Caribbean “Millionaire” debuts Sunday night

Another subject dealt with at the CARICOM summit was the temporary closure of the Caribbean Media Corporation. That non-profit company, jointly owned by the Caribbean News Agency and Caribbean Broadcasting Union, ceased operations on January fourth. As a result, the region’s broadcasters–including Channel 5–have been deprived of virtually all of their pan Caribbean programming. But while that situation sorts itself out, a number of independent efforts are underway to fill the vacuum. One making its debut this Sunday is the Caribbean version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”. The show, using format and sets identical to the immensely popular programme hosted by Regis Philbin in the U.S.A., is produced under license in forty-five different countries. The Caribbean version originates from Trinidad and is hosted by Ricardo Keanes-Douglas. The first four half-hour shows are celebrity versions with Sunday’s premiere featuring a cross-section of Caribbean comedians. Millionaire will then switch to the familiar one hour length with contestants coming from all over the region–including Belize–for a chance to win–that’s right–one million dollars. Those dollars, by the way, are the Trinidad and Tobago variety. But even at a rate of six point two to the U.S. dollar, the T and T million is still worth a respectable three hundred and twenty-two thousand Belize. Caribbean millionaire airs Sunday nights at eight.