Belize wins big in broadcasting awards
It may not have been the olympics or world cup football but if you were watching Channel Five over the weekend you saw that a Belizean contingent made its presence felt in an important international forum: the world of television.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Belize turned in a strong performance in Saturday’s night’s Caribbean Broadcasting Awards, bringing home more trophies than any other country. The wining Belizean entries included three for Channel Five and one for Bel-Caribe Communications. Channel Five’s Stewart Krohn and Rick Romero were honoured for their story entitled “Rocky Point,” which chronicled a confrontation between environmentalists and a shrimp hatchery on northern Ambergris Caye.
Patty Arceo, Area Representative
“We are aware that this place, it is a reserve and I don’t know who gave the authority to the reserve, this reserve here. I think you can see that our concern is very big, because this is has been a traditional usage for boats going all across, to Mexico. I don’t know who on earth gave permission, which ministry, but this my area and as far as I know, I am the boss here.”
That story won the prize for the year’s Best News Feature as well as Best Story on the Environment. Bel-Caribe won the award for Best Television Commercial, for its Atlantic Bank advertisement starring the ever-popular Johnny Downs. Accepting the award was Bel-Caribe proprietor Cynthia Henry.
Cynthia Henry, Bel-Caribe Communications Ltd.
“I really want to thank all those members of my team from Bel-Caribe Communications Ltd. that worked on this commercial. Suzette Zaiden, who was the producer, Hopeton Hemmings, my editor/camera and Al Cacho, graphic artist/designer. Without them this would not have been possible. I also want to thank the star of the ad, little Johnny, he was so great and I am sure he has…I believe he has a wonderful acting career in the future.”
Channel Five also received recognition for maintaining the best website among the region’s broadcasters, channel5belize.com. Accepting the award was News Five’s Stewart Krohn, who gave credit to the site’s creator, Demian Solano.
Stewart Krohn, Managing Director, Channel Five
“The person who will be taking this award back in Belize, is a young man named Demian Solano. His company is Netkom Internet Solutions, if I could give this advertisement for him. Demian did a very unusual thing in that when we approached him about a website several years back. Instead of getting up and telling us what we needed, he very politely asked us what would you like in a website? We proceeded to tell him, he thought for a few minutes and said yeah I can do that and he proceeded to do it. I guess this is proof that he did it pretty well.”
Other broadcasters winning multiple awards were Cuba’s ICRT, Trinidad’s TV6 and Jamaica’s TVJ, TVJ being named a Broadcaster of the Year. The Caribbean Broadcasting Awards are held annually by the Caribbean Broadcasting Union and the ceremonies are aired live on television stations across the region. Top performers and personalities at Saturday’s show included ITN anchor Sir Trevor MacDonald, actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, Miss Universe 1998 Wendy Fitzwilliam and musicians Arturo Tappin and Eddy Grant.
We are also reliably informed that Saturday night was the first time our Managing Director was seen publicly in a tuxedo.
