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OCM Network to unveil Caribbean Super Station
STARCOM Network Inc (SNI), a division of One Caribbean Media Ltd, is set to transfer the frequency 97.5 FM from Gospel FM to the long awaited Caribbean Super station on April 4, 2011.
STARCOM Network Inc (SNI), a division of One Caribbean Media Ltd, is set to transfer the frequency 97.5 FM from Gospel FM to the long awaited Caribbean Super station on April 4, 2011.
The new station, which will be the first ever 24-hour pan-Caribbean radio network with 100 per cent regional programming including music, news, and public affairs, will broadcast in real-time across eight markets: Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, and the British Virgin Islands.
In making the announcement, Vic Fernandes, Chief Executive Officer of the OCM Network said that the Caribbean has opened a new and exciting chapter in its broadcast history.
“The Caribbean Super station is an initiative that we have been planning since 2007 as part of our commitment to ensure that the people of the Caribbean have continued access to news and information that keeps them fully informed and entertained, while reflecting the rich culture and traditions of the region.
“We feel even further encouraged by the recent calls from political leaders and social commentators across the region for some entity to step in and fill the breach that will be left by the closure of the BBC’s Caribbean Service. In light of these events, our group feels an even more urgent sense of our responsibility to serve the region in this regard,” he added.
As part of several unsuccessful bids to secure a broadcast license for the Superstation, SNI is working to fully integrate the programming of Gospel 97.5 with Voice of Barbados 92.9 to facilitate the services of the new station on the frequency of 97.5FM.
The lineup for the amalgamated programming on Voice of Barbados 92.9 will feature popular radio personality, Maurice Norville from 4am-7am; the Cock-a-doodle-doo morning shows with Dennis Johnson and Ayesha Gibson, 7am-10am; Down to Brass Tacks, 10am to 2pm; and Ian “Cupid” Gill, 2pm-6:15pm.
From 6:15pm to 12am, Voice of Barbados 92.9 will feature gospel programming except Mondays with The Penalty Spot and Tuesdays with Mason and Best.
Speaking on the challenges of applying for a license for the Super station, Fernandes said that the OCM Network must continue to work closely with regional Governments to ensure the future success of the station.
“We fully expect that the Governments of the Caribbean will support our initiative even though that support has, so far, been slow in coming. We have applied to a number of Governments in the Caribbean for licenses including the Governments of Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and Antigua and Barbuda in our desire to more fully serve the needs and expectations of Caribbean people and to further the cause of regional integration and cooperation.
Fernandes went on to add “To date our applications for radio broadcast licenses for the Caribbean Super Station in Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda and Barbados and a television broadcast license for Barbados have not been favourably received, but we remain hopeful that as a publicly owned and indigenous media company such approvals will be not be long in coming. We at the OCM Network will rise to the challenge and anticipate an exciting and dynamic future for our audiences and stakeholders alike.”
About OCM Network:
OCM Network is a division of One Caribbean Media Ltd, a publicly owned company which is traded on the Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados stock exchanges. OCM Network operates radio stations in Barbados; Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, Montserrat, Antigua and Barbuda and St. Kitts/ Nevis, the British Virgin Islands and Grenada.
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