Caribbean Broadcasting Union
to focus on advocacy issues
PHILIPSBURG--President of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) Victor Fernandes says the 35-year-old organisation has changed its strategy, putting commercial activities into the hands of Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC), 50 per cent of which is owned by CBU.
CBU has taken its focus away from the production of nightly news, cricket, Olympics and other sporting activities, which opens up the possibility for the organisation to deal with other issues that directly affect the future of broadcasting, especially in the Caribbean region. Fernandes said doing this gave CBU the opportunity to focus on advocacy issues, technology and its advances, media rights and funding for training in the field of broadcasting.
He said rather than waiting for interacting from government media and broadcasting institutions, the Union should “use our medium to lobby our representatives to get what we need, in terms of better representation.”
He said that while it was unfortunate that governments did not seek advice from entities such as CBU when dealing with media and broadcasting issues, these bodies should never wait on government, “but rather make demands based on our needs.”
Fernandes is here for the quarterly meeting of CBU and to join other members of the board of CBU in inspecting two hotels as possible venues for next year’s Annual General Conference of CBU.
He said, “CBU has been very active in Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles with TeleCuraçao, which has been a member of CBU for many years, with Paul De Windt, who was known throughout the Caribbean and submitted daily reports from that region.”
CBU is lobbying governments across the region on licensing issues, and is strongly opposing licences with “expiration dates.” Fernandes said, “… as a body we have to watch the matter of government in itself being an absolute body to determine licensing issues.”
He expressed concern that governments in the region were quick to sign legislation regarding broadcasting and media work into effect, but while annual conventions were organised by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), a specialised agency of the United Nations system of organisations with a mandate to administer intellectual property matters recognised by the member States of the UN, Caribbean government representatives were never present.
He mentioned the importance of “critical tension” between the media and Government in the region as being healthy and strongly opposed government using its authority to stifle media houses.
He said, “If you are talking about a Caribbean Single Market and preserving the Treaty of Chaguaramas, signed on July 4, 1973, we can’t at the same time permit government to use the issue of work permits to prevent any professional person from practising his art.”
He said note must be taken of the Caribbean Single Market concept. He also noted that media must uphold the highest standards of professionalism and remember that the relationship between government and media would be different on each island.
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