DUNN Earl Moxam, Senior Gleaner Writer
With the Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica (PBCJ) - a state entity - seemingly struggling to establish itself, an influential voice in the field is recommending that it be merged with a more established entity - the Creative Production and Training Centre (CPTC).
Dr. Hopeton Dunn, former chairman of the CPTC, believes there are significant overlaps in the mandates of the two agencies, hence the need to evaluate whether there is really a need for them to exist as separate entities.
"That's the crucial question that will determine both the future of the CPTC and the PBCJ," said Dunn, in an interview with The Gleaner.
Accordingly, he said, there should be "immediate co-planning towards the merger of the CPTC and the PBCJ".
Perhaps, reflecting his 10 years of direct association with the CPTC (five as board chairman), he pointed out that the agency already had an established production house, with "a strong range of production and archival facilities", plus its transmitting station, CTV (a cable channel).
"Are you going to build again, with the same limited public sector resources, a PBCJ that will now also have a PBCJ channel, duplicating CTV? Will you also build a new production department? Will you also put up another board?" he asked rhetorically.
That would not be practical, he suggested, arguing that the public resources available to the two organisations are not sufficient to satisfy the needs of both, thereby ultimately undercutting quality in both instances.
Receiving differing advice
Donald Buchanan, the Minister of Information, when asked to comment, said he was receiving differing advice from various members of the technical team advising the Government on the issue.
"Some people are for consolidation and some are for separate activities," he confirmed.
He acknowledged that the PBCJ still needed to be provided with a number of facilities and resources to allow it to provide "continuous service".
"On the other hand, the CPTC has certain unique aspects of its operations which you cannot ignore, so I am not taking either advice lightly."
The CPTC was set up in 1984 to provide "the highest quality programming production and training services in radio and television to local, regional and international customers". It was also mandated to ensure that the cultural, educational and social values of the country and the region be promoted and preserved.
The PBCJ was established, legally, in 1997, arising from the privatisation of the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation's television and one of its two radio services. The flagship radio station - Radio One - was shut down with plans announced for it to be restored eventually as part of the new public broadcasting entity.
A decade later, it had a 'soft opening' in early 2006 with P.J Patterson, the outgoing Prime Minister, who had championed its establishment, in attendance.
Its mandate dictates that the PBCJ must, among other things, "encourage and propagate positive values and attitudes within the society; encourage the promotion of the arts, literature, literary and artistic expressions. It is also charged with responsibility for dissemination of news, information and matters of public interest; and education and training.
