Cuffie: Broadcast Code coming

He made this promise in his message for World Radio Day 2017.According to Cuffie, “Today, in a world where the internet ensures that information is disseminated with amazing speed and frequency, radio competes both for space and relevance.”

However he stressed, “It is radio more than any other medium, however, that is uniquely positioned to bring communities together and promote positive dialogue for change.” Cuffie added, “There is no doubt that where social media and audience fragmentation can easily place populations in media-bubbles of like-minded people, radio can serve to bring us together.”

Noting the theme for this year’s celebration is “Radio is You,” the minister said this theme, “certainly resonates with many countries in the developing world where the radio continues to be the main source of information, education and entertainment, especially for the less privileged.”

As he acknowledged the long history of radio operations in TT which began with a single station during war time to today’s scenario where approximately 36 radio stations compete for bandwidth on the available spectrum, Cuffie observed, “It is this proliferation of radio stations that, for better and sometimes for worse, helps shape the national dialogue, and to which we remain indebted for the valuable service they perform.” He noted the sterling contributions of former radio personalities such as Holly Betaudier, Kathleen Davis (“Aunty Kay”), Raffie Knowles, Dave Lamy, Barbara Assoon, Brenda de Silva, Sharon Pitt, Dennis Mc- Comie and Hans Hanoomansingh