National Broadcasting Service

Last updated May 23, 2019

The National Broadcasting Service was a state owned broadcasting station in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is a twin island country that is the southernmost nation of the West Indies in the Caribbean. It is situated 130 kilometres south of Grenada off the northern edge of the South American mainland, 11 kilometres off the coast of northeastern Venezuela. It shares maritime boundaries with Barbados to the northeast, Grenada to the northwest, Guyana to the southeast, and Venezuela to the south and west.

Early days

The precursor to the National Broadcasting Service (NBS Radio) was Radio Guardian, established on October 13,1957, by the Thompson Group, the British owners of the Trinidad Guardian newspaper. On November 1, 1969, the Government under Dr Eric Williams acquired Radio Guardian and Trinidad and Tobago Television (ttt). Radio Guardian was renamed the National Broadcasting Service of Trinidad and Tobago of Trinidad and Tobago (NBS Radio 610). The radio broadcast and production studios continued to be located at 17 Abercromby Street in downtown Port-of-Spain, the capital city.

On October 6, 1972, the National Broadcasting Service became the first media company in Trinidad & Tobago to operate an FM stereo station, Radio 100 FM which remained the sole FM stereo signal available until the privately-owned Trinidad Broadcasting Company (Radio trinidad) opened Radio 95 FM Stereo in March 14, 1976.

The FM broadcast band, used for FM broadcast radio by radio stations, differs between different parts of the world. In Europe, Australia and Africa ( ), it spans from 87.5 to 108 megahertz (MHz) - also known as VHF Band II - while in the Americas it ranges from 88 to 108 MHz. The FM broadcast band in Japan uses 76 to 95 MHz. The International Radio and Television Organisation (OIRT) band in Eastern Europe is from 65.8 to 74.0 MHz, although these countries now primarily use the 87.5 to 108 MHz band, as in the case of Russia. Some other countries have already discontinued the OIRT band and have changed to the 87.5 to 108 MHz band.

Over the days of the attempted coup d'état in July 27, 1990, led by the Jamaat al-Muslimeen, NBS Radio remained on the air around the clock as the only source of information for listeners in the country, up the eastern Caribbean and indeed, overseas via short-wave signal.

A coup d'état, also known as a putsch, a golpe, or simply as a coup, means the overthrow of an existing government; typically, this refers to an illegal, unconstitutional seizure of power by a dictator, the military, or a political faction.

The Caribbean is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands and the surrounding coasts. The region is southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and the North American mainland, east of Central America, and north of South America.

International Communications Network

In 1995, with the addition of Radio 98.9 FM, catering largely to the urban youth, the National Broadcasting Service (i.e. the radio frequencies) were relocated to the TTT compound at 11A Maraval Road in Port of Spain. Yet a further frequency came on board shortly thereafter - 91.1 FM. This frequency was for a while also used to rebroadcast NBS Radio 610 AM as an FM signal. Under the re-branded International Communications Network (ICN), 91.1 FM eventually changed its format entirely to East Indian programming in 1998. Radio 610 continued to broadcast on the AM dial, but progressively lost its traditional listening audience due to a weakening of the quality of its broadcast signal and a reduction in allocated financial resources to upgrade its equipment and programming.

National Broadcasting Network

The state media house would undergo yet another name change in 2001 to become the National Broadcasting Network (NBN). Due to financial losses, both radio and TV broadcast entities of NBN ceased operations at midnight on January 15, 2005. An era in radio broadcasting had come to an end.

Many well-known radio personalities began or established their careers behind the microphones of Radio Guardian/Radio 610/NBS Radio. Among the many can be listed: Canadian-born Larry Heywood, Frank Hughes, Ed Fung, Leo De Leon, Desmond Bourne, Freddie Wharwood, Ashton Chambers, Bobby Thomas, Carl Redhead, Dik Henderson, Barbara Salandy, Desmond Ahyee, Dave Elcock, Phil Simmons, Brenda & Kenny da Silva, Anthony Harford, Anthony Dennison, Sharon Pitt, Dennis McComie, Ian Eligon and Peter de la Bastide.

Caribbean New Media Group

In early 2007, a newly created State-owned media company began operations under the name of the Caribbean New Media Group (CNMG), aka simply as "C". CNMG operates three radio frequencies: Sweet 100 FM, Talk City 91.1 FM and Next Radio 99.1 FM together with a television station CTV, channels 9 & 14.^[1]

C Television(C TV) is the flagship television station of the Caribbean New Media Group, a state-owned media company in Trinidad and Tobago. C Television broadcasts from studios at 11 A Maraval Road, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The station boasts that its facilities are the most technologically advanced of its kind in the Caribbean region.

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WQXR-FM is an American classical radio station licensed to Newark, New Jersey and serving the North Jersey and New York City area. It is owned by the nonprofit organization New York Public Radio, which also operates WNYC AM & FM and the four-station New Jersey Public Radio group. New York Public Radio acquired WQXR on July 14, 2009, as part of a three-way trade which also involved The New York Times Company – the previous owners of WQXR – and Univision Radio. WQXR-FM broadcasts from studios and offices located in the Hudson Square neighborhood in lower Manhattan and its transmitter is located at the Empire State Building.

FM broadcasting The transmission of audio through frequency modulation

FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting using frequency modulation (FM) technology. Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. FM broadcasting is capable of better sound quality than AM broadcasting, the chief competing radio broadcasting technology, so it is used for most music broadcasts. Theoretically wideband AM can offer equally good sound quality, provided the reception conditions are ideal. FM radio stations use the VHF frequencies. The term "FM band" describes the frequency band in a given country which is dedicated to FM broadcasting.

KNOW-FM Minnesota Public Radio flagship station in the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area

KNOW-FM is the flagship radio station of Minnesota Public Radio's "news and information" network, primarily broadcasting a talk radio format to the Minneapolis-St. Paul market. The frequency was the original home of KSJN, but the purchase of a commercial station at 99.5 MHz in 1991 allowed MPR to broadcast distinct talk radio and classical music services.

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Television in Trinidad and Tobago was introduced in 1962 beginning with Trinidad & Tobago Television. TTT was the sole television station for 29 years being operated by the state until the first independently operated television station, the Caribbean Communications Network, CCN TV6 was launched in 1991 breaking the television monopoly market. In 1992, a second independently operated station, AVM Television was launched. The first independently operated cable station, The Trinity Network (TTN) now Trinity TV began operations in 1993 broadcasting on weekends only.

Government Information Services Limited (GISL) Television 4 (TV4) formerly, "The National Carnival Commission of Trinidad and Tobago" (NCC4), "The Information Channel" and "AVM Television", was a television station serving Trinidad and Tobago on Channels 4 & 16 with its studios located at TIC Building, Lady Young Road, Morvant, Trinidad and Tobago.

The Caribbean Communications Network Ltd. (CCN) also known as the "CCN Group" Ltd., is a subsidiary of ONE Caribbean Media Limited. In December, 2005 both the Trinidad and Tobago-based Caribbean Communications Network (CCN) and the Barbados-based Nation Corporation entered into a merger agreement for formation of the new ONE Caribbean Media Limited company. Following the merger, Caribbean Communications Network Ltd. as the larger of two companies continued to hold the aegis of the new dynamic media conglomerate based in Independence Square of Port of Spain, in Trinidad and Tobago. Prior to merger, CCN was ranked as one of the top 50 largest Caribbean companies.

Colleen Holder was a television news presenter and producer in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Colleen graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mass Communication with a major in Radio Production from the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica in 1997. She worked in the newsroom of Music Radio 97 for four years before moving to Tobago in 2002 to head the newsroom of Tobago Channel 5. She then moved back to Trinidad in July 2003 to become part of the news team at CCN TV6.

The Caribbean New Media Group is a state-run media company in Trinidad and Tobago. It is the successor company to its predecessor, the now defunct Trinidad and Tobago Television (TTT), which was relaunched as a rebranded TTT Limited, by Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. the Honourable Keith Rowley at 3:00 PM EST replacing C TV. The company operates three radio stations: Sweet 100.1, Next 99.1 and Talk City 91.1 as well as a television station C TV. Its television service operates on channels 9, 13, and 6. Some of the station's news and event coverage is streamed online. Most of its programming consists of programmes from the United States. The company experimented with pay-per-view streaming of Carnival in 2010. The Caribbean New Media Group is quickly becoming one of Trinidad and Tobago's major news channels.

Trinidad and Tobago Television defunct television network in Trinidad and Tobago

The Trinidad and Tobago Television Limited, stylied as,(TTT), is a state owned national television broadcaster in Trinidad and Tobago with its headquarters located at 11 A Maraval Road, Port of Spain.

World Indian Network Television was a television station in Trinidad and Tobago. Launched in 2007, it was one of two local television stations dedicated to the East Indian market. Its headquarters were located at the Corner of Henry and Bonito Street, Chaguanas, Trinidad and Tobago.

Radio Trinidad was the oldest radio station in Trinidad and Tobago. It began broadcasting in 1947 at 11B Maraval Road in Port of Spain on the frequency 730 AM.

Jones P. Madeira is a journalist from Trinidad and Tobago.

The radio programming in Trinidad and Tobago caters to a diverse ethnic demographic. The genesis of radio broadcasting in Trinidad and Tobago was Radio Trinidad in 1947.

Jeremy Taylor is a writer, editor and publisher who was born in England and has lived and worked in Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean since 1971.

Julian Ernest Chetvynde Rogers MBE is a Caribbean broadcaster and journalist. He has worked as broadcast manager, TV and radio host and producer, publisher, trainer, lecturer, media consultant and public relations professional. Involved since the 1970s with the building of national radio stations notably in Barbados, St Kitts & Nevis, and Antigua & Barbuda, and part of "the original team set up to 'revolutionise' the media industry in Trinidad & Tobago with the rebranding of the Trinidad and Tobago Television Company (TTT) into CNMG", he has been called "the Caribbean man" and has established a reputation as one of the region's most respected media practitioners. His characteristic style as a broadcaster is to conduct biting interviews; one commentator refers to "the persistent journalistic exploits of a resurgent, sharp-witted and emphatic Julian Rogers".

Raoul Pantin was a Trinidadian journalist, editor, poet and playwright. He penned six plays during his career. Pantin survived the 1990 Jamaat al Muslimeen coup attempt and terrorist attack, in which he and other employees of the Trinidad and Tobago Television (TTT) station were held hostage for six days. He later chronicled his first-hand account of the coup attempt in a 163-page book, "Days of Wrath: The 1990 Coup in Trinidad and Tobago."

951 Remix is a radio station broadcasting from Trinidad and Tobago owned and operated by Guardian Media Limited. It is currently the oldest station in T&T. The station rebranded from 951 The Best Mix to 951 Remix on November 27, 2017.

References

↑ "ctntworld Resources and Information". Ctntworld.com. Retrieved 2019-05-22.

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[1] "ctntworld Resources and Information". Ctntworld.com. Retrieved 2019-05-22.