Channel 7 owner/Telemedia Chair stops ads on Channel 5

We told you on Monday night that we are home safe, that the legal detachment of Great Belize Productions/Channel Five had taken place before the G.O.B.’s nationalization of Belize Telemedia, the former parent company of this station. True to this, shareholders today began receiving by post, dividends of the entire issued share capital of Katalyst, the owner of the company. The decision was taken in anticipation of the current hostile environment and to provide viewers with the professionalism and objectivity that characterize our programming. Certainly, given the state of play, there would be an obvious conflict with Nestor Vasquez as the new chairman of Telemedia, who is also the owner of Channel Seven. But speculation continues from detractors and there is a generous dose of mischief and pettiness afoot. You would think that there was enough to do in the transition of the three hundred million US dollar private company to government hands than to embark on a witch-hunt on the business of this company as it related to its former parent company, including the former N.D.F.B. Building on Coney Drive. That property was acquired since September fourth of last year by G.B.T.V./Channel Five as the future headquarters of this station so that any move to that building is purely a matter of course. Among the first acts by the new management of Telemedia, was notice to this station that it would advertise only on a “needs basis” and was discontinuing sponsorship of Open Your Eyes, and other commercial arrangements for production of advertisements. But be that as it may. Also on Tuesday, in respect of the immensely popular new morning show, Open Your Eyes, we were disconnected from our Church Street studios, and had to revert to our newsroom studios on Regent Street. And as odd as it seems, we have been experiencing some rather strange technical difficulties. Today, the press office wrote to this station complaining about a government ad which was not aired on Wednesday. The truth of the matter is that with so much coming our way in the last two days, we have been simply burning the midnight oil to keep apace without disruption in our programming. With your support, Channel Five will continue to innovate and provide the best nationwide and unbiased coverage and service.