Under withering criticism and questioning over how China Central TV (CCTV) has been broadcasting here, Prime Minister Sam Hinds today said that it had no licence to transmit but that its signal is simply being relayed by the state-owned NCN.

Hinds’ statement today came after weeks of complaints that CCTV had been granted a licence to broadcast and assigned a frequency even though there had been applications by locals for same.

Minister Robeson Benn (left) in his capacity as acting Foreign Affairs Minister cutting the ceremonial ribbon to commission the new CCTV channel. He is assisted by China’s Ambassador to Guyana, Zhang Limin (centre) and Chairman of the board of the National Communications Network, Dr. Prem Misir. (GINA photo)

Despite weeks of reporting that a licence had been granted and a frequency assigned, the government made no refutation of this until today’s statement by Hinds. Indeed, Head of Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon had not denied at his press conference last week that CCTV had been granted a broadcasting licence. He had also said that CCTV licence application had predated the embargo on the granting of new licences.

In the meantime, the government had been flayed by broadcast expert Kit Nascimento and veteran broadcaster Enrico Woolford. The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce also expressed concern over matter on Saturday and called for an explanation.

Hinds today said that CCTV had no licence to broadcast but that the National Communications network (NCN) would be relaying CCTV’s signal for 18 hours or more per day on one of its assigned channels. Hinds said this is similar to the manner in which Trinity Broadcasting Network programmes had been aired in Guyana.

Hinds stated that in 2004 Guyana and China struck an agreement for CCTV to provide transmitting facilities to NCN which would then become the property of NCN. This equipment would then be used to “re-broadcast specific programmes” of CCTV on one of the channels assigned to NCN.

On February 9, 2013, the transmission facility was commissioned in the compound of NCN but even then the government did not clarify the basis of the arrangement.

Critics are still likely to query the basis on which one of the NCN channels can be monopolized by a foreign government and in relation to regulating the broadcasts. Questions are also likely to continue over the precedent set for CCTV.

The Prime Minister’s statement follows:

“Questions have been filling the air about the availability of CCTV News in Guyana on Channel 27/Cable 78.  There is a question in Parliament by the Honourable Member, Ms. Cathy Hughes, to be answered by me at a meeting of the National Assembly on, or after, February 28, 2013;  there was, also, an oral question which the Honourable Member, Mr. Joseph Harmon, sought to put for my immediate reply when the National Assembly last met on February 14, 2013, but which was not allowed by the Speaker for the reason that, in his belief, it was much the same question as Ms. Hughes’.  My colleague in these matters of broadcasting, of not too long ago, Mr. Kit Nascimento, has been speaking and writing about the dangerous precedent being set and about the breaking of its own laws by this Government.  Well, Kit can put his concerns to rest:  they arise from incorrect assumptions.

“With the greatest respect for the Parliamentary process of questions and answers, there is need, I dare say, to set matters straight/right and, hopefully, prevent grossly inaccurate pronouncements from sinking in.

“CCTV has no licence to broadcast in Guyana.  The licensed broadcaster, National Communications Network (NCN) Inc., is relaying CCTV programmes for 18 hours or more, on one of its assigned channels.  This situation is very much similar to that which obtained when Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) programmes used to be relayed on one of the terrestrial television channels in Guyana.  When TBN relayed broadcast programmes were discontinued, it was not on the basis of TBN being a foreign programme, but, rather, on the basis of a dispute over who had the rights to the terrestrial television channel.

“Allow me to provide some background, some context, to this question:  with the advent of satellite broadcasting in the 1980s, there arose, in many countries, broadcasts to the world by many entities, such as CNNI, BBC World, German, French and Russian stations, and, in time, CCTV.

“In the course of discussions of the Guyana-China Joint Commission, the matter arose of CCTV programmes being made available in Guyana.  This mutual desire was eventually formalized in an Agreement between the Governments of Guyana and China, in 2004.  Under that agreement, China Radio and Television Corporation (CCTV) provides, to NCN, receiving and transmitting facilities which then become the property of NCN, after which, in negotiations on specific terms, NCN would re-broadcast specific programmes of CCTV over one of its (NCN’S) assigned channels.  This is a business arrangement of NCN, not unlike the arrangement under which TBN was relayed in Guyana.  At that time, Channel 29/Cable 80 was earmarked to NCN for part-use in re-broadcasting CCTV programmes, but when the Learning Channel came along in early 2011, NCN began utilizing that previously earmarked Channel for the Learning Channel.  Consequently, in 2012, when the re-broadcasts were to begin, Channel 27/Cable 78 was instead assigned as a substitute.

“Hence,

(i)          CCTV is not broadcasting in Guyana – it is not licensed and needs no licence.  NCN is relaying a feed from CCTV, as other TV stations relay satellite-feeds of their choice, including CNNI, BBC, NBC, CBS, and CCTV;

(ii)          Many may be aware that NCN, for a number of years, has been airing CCTV content, in addition to CNN, BBC, NBC, CBS, HBO, Al Jazeera, and Russian programmes;

(iii)          Many may know, too, that CCTV programmes are available on various cable packages in the U.S.A. and, I daresay, most countries in the world.  I recall seeing in a hotel in a country (not China) that I recently visited, up to seven CCTV stations, available on the cable along with CNNI, BBC World, and others.

“I, therefore, hope that it is now clear that CCTV is not, in itself, a licensed operator in Guyana.  CCTV programmes are no more foreign propaganda than any other foreign-originated programmes relayed in Guyana, whether direct to a home-receiver from a satellite, like DIREC-TV or FOX, or a re-broadcast by a licensed, terrestrial (on-the-ground) broadcaster.”