I too am a proud Barbadian and proud of Ryan Brathwaite, but I would like us to recognise our atheletes before they do something big. It cost money to get that far so you have to give kudos to Ryan’s mom for paying for her son. I hope that our government will now look to help some of the people who want to excel and stop the silly spending and gimmicks. I ould like to see our young people go to the top, like the aquatic centre where if you don’t have money you can’t go think about it.

There is no investigation necessary, the race was not televised and this is unacceptable. Our people were betrayed to participate at a pivotal moment in history making. Being able to watch the race after is not the point is it?

What does it say about our commitment to sports? We stand by our position that our national TV station should not be managed by an ex-pat.

There I sat in the year 2009, my ear to a little transistor radio on high volume, listening to the exciting broadcast of the race of a Barbadian youth in Berlin. As he won, I had to content myself with the sound of the radio broadcast, my mind imagining how the race looked, as though it were the fifties or sixties.

As a Caribbean people, let us not forget Jamaican Usain Bolt. He won 5 Gold in 5 races at this venue.

Like Bolt with Puma, etc. Brathwaite is on his way to nuff endorsements with “media value.”

He

@Crystal Clear

“I had to content myself with the sound of the radio broadcast, my mind imagining how the race looked, as though it were the fifties or sixties.”

Well I had no delusions about the age I am in because I was frantically trying to see if I could get an image via internet at the last minute because the official games broadcast was not broadcasting it. I ended up with the radio broadcast instead and like you, using my computer instead, I had to be satisfied with listening through a speak phone…

But what made me know I was in the 20s is that I had my cell phone close to the speaker so that another friend could hear it through his cell phone.

@David

This brings me to the role of broadcasting and the media in the development of Barbados. As much as he is a pain sometimes, LIB gave the example of how sports have helped in Jamaica. It does not take a rocket scientist to understand how the development and encouragement of sports can help the economy, reduce unemployment and by using it to give hope to those who would otherwise have none, reduce crime and violence in the community. USA is another example of how sports and entertainment has help pull poor people out of the cracks.

The media is saying that they don’t get advertising support for these events but they get overwhelming support for the soap operas. The fact that a poor man who could hardly afford it and who is not even remotely connected to Ryan Brathwaite could want to listen to that race sufficiently to call me to find the transmission and hear it over a cell phone, is testament that Bajans are deeply interested.

That assertion is supported by the comments and jubilation in the aftermath of Ryan’s win. Now it is my sense of marketing and promotion that tells me that if you want your product sold, be where the crowd is. Why then would any company that advertises normally in a slot would not want to advertise if a Ryan Brathwaite is seeking gold for Barbados in that slot?

What does this have to do with the role of the media? It means that the private sector is deciding content and that their advertising is not about sales but about control. Could that explain why for so many years we have been having nothing but foreign content on CBC?

If that is so, the private sector must stand guilty of depriving Barbadians of developing good local content. Wow! That don’t sound right. They are not running the media houses. What am I saying?

Sorry, the media houses have been treating advertisers and spoiling them by letting them have what they want over the development of Barbados. Sounds better? Not only CBC but Nation, Advocate and VOB who called COW for comment on Ryan.

Where is the responsibility? Is it all in the name of profit? Customer service? How far can customer service go before it becomes prostitution? Is there a cut off mark?

I am so happy to see that when I turn on my TV, I can see something about Barbados; what the NGOs like Pinelands doing; the achievements of young Bajan entrepreneurs; the success of social programmes; those who made it against the odds; etc.

I predict that it is only a matter of time before people realise and start watching (I for one never used to keep my TV on after the news and did not realise the change). Then advertisers will wake up when they see local programmes gaining a foothold as Bajans vie to see themselves and their friends and their role models on their own TV.

Ryan, well done young man, you have done us all proud. You have been able to get us our first global gold medal. May this inspire many more of our young people to strive for excellence in their chosen fields.
Congratulations my son
Johnnietoobad.

@ROK // August 21, 2009 at 11:50 AM
I am tempted to engage on the media issue but will resist. All I would say is that “As much as he is a pain sometimes, LIB gave…” does not really need the first clause, in my humble opinion. If it is germane to the argument, then I demur.

@ David

Would you believe that during the C&W rate hearing, both the Nation and the Advocate refused to publish hard facts about C&W because they feared losing their advertising contracts with them? Makes sense, right? But if C&W had done that, the very next day the headlines of my paper would read, “C&W pulls advertising for printing the truth”. “C&W Attempts to Muzzle media”. “Corporate Giant wringing arms”. This is the power of the media and the same way it can be used to earn goodwill, it can be used to subtract it too.

The amount of bad press they would have had from the media, would make them turn back on the advertising in minutes for fear that half their cell phone customers migrate to the next available company; at the time, digicel and AT&T. Possibly their internet customers migrating to Sunbeach. In any case, C&W is doing us no favours now.

The most important point is that if the private sector was interested, they would put up something for athletes as they put up for scholarships in this and that and other traditional activities, rather than ride like parasites on the backs of those who went out there against the odds and bring fame and fortune to Barbados under great personal sacrifice.

What was the debt forgiven for horse racing? In accordance with LIB, you know how many Ryan Brathwaites we could have produced with that money? I think Government needs to adopt the attitude that every cent spent on the people is preferable to projects like widening the ABC highway or greenland. There is no greater priority than the empowerment of people to help themselves.

@LIB
““As much as he is a pain sometimes, LIB gave…” does not really need the first clause, in my humble opinion. If it is germane to the argument, then I demur.”

Don’t demur, murmur.

@X-Man
“Usain and his fellow countrymen/women are doing a great job selling their country to the world. The impact that this country has made during these games has been infectious.”

First let me say an excellent and passionate contribution. Thank you too for expressing the power of the media in your statement above. It would not have been possible without media attention promotion it.

One thing I would purport about the media, it tends to pick up what is important to the society. It finds what is popular and what people are interested in. It is a natural result of and the nature of the profession.

This is in keeping with the notion that the media reflects the society. Can we agree that if this is so, then it means that the media will get the greatest circulation. I have seen some here who claimed to have stopped buying newspapers. In the past, this was not a very sensible recommendation for an intelligent person… but this indicates to me that on their present path, circulation is not maximised.

This control being exercised on the media and allowed by the media in the name of profit is slowly turning the traditional media into a white elephant and one can only conclude that the media in Barbados has abdicated its role.

@X-Man
“A plan must be developed immediately to have centres of sporting facilities in all the parishes. These facilities must be adequately subsidised so that all youngsters can utilise them.”

This is supposed to be part of the responsibility of the Constituency Councils.

Livinginbarbados // August 21, 2009 at 1:20 PM

“The sea beckons”

Betta carry a rain coat… and not nah frenchie nider..!

AAAAAAAAAAAghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Whilst Barbadians and Caribbean people bask in the glory of Ryan Brathwaite’s performance, the travesty caused by not televising the race live perpetrated on Barbadians by CBC and by extension the government of Barbados will not be forgotten for a very long time. The negligence of it all merits an apology by the authorities concerned. It is time Barbadians understand that the media houses in Barbados are in a popularity contest. They have long usurped their role!

Black Power Real African Power.

Congratulations are in order for Ryan Brathwaite,Usain Bolt,the Jamaican ladies sprinters and all the rest of Caribbean athletes who have done this region proud.As a Caribbean man I feel good when our Black Caribbean representatives do well at prestigious events such as The World Athletic Championship.

It is interested that in the Caribbean report from England that is broadcast on CBC FM 1007 at 7.05 am daily no report was made of Ryan Brathwaite success.No report at all at all everything was centred around Usain Bolt.That is Caribbean Integration.

I do not support the the idea that every time a Barbadian does well internationally that Sir Charles “COW” Williams must offer land & house and other rewards..I am always skeptical when people of the ilk of Sir Charles “COW Williams gave rewards to outstanding Black Barbadians who have done us proud.What is the motive behind his actions?

David Ellis is the most dangerous,deceptive journalist we have in Barbados today.That pathetic fool for a journalist had to call a white exploiter of Black People like Sir Charles “COW” Williams and asked him what he is going to do for Ryan Brathwaite.I think that type of behavior is insulting to Black People in Barbados.

If I was in Ryan Brathwaite position today I would in no uncertain way refuse any rewards from Sir Charles “COW Williams .He could not give me any land that he and his cohorts have stolen from Black People.I would not want it.I will tell him where to stuff his offer.

From Caribbeannetnews.

A Jamaican wants to know where the Barbadians to cheer on Ryan in Berlin. Not even a single Barbadian
flag

http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/news-18367–7-7–.html

I hope the link works, if not visit http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/index.php and read “Letter:Barbados and the Berlin Games.”

Fair Play

I think that the athletes who come sixth in heats in the preliminaries should not go to international games. That money can go to athletes like Ryan and Shane Braithwaite
**************************************
I beg to differ, it is incredibly difficult to produce a World or Olympic champion, and for a country with Barbados’ population World champions are going to be few and far between. Think of the many years between Wedderburn’s bronze (as a member of the West Indian Federation Olympic team) and Thompson’s bronze. If the athletes reach the qualifying time or standard in the event they deserve to represent Barbados at International events. If you only send people whom you think will win medals Barbados will not be represented at many events in the future.

Sargeant
I agree with you that it is very difficult to produce e a world champion. Barbados is a small country with a population of around a quarter million and should be very proud because there are some countries many times larger that have not won a world championship gold medal.
But a lot of athletes leave here with B qualifying times which means that they cannot get out of the preliminaries competing against A times and that does not make sense.
We should follow England and have a sports lottery to raise funds for sports. The funds should be spent on young promising athletes like Akelia Jones and any other s in the primary and secondary schools who have lots of potential.
I think Akelia jumped 1.94 m at school sports and she is only 14 years old.

mash up & buy back
Esther gave up the presidency of AAA and for the time that she was not president, everything went wrong and all that happened is that there was turmoil in the association. To bring it back on iys feet reluctantly she took back over the office. I too am worried about the AAA’s future without Esther.

Scout
This is a failure of our educational system.
We are producing a lot of followers. No leaders
At least Ryan Braithwaite is not one of them. He said before the semifinals, if he got into the finals it will be trouble. He showed them what believing in yourself means.
Esther Maynard is a good hardworking woman but the others are always fighting among themselves that is why it would look like that athletics cannot do with out her.

mash up & buy back,
Lord Jesus, who mek you? You is de worsist. You got me hay cryin. How ya mean she ‘well past she sell by date”‘
Dat is de best fa a long time on dis blog.
‘she well past she sell by date’.
Lord mek peace. Ya bad.

I agree wid you. No sport or athlete can be centred ’round no one coach or what ever de ass she is. She ‘sell-by’ date gone evva since.

Ya dangerus.

Proud of Ryan,
Lord, wunna wicked, hear? ‘worsest’, luv um.

@Sargeant
“As to the non broadcast of the event by the local CBC I could only speculate that perhaps it’s a question of economics…”

I would probably argue the opposite, i.e. it was not a question of economics but poor media judgment. Certainly, for $9000US it cannot be a question of economics.

I think that the media, and especially CBC exercise the poorest judgment when it comes to advertising. First thing, the rates are too high, but even so, a special for small businesses (and I do not mean teleclassified) would help to boost their income. There is sufficient talent at CBC to come up with a plan that will add income.

One of the stabilising factors about any business is to have a wide base of customers, even if these customers spend a dollar a day, so long as you can create a steady stream of clients, you have a base.

I must wonder who watches teleclassified at 1 a.m.? Certainly not the majority of the population. To my mind, teleclassified are a rip-off and is a false sense of advertising because people etnd to turn off their sets once the days programming is over.

I have always argued that CBC is top heavy; too many employees for the limited TV broadcast and very little local and live programmes.

It is time that CBC has a full day of TV broadcast but it makes no sense having a full day of soaps. With a full day of broadcast, CBC could then offer more advertising packages to enhance revenue.

The technology is such now that you have methods like tickers, overlays, quarter screen and over the shoulder layouts that can be employed to increase revenue and drive down costs and prices.

My mathematics tells me that using these methods, CBC could add at least $3M to its revenue annually and that could cover the cost of salaries for 30 persons at $100,000 per year or 60 persons at $50,000 per year. Note that I am speaking of additional revenue.