– TV shows seeing rapid loss of sponsorship 

THE coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been taking its toll on the entertainment industry in Guyana with loss of sponsorship and an inability to earn, but some are continuing to hang on to their shows in hopes that things will soon be back to normal.

The producers of Nothing to Laugh About (NTLA), for instance, are hopeful that they will still be able to put on their show later in the year; perhaps in August.

Director Lyndon ‘Jumbie’ Jones told the Buzz this week that around this time of year, the NTLA team would be busy preparing for the show. This time around, however, they are facing circumstances he said he’d never seen in all of his 30 years in the industry.

On the positive side, Jones said the team is viewing it as a good opportunity where they have more time to come up with ideas for the show, and additional time to more writing.

In the meantime, he said the team is continuing the television show, “Love and Laughter” on channels 9 and 28. These shows are not prerecorded and past clips are included in them. The presenter now prerecords from home and then the tape is sent to the TV stations.

“Entertainment is still important, especially now that people are at home and doesn’t have much to do,” Jones expressed. It is for this reason that the team is continuing to air the shows even though they have been experiencing a rapid decline in sponsorship.

“We have been subsidizing our shows because many sponsors have come off. We don’t know for how long we will be able to do this, but this is what we’re doing for now,” he said.

At the moment, Jones said most entertainers are unable to earn, as they are not being hired to perform at shows or to do anything else, such as MC an event. “But this is nobody’s doing. We’re all in this together. We’re hoping and praying because that’s all we can do at this time.”

The show, usually held at the National Cultural Center (NCC) in Georgetown, sees thousands of supporters each year, and due to sold-out crowds, it is often held over.

The team spends hours upon hours preparing and rehearsing for the show and often does not fail to wow their crowds. Their ideas are mostly derived from current news events, where the writers take serious issues and put a funny twist to them.

The NTLA show usually features some of the best personalities in the entertainment industry such as ‘Jumbie’; Michael ‘Credit’ Ignatius; Leza ‘Radica’ Singh; Mark ‘Chiney Man’ Kazim; Chris Gopaul, and Mark Luke Edwards.

The producers would usually incur lots of expenses, but they often express that they continue to hang on because of their love for comedy and what they do. “I don’t mind paying the NCC rental fees and the usher fees, but the 20 per cent on ticket sales and 14 per cent VAT! If they take off one of those taxes from the producer, I think a lot more persons will become involved in the arts,” co-director/producer Maria Benschop had expressed in a previous interview.

Jones had also said that the authorities can do little things to help producers promote such a cultural show. For one, they can air their advertisements on the government-owned station for free, and even allow them to use the electronic billboard outside of the NCC.