CONFUSION OVER LOTTO, PLAY WHE DRAWS

Mass confusion appears to surround the future broadcasts of the NLCB, GTECH on-line lottery games. Although The Information Channel (TIC) or Channels 4 and 16, is supposed to be closing its doors today because it forms part of the National Broadcasting Network (NBN), sources said yesterday there are plans to have the facilities used as a television station for airing the on-line games. The mastermind behind the operations is said to be NLCB Chairman, Louis Lee Sing, who was unavailable for comment yesterday. However, another media group, CCN’s TV6, is insisting that it was supposed to get the contract for the games and up to yesterday, no one, including TTT’s line minister, Minister of  Public Administration and Information, Dr Lenny Saith, could say exactly where the draws would be aired from today.

Some sources told Newsday that NBN and TIC workers were being recruited to have the facility on air from 6 am to 11 pm. The programming includes the online lottery games and certain events run by the National Carnival Commission (NCC). The on-line games are supposed to be broadcast on TIC from tomorrow, sources said. This was confirmed by NLCB Secretary, Noel Maloney. Newsday was informed that former TTT senior manager Bert Hinkson has been contracted to lead the production team to air the online games, Play Whe, Lotto and Cashpot on TIC. Hinkson will also choose from a pool of NBN workers to assist in the airing of Carnival programmes.

Newsday was told, however, that the programmes to be aired will depend on what the National Carnival Commission wishes to broadcast. However, speaking at a post-Cabinet press conference yesterday, Saith said it was up to the NLCB Board to decide how the NLCB was going to ensure that its programmes were aired. He could not say where Lotto and Play Whe would be aired and referred all questions to the chairman of the NLCB. He said Government should not be directing the NLCB as to where it should take its business, since it was an operational decision. Saith announced though that the NBN facilities had been leased to the National Carnival Commission to broadcast its Carnival shows on Channel 4 and 16 for a period of three months. Saith said the request came through the NCC’s parent ministry — the Ministry for Community Development and Culture.

He said the NCC would hire and pay staff to run the programme. The broadcasts of the Play Whe and Lotto games were first allegedly supposed to be on TV6 which claims it has a signed letter dated December 30, 2004 from Lee Sing explicitly approving preparations for the new studio, operations and broadcasting of the games. Those broadcasts should have begun on January 10, because of today’s closure of TTT. The NLCB in a fax to TV6 on January 7, broke that agreement. Yesterday, Marketing Manager of TV6 Nicole Matthew-Hart said TV6 had a signed letter dated December 30 from Lee Sing explicitly approving preparations for the new studio. The station, she said, has no intention of taking action yet against the NLCB.

She confirmed though that TV6 has the contract for the traditional Classic Lotteries Draw on Saturday afternoons. She did not wish to reveal the length of the contract. She said TV6 had written to  Lee Sing asking for clarification of his decision to renege on the five-year contractual agreement. Government sources though said that they couldn’t understand why the NLCB should consider signing a five-year contract with any company in the face of the fact that CNMG is expected to be on stream within six months. Nicole Jones, Account Executive at the Ample advertising agency, told Newsday she was in the dark about the online draws. Ample, which handles the announcements for the NLCB, issued the initial press release announcing that TV6 had been selected to broadcast the games, because of TTT’s closure.

But Jones said she had not received any further information from GTECH, which is in charge of the games, about press advertisements for the draws. Meanwhile, the mood at NBN’s Maraval Road studios was said to be sombre yesterday and there is expected to be lots of crying today, when staff departs. Yesterday, Saith thanked TTT workers for their years of service and asked people living in the rural communities not reached by TV6 and who would be deprived of a television channel from today, “to hold strain.” The new entity — Caribbean New Media Group — with its new programming and better signal — would be worth the wait, he said. He said it is hoped that NBN would be going off the air for a short period, at most six months.