Communications in Barbados refers to the telephony, internet, postal, radio, and television systems of Barbados. Barbados has long been an informational and communications centre in the Caribbean region. Electricity coverage throughout Barbados is good and reliable. Usage is high and provided by a service monopoly, Barbados Light & Power Company Ltd..
Soca music is a genre of music defined by Lord Shorty, its inventor, as the "Soul of Calypso", which has influences of African and East Indian rhythms. It was originally spelled "sokah" by its inventor but through an error in a local newspaper when reporting on the new music it was erroneously spelled "soca"; Lord Shorty confirmed the error but chose to leave it that way to avoid confusion. It is a genre of music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago in the early 1970s and developed into a range of styles during the 1980s and after. Soca was initially developed by Lord Shorty in an effort to revive traditional calypso, the popularity of which had been flagging amongst younger generations in Trinidad due to the rise in popularity of reggae from Jamaica and soul and funk from the United States. Soca is an offshoot of Calypso/Kaiso, with influences from East Indian rhythms and hooks.
The music of Trinidad and Tobago is best known for its calypso music, soca music, chutney music, and steelpan. Calypso's internationally noted performances in the 1950s from native artists such as Lord Melody, Lord Kitchener and Mighty Sparrow. The art form was most popularised at that time by Harry Belafonte. Along with folk songs and African- and Indian-based classical forms, cross-cultural interactions have produced other indigenous forms of music including soca, rapso, parang, chutney, and other derivative and fusion styles. There are also local communities which practice and experiment with international classical and pop music, often fusing them with local steelpan instruments.
The music of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines includes thriving music scenes based on Big Drum, calypso, soca, steelpan and also reggae. String band music, quadrille, bélé music and traditional storytelling are also popular.
The culture of Trinidad and Tobago reflects the influence of Indian-South Asian, African, Indigenous, European, Chinese, North American, Latino, and Arab cultures. The histories of Trinidad and Tobago are different. There are differences in the cultural influences which have shaped each island. Trinidad and Tobago is an English-speaking country with strong links to the United Kingdom.
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.
Synergy Television(Synergy TV) is the first music oriented channel, serving Trinidad and Tobago. The channel was founded by Peter C. Lewis former Xtatik band member and host of the highly popular Pete's Picks which also airs on Synergy TV. The channel airs music videos of local and regional artists. It showcases many local entertainers as well as local designers and events. It is available on Channel 15 on the Flow Trinidad cable service in Trinidad. Its headquarters are located at 19 Ariapita Ave, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
In Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Suriname, chutney soca music is a crossover style of music incorporating soca and calypso elements and English, Hindustani, and Hinglish lyrics, chutney music, with Western instruments such as the guitar, piano, drum set, and Indian instruments such as the dholak, harmonium, tabla, and dhantal.
Francesca Hawkins is a television news presenter and public relations specialist in Trinidad and Tobago. She is a frontline presenter for CNC3 Television. She is the current President of the Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago.
TTT Limited, 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 Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonian market. Its headquarters were located at the Corner of Henry and Bonito Street, Chaguanas, Trinidad and Tobago.
Ravi Bissambhar, also known as Ravi B, is a Trinidadian chutney musician.
CaribVision is an international broadcast television channel that plays in the United States, the Caribbean and Canada. CaribVision is an internationally broadcast English-language television channel run by the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC)'s national broadcast centre on the island of Barbados. The main focus of the channel is Caribbean culture, news, current affairs, sports, lifestyle, opinions, and entertainment from an Anglophone Caribbean perspective.
Lisa Wickham is a media producer-director-TV personality in Trinidad and Tobago. She began her television career at the age of six on the weekly Rikki Tikki Children's Show, a live programme on the only national TV station in Trinidad and Tobago at the time, Trinidad and Tobago Television (TTT). Lisa literally grew up on national television, eventually hosting shows such as the daily morning prime-time news and talk show T&T This Morning, the daily mid-morning talk show Community Dateline and the iconic teen talent show Party Time. In 2005, the government of Trinidad and Tobago closed TTT and in 2006 re-opened the station under the name Caribbean New Media Group (CNMG). CNMG was then closed in 2018.
C Television(C TV) was the flagship television station of the Caribbean New Media Group, a state-owned media company in Trinidad and Tobago that was formed in 2005 as the successor company to Trinidad and Tobago Television (TTT). Until August 2018, C TV operated from studios at 11 A Maraval Road, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The station boasted that its facilities were the most technologically advanced of its kind in the Caribbean region at the time of launch. The station was replaced by a rebranded TTT in August 2018.
Caribbean Rising Tour was a concert tour hosted by MTV Networks. It featured performances by more than eighty artists across several different musical genres including reggae, dancehall, reggaeton, soca, quelbe, hip hop, and calypso. The concert series was held in conjunction with the launch of Tempo Networks, which debuted "in 20 Caribbean markets, providing both original and acquired programming." The channel launched in the United States in 2006. The tour featured performances by mainstream artists such as Rihanna, The Game, Musiq Soulchild, Elephant Man, Wyclef Jean and Ivy Queen, among others.
Kenwrick Joseph, known professionally as Kenny J, was a Trinidad and Tobago calypsonian and Assistant Superintendent of Police who was best known for his soca parang hits including The Paint Brush.
