 to introduce three classes of broadcast services namely, commercial, non-commercial and community classes; and three types of broadcasting zones, namely, primary, secondary and tertiary broadcasting zones. The Bill provides for public service programmes and the prohibition of programmes containing hate speech. It also addresses an international agreement for broadcasting any channel or programme as part of the local service.

GPA opposes
Meanwhile, the Guyana Press Association (GPA) had called for the halt to the Bill. The body said in a statement on Wednesday that if these amendments are made to the Act, then they could post “severe consequences” to freedom of the press in Guyana.
One of the amendments being proposed is the allocation of 60 minutes airtime, daily, for public service programmes, which is to be determined by the government. There is a provision in the existing legislation for licensees to carry, at no cost, information on any programmes, issued by government agencies, which may be deemed appropriate and necessary in terms of national importance, emergency and disaster. Some of these agencies include: the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Guyana Fire Service (GFS) and, or health services providers, among others. The frequency of these broadcasts was not stipulated in the Act. However, the amendments seek to have operators dedicate one hour airtime, daily, between 6:00am and 22:00hrs to these announcements.

But according to the GPA, this move will likely result in the disruption and violation of contractual obligations that stations have with advertisers and programme sponsors.
The association went on to state that while it understands that private broadcasters should play roles during emergencies and disasters, it opposes the actual allocation of times, or for the authority to dictate time slots if it does not agree with those allocated by the stations.
Further, the press body said that it also “strongly objects to the Guyana Government seeking to redefine what constitutes ‘public service programmes’. “…this is in direct contradiction and a violation of the letter and spirit of the definition of public service broadcasting as laid down by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) of which Guyana is a member,” GPA stated.
The association pointed out that one of UNESCO’s factors in determining public service broadcasting is independence, which goes to the root of being free from State and political control.

GPA also stated that it will be seeking legal advice from local and international experts and will be raising this issue with its affiliates such as the Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM), the International Press Institute (IPI), and other global press freedom bodies. “We stand in solidarity with local broadcasters on this issue and will be seeking further legal advice to convince the government of the need to halt or reverse this process, given the severe consequences these amendments pose to freedom of the press in Guyana and the commercial viability of private radio and television stations” the Press Association’s statement read.