February 16, 2015.
Caribbean New Media Group (CNMG) wishes to make the following statement with respect to broadcast coverage of the 2015 Carnival celebrations....
· CNMG did not have broadcast rights for coverage of the Carnival Kings and Queens Competition last Friday night.
· Despite paying National Carnival Commission (NCC) for broadcast rights for live coverage of Dimanche Gras competition on Sunday night and having firm contractual arrangements, CNMG was not afforded the opportunity to properly install equipment to ensure the quality broadcast for which we are known. CNMG was asked to install a camera behind a large pillar, contrary to broadcast standards. All other video and audio had to be obtained from a contractor retained by NCC. This compromised the broadcast product.
· Up to the time of the issuance of this statement, CNMG has obtained limited accreditation from NCC and the National Carnival Bands Association (NCBA) for our professionals to work at Queen’s Park Savannah.
· Repeated efforts to have these breaches of contractual arrangements addressed by senior officials of NCC and NCBA have failed.
· CNMG has not been granted preferred camera positions at Queen’s Park Savannah for broadcast of the Parade of the Bands competition. This will impede the quality of the broadcasts.
· CNMG does not have rights for internet streaming of the Parade of the Bands competition on Carnival Monday and Tuesday, despite efforts to obtain such for the benefit of our international audience.
· In spite of these challenges, CNMG is proud to be the major broadcaster of the events of Carnival 2015, with such coverage including national and regional events, popular parties and in-studio programmes.
· CNMG has enjoyed tremendous working relationships with Pan Trinbago and Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO), the results of which were the quality and expanded show broadcasts and programmes we were able to afford our viewers and listeners.
Sincerely,
Ken Ali,
Chief Executive Officer,
Caribbean new Media Group (CNMG)
Caribbean New Media Group (CNMG) wishes to make the following statement with respect to broadcast coverage of the 2015 Carnival celebrations....
· CNMG did not have broadcast rights for coverage of the Carnival Kings and Queens Competition last Friday night.
· Despite paying National Carnival Commission (NCC) for broadcast rights for live coverage of Dimanche Gras competition on Sunday night and having firm contractual arrangements, CNMG was not afforded the opportunity to properly install equipment to ensure the quality broadcast for which we are known. CNMG was asked to install a camera behind a large pillar, contrary to broadcast standards. All other video and audio had to be obtained from a contractor retained by NCC. This compromised the broadcast product.
· Up to the time of the issuance of this statement, CNMG has obtained limited accreditation from NCC and the National Carnival Bands Association (NCBA) for our professionals to work at Queen’s Park Savannah.
· Repeated efforts to have these breaches of contractual arrangements addressed by senior officials of NCC and NCBA have failed.
· CNMG has not been granted preferred camera positions at Queen’s Park Savannah for broadcast of the Parade of the Bands competition. This will impede the quality of the broadcasts.
· CNMG does not have rights for internet streaming of the Parade of the Bands competition on Carnival Monday and Tuesday, despite efforts to obtain such for the benefit of our international audience.
· In spite of these challenges, CNMG is proud to be the major broadcaster of the events of Carnival 2015, with such coverage including national and regional events, popular parties and in-studio programmes.
· CNMG has enjoyed tremendous working relationships with Pan Trinbago and Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO), the results of which were the quality and expanded show broadcasts and programmes we were able to afford our viewers and listeners.
Sincerely,
Ken Ali,
Chief Executive Officer,
Caribbean new Media Group (CNMG)
Replies
Thank God we have Ken Ali and Diaz and Pantrinbago to blame. Bottom line: Carnival reach. Steelband reach. Party done.
Well here we go again...more bacchanal.
Sigh...it's reaching a point where I really don't want to be bothered with this Pan thing anymore, as much as I love the instrument...after 2016, I will be taking a back seat because folks refuse to get their act together. If it's not the judging, it's the police shutting down the bands, if it's not that, it's a band losing it's home/panyard or debates about players being cut at the last minute for Panorama...the list goes on and on. It's like a cat chasing it's tail....it will never catch it.
In regards to Mr Ken Ali...I will give him the benefit of the doubt based on what he wrote, if true. However, if I showed up to work at a venue and things were not laid out according to contract, I will refuse to work due to breach of contract. In a business, your reputation is everything so why compromise your product and your brand? If you were not given the opportunity to properly install equipment to ensure a quality broadcast, why continue to work? Even I know it is folly to install a camera behind a large pillar, which is as you say, .....contrary to broadcast standards.
Sometimes folks don't want to complain too much because they will lose the work, and this is why things do not change from year to year. But if you set high standards to maintain your reputation and sue for breach of contract, ...people will know you are a professional who cares about his brand. Ken, maybe in the future....add stipulations in the contract regarding placement of cameras, etc...so this doesn't happen again.
Sigh...unfortunately, I don't have high hopes of things changing for the better, because things like this have been going on for years now.
GP
Chalkdust - Ah Can't Bury Eric Williams
Fantastic! Real calypso and steelband - this IS Trinidad musical culture.
No 'hands in the air & wine', that is dancehall crap masquerading as Soca.
There is a serious disservice that is been done to Trinidad and Tobago by all these self serving and greedy crooks. But then again they have the perfect model to follow, the government and all the crooks that hold office.
So many aspects of Trinidad and Tobago is just going to hell, sometimes we tend to forget especially around carnival time. I was trying to watch Steel Plus Camps in concert last night instead Parliament session from Friday was been shown, and I was glad, because it revealed to me what a joke Trinidad and Tobago is, I have heard people say it before but it never resonated as it did last night. There were very important questions being asked about the election, crime in the country and critical issues for the country and what the Prime Minister ( the leader of the country) and people on her side were doing was throwing little digs at the opposition leader about him winning in San Fernando with a girl. Now I sat back and tried to imagine the US government with the President acting in that manner and fashion. Do you understand what I am saying? Trinidad and Tobago is a joke, it is like that because our government leaders are a joke, it's like that because the people who are in the business sector in leadership positions are a joke.
We can no longer survive on the prospects of the oil and pitch lake. We had the opportunity to be serious contributors to the world, but all we will ever be known for is carnival and that is fading, I don't know off hand but if we examine the tourist trade between T&T and Brazil for the same period of time I am sure we will lose. And don't say it's because of the size of the countries, it's because the government and these other idiots in the business sector don't give a dam about Trinidad and Tobago only themselves.
The explanation by Mr. Ali is just a example of the JOKE THEY MAKE OF OUR COUNTRY OUT TO BE.
To use a phrase from Al Sharpton in a segment of his show "Politics Nation" nice try Mr. Ali but....... WE GOT YOU!
Too true! Crime, corruption, wining from highest to lowest, Grab what money you can
and to hell with everyone else, Trini today.
And yesterday too, back to 1956.
If we are to believe Ken Ali statement/excuse about broadcast rights and contractual arrangement, this is further evidence how CORRUPT the system has become in awarding access to the Carnival/Panorama stage.
You paid for the RIGHT to broadcast the show, but your access was restricted. How much the contractor, special friends, local and international media houses paid for their access?
Like the saying goes “MONEY changes everything”, seems to me the bottom-line is not about a quality product, but who gets paid and how much.
In a real country, somebody will be sued for all the crap including Mr Ali and Pan Trinbago!!!
Bertel nothing but crooks, gangsters and incompetence in the house...
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