President of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) Shida Bolai has announced the names of three member systems selected to receive bursaries from the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA).

It will facilitate their attending the feature event of the CBU calendar the annual general assembly (AGA), which this year takes place from August 18 to 21 in Paramaribo, Suriname.

This support from the CBA marks a continuation of CBU’s partnership with its global partner in supporting dialogue on critical issues affecting electronic media in the region, the CBU said in a statement.

The three member systems selected to receive bursaries are the Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas (BCB), the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation of Barbados (CBC) and National Communication Network (NCN) in Guyana. All three entities are members in good standing of both the CBA and the CBU, and have made significant contributions to regional media over the years.

A representative from each of the media houses will be supported in attending the CBU’s 45th annual general meeting where media executives, policy-makers, industry product suppliers and content producers from the English-, Dutch-and Spanish-speaking Caribbean and beyond will gather to take stock of individual and collective progress, as well as offer insights into how the sector can move forward, in the face of current and looming challenges.

Top of the agenda will be a forum on sports programming rights with participation from the holders of rights to high-demand sports events including the West Indies Cricket Board and DirectTV Caribbean, the CBU said.

Another AGA highlight will be updates from the Caribbean broadcasters already making headway towards digital switch-over during the Digital Transition Forum co-hosted by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union.

Participants will also have an opportunity to be brought up to date on recent developments in the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) and their implications for the broadcast sector.

The assembly will also be a platform for audio and video producers and suppliers of leading edge technology to exhibit their materials and products, during the exhibition and screening day. During the screening session, producers of programming aimed at Caribbean audiences at home and in the diaspora will have an opportunity to display their material and discuss possible distribution deals with the broadcast executives attending.

The assembly will also showcase the best of Caribbean radio and television in a broad spectrum of categories including news, features and commercials. The CBU Caribbean Broadcasting Awards ceremony, to be transmitted around the region on Caribvision, will take place at the historic Congreshal in central Paramaribo on August 21.

About the CBU

The CBU’s 43 full and associate members include broadcasters in 22 countries and territories of the English-, Dutch- and Spanish-speaking Caribbean.

As an industry association, the union focuses on capacity-building of media institutions and professionals; joint negotiation of rights for programming; and advocacy in regional and international forums on policy and technology issues.