Jamaica Gleaner
Published: Saturday | June 13, 2009
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Vaz to fix broadcast issue
Minister with responsibility for Information Daryl Vaz has responded to concerns from the Media Association of Jamaica (MAJ) in relation to test transmissions being done by a radio operator who had not been granted a licence for commercial broadcasting nor a permit to do test transmissions.

In a statement on Wednesday, Vaz said that Nationwide News Network (NNN) would, by the end of this week, be granted a Public Service Broadcast Radio Licence.

According to the minister, NNN is to provide services to the Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica and has been carrying out test transmissions over a two-month period with editorial and advertising content.

Contractual obligations

Vaz said a decision was made to allow the testing exercises to be carried out in consideration of the entity's commitments to its staff, as well as the company's advertising and other contractual obligations.

Speaking earlier this week at the 40th anniversary of the Kiwanis Club of Downtown Kingston, Gary Allen, chairman of the MAJ, commented that the authorities had allowed the news entity to undertake "full-blooded commercial entities on radio" without a broadcasting licence.

However, in his comments, Allen said the Government had no interest in seeing businesses closed even for a short period as this could cause displacement of workers.

"It is equally recognised that these considerations must be counterbalanced against the need for certainty in the regulatory environment and it is against this background that we consider ourselves constrained to regularise all arrangements with the station in the shortest possible time and I also make that commitment," Vaz added.

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