The Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) and its members have to evolve in the face of the wave of technological advancements and the push towards digitisation.
This is according to CBU President Shida Bolai, in her address at the opening of the 44th Annual General Assembly, at the Guyana International Conference Centre, at Liliendaal.
“For broadcasters, technology has changed the rules of the game. In some ways, it has leveled the playing field. In others, it has lowered the platform while raising the bar… The greatest challenge can be uniquely described in four words: Stay relevant. Stay ahead. If we fail to do so, we risk the fate of the dinosaurs,” Bolai said, while calling on members to embrace the 21st century because “the most dramatic change itself has been technological, it has transformed our business, changed our markets, redesigned consumer habits, dissolved barriers and created a new media that we could have never imagined 43 years ago.”
Bolai said that while training was paramount, the challenges needed to also be faced head on. “In an era of opinion-led social media, our main competitive advantage is our ability to deliver objective, verified, credible, fact-checked news and other information. Credible information is the life blood of informed public opinion, which is the rock on which democracies are built,” she noted.
Bolai also said that after 43 years in existence, the CBU is looking to fundamentally change its membership requirements to be more inclusive of newspapers. She explained that “a comprehensive review of the current membership categories to consider the inclusion of newspapers, which also operate audio visual media for possible full membership” is necessary for the CBU to remain relevant.
Bolai added that associate membership had to be provided for online journalistic websites, independent programmes operating locally without a broadcasting licence, government information agencies and regulatory authorities. Bolai noted that the legal structure of the organisation would have to change dramatically to allow for these revisions, which she implored CBU members to consider.
Bolai said that a review of membership was “to ensure that whatever changes are occurring throughout the industry, the CBU will remain the unchallengeable authority as the true and valid representatives of the industry. We must not allow the CBU to become in any way marginalised by the emergence of new formations.”
According to Bolai, for over seven and a half years the CBU has struggled to find a viable and sustainable economic model for CaribVision even after extensive research. She noted that the channel was “an act of faith” and that the promotion of Caribbean culture throughout the region could not end and the CBU would remain committed.
Bolai said that just like continued promotion was necessary, the CBU would also lobby continuously for “independent public broadcast entities free of partisan influences and control.” She also said that funding was key and that the week-long assembly would focus on funding and support, which could become routine work.
Bolai emphasised that scientific clarity was needed in looking forward to anticipate issues and to keep costs manageable. She said that policy makers and regulators must recognise that the pace and structure of digital switchover (DSO) should acknowledge the economic realities and the absorptive capacity of consumers and stations to fund the massive change.
She added that while the global date for the switchover from analog to digital terrestrial television is 2015, the Caribbean is far behind and research was the only way to counterbalance this and effectively ensure cost-effective implementation.
Also addressing the opening, Sally Ann Wilson, Commonwealth Broadcasting Association Secretary General, lamented the difficulty in getting funding for broadcast activities. “…And yet we know that is very wrong. Broadcasting isn’t old. Radio still has the reach globally,” she said, while noting that at a recent conference it was revealed that radio still had a global reach of 87 to 94 percent on a daily basis.
“For years we’ve all talked about digital transition and now it is upon us, let’s be frank—I hear more about digital difficulty than I do about digital dividends. We see how costly it is for many of our members just to transition,” Wilson noted.
Wilson also warned that while the digital switchover is necessary, it has to be done in a practical manner and the push to digitise may have been happening too quickly in the world without regions fully assessing issues in the initial transition and planning stages.
“The most effective broadcasters—TV and radio—that maintain strong relationships and engagements with their audiences are those that effectively integrate broadcasting schedules and business plans with the new social and digital technology,” she said, while noting that the assembly would look toward uniquely Caribbean solutions to issues facing the industry.
Meanwhile, during his keynote address President Donald Ramotar questioned whether the Caribbean could potentially be a hub for technological development. He said that it was troublesome that the Caribbean seemed to be a “dumping ground for systems which become obsolete within a short space of time.”
Ramotar also emphasised that cost has to be one of the top priorities when considering a switch from analog to digital transmission.
The 44th CBU Annual General Assembly will continue until Friday.
