CVM regrets Olympics broadcast issue

Thu, August 02, 2012 - 12:09 PM

CVM TV CEO Al Edwards yesterday said the station's staff members are working tirelessly to ensure that all Jamaicans are able to watch the Olympic Games and expressed regret that some viewers are having a difficulty seeing the feed bought by CVM.

"We regret that there are pockets of Jamaicans in various parts of the country who are not receiving our broadcast," Edwards said in a notice to the Jamaican public. "We remain committed to doing whatever we can to bring quality coverage of these Olympic Games to as many Jamaicans as possible."

Edwards issued the notice in the face of a complaint from the Broadcasting Commission that some Jamaicans were not receiving CVM's broadcast of the games.

Here is the full text of Edwards' statement.

"To the Jamaican public,

It has come to our attention that there have been complaints from members of the public who are unable to receive CVM's broadcast of the Olympic Games. We recognise the extreme interest in viewing the games and regret that some people are unable to receive this broadcast.

To ensure that Jamaicans had the opportunity to view the Olympics, CVM, with the support of sponsors, spent hundreds of millions of Jamaican dollars to acquire the rights to bring coverage of the Olympics to Jamaicans. This investment in acquiring the broadcast content was amplified with further investments in our technical infrastructure.

A significant amount of this investment was in efforts to ensure that our broadcasts reached as many Jamaicans as possible. To this end, we engaged an overseas consultant, added/upgraded/relocated equipment and conducted further tests of coverage. In tests of over 200 distinct locations across the country, not one location with "no coverage" was identified and actions were taken to improve the coverage in locations with "poor coverage".

We are also providing for free, public viewing on jumbo screens in the centres of Montego Bay, Mandeville, Savanna-la-Mar, Half-Way-Tree in Kingston and Ocho Rios. Last, but certainly not least, our staff are tirelessly working to ensure that we bring the very best of the Olympics to the maximum number of Jamaicans possible.

Notwithstanding all this investment of effort and money, and while the vast majority of Jamaicans are enjoying CVM's broadcast coverage of the London Olympics, we regret that there are pockets of Jamaicans in various parts of the country who are not receiving our broadcast.

We remain committed to doing whatever we can to bring quality coverage of these Olympic Games to as many Jamaicans as possible.n (Jamaica Observer)