Georgetown: The Board of the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) successfully hosted an interactive session with Television Broadcasters recently in an effort to become better acquainted with Broadcasters, and to foster cordial relations and partnership between Broadcasters and the Regulatory Agency. This event was hosted by the Authority’s recently appointed Public Relations Officer (Acting), Mr. Joel Ally, who welcomed Broadcasters and introduced the chairman, Mr. Leonard Craig.
The Chair officially presented the Board of Directors. Present were: Mr. Anthony Vieira, Ms. Jocelyne Josiah, Mr. Vic Insanally and Ex- Officio Member: Mr. Valmikki Singh the Managing Director of the National Frequency Management Unit (NFMU), while Directors Ameena Gafoor and Abiola Wong- Inniss were not in attendance.
The Chair highlighted the names of the Sub-Committees of the Governing Board and introduced:
Ms. Jocelyne Josiah, Chair of the Monitoring and Compliance Committee (MCC)
Mr. Anthony Vieira, Chair of the Legal Matters, Fees and Licensing Committee (LMFLC)
Mr. Vic Insanally, Chair of the Finance Committee (FC)
Each Chairperson spoke of the work currently undertaken by their respective Committee, in the interest of all stakeholders. It was noted that the country was divided into Commercial Zones. These include: Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Zones. Specified fees for Television were also outlined.
TV Ratings such as TV-MA and the content of lewd Music Videos were also mentioned while advice was given with regards to advertising. Specific emphasis was placed on Monitoring and Compliance. All Broadcast Media will be monitored based on approved Guidelines. A review of those guidelines will be done in an effort to give advice on issues relating to the said guidelines.
On the important point of Finance, it was noted that Licence Fees need to be looked at with the realization of where the money comes from, with the aim of helping Broadcasters. The current Board inherited a situation where there had been no monitoring, regulating or enforcing; hence these matters are to be addressed. To this end, Broadcasters were assured that efforts are being made to level the playing field as far as possible.
This event saw participation from a wide cross section of Local Television Broadcasters who expressed personal concerns faced within the Broadcast Industry. Some of these concerns included: Unfair practices among Broadcasters, Fee Structure, Signal Interferences and The Expressed Need for Protection by the GNBA.
The Governing Board Members during this interactive session addressed the concerns Broadcasters raised, assuring Broadcasters that the Governing Board is working assiduously to ensure the issues within the Broadcast Industry are appropriately addressed. More so, the Board wishes not to work in isolation but to encourage effective communication and collaboration on the way forward.
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