Caribbean Broadcasting Union
Encyclopedia
The Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) founded in 1970 is a not-for-profit association of public service
and commercial broadcasters
in the Caribbean
. Its secretariat is based in Barbados
.
Beginning in the mid-1980s, the CBU created several regionally syndicated programmes including CaribScope, Caribbean Newsline, Caribbean News Review, Caribbean Business Weekly, Talk Caribbean, the Caribbean Song Festival
, Riddim Express and the CaribVision
television news exchange, among other programmes. These were some of the first television programmes to contribute to a nascent regional integration movement and enjoyed wide viewership, particularly CaribScope, a magazine containing arts, cultural and general interest features submitted by member stations.
Leadership of the association is mainly rotated between representatives of the affiliated media houses. On June 9 2000 the commercial operations of the CBU and the Caribbean News Agency
were merged into the Caribbean Media Corporation
, also based in Barbados, which has carried on the business of television production begun by the CBU. The CBU's current mandate includes the facilitation of some broadcast services, representation, and training of the staff of member stations in support of a unified Caribbean community. It holds an Annual General Assembly (AGA) in one of the member nations every August. Member stations are drawn from the 15 member nations of the Caribbean Community
, with the exception of Haiti
. Other member stations are drawn from Suriname
, the Netherlands Antilles
, and Cuba
.
Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
and commercial broadcasters
Commercial broadcasting
Commercial broadcasting is the broadcasting of television programs and radio programming by privately owned corporate media, as opposed to state sponsorship...
in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. Its secretariat is based in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
.
Beginning in the mid-1980s, the CBU created several regionally syndicated programmes including CaribScope, Caribbean Newsline, Caribbean News Review, Caribbean Business Weekly, Talk Caribbean, the Caribbean Song Festival
Caribbean Song Festival
The Caribbean Song Festival is an annual song competition held among countries that are members of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union . It is the largest and highest rated song competition of the Caribbean....
, Riddim Express and the CaribVision
CaribVision
CaribVision is an internationally-broadcast English language television channel run by the Caribbean Media Corporation 's national broadcast centre on the island of Barbados...
television news exchange, among other programmes. These were some of the first television programmes to contribute to a nascent regional integration movement and enjoyed wide viewership, particularly CaribScope, a magazine containing arts, cultural and general interest features submitted by member stations.
Leadership of the association is mainly rotated between representatives of the affiliated media houses. On June 9 2000 the commercial operations of the CBU and the Caribbean News Agency
Caribbean News Agency
Prior to the merger, the Caribbean News Agency founded in January 1976 as successor to the former Reuters Caribbean service, created by the Caribbean region's print and broadcast media outlets. Stake-holding media companies share their own local content with CANA which in turn would have access...
were merged into the Caribbean Media Corporation
Caribbean Media Corporation
The Caribbean Media Corporation is a Barbados-based centralised content-provider for the various Caribbean media houses in the region. Formed in June 2000, through the merger of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union and the Caribbean News Agency...
, also based in Barbados, which has carried on the business of television production begun by the CBU. The CBU's current mandate includes the facilitation of some broadcast services, representation, and training of the staff of member stations in support of a unified Caribbean community. It holds an Annual General Assembly (AGA) in one of the member nations every August. Member stations are drawn from the 15 member nations of the Caribbean Community
Caribbean Community
The Caribbean Community is an organisation of 15 Caribbean nations and dependencies. CARICOM's main purposes are to promote economic integration and cooperation among its members, to ensure that the benefits of integration are equitably shared, and to coordinate foreign policy...
, with the exception of Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
. Other member stations are drawn from Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
, the Netherlands Antilles
Netherlands Antilles
The Netherlands Antilles , also referred to informally as the Dutch Antilles, was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of two groups of islands in the Lesser Antilles: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao , in Leeward Antilles just off the Venezuelan coast; and Sint...
, and Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
Full members
| Country | Broadcasting organisation | Abbr. Abbreviation An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase... |
Year |
|---|---|---|---|
 Anguilla |
Radio Anguilla | ||
 Aruba |
TeleAruba | ||
 Antigua and Barbuda |
Antigua and Barbuda Broadcasting Service | ABS | |
 The Bahamas |
Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas | ||
 Barbados |
Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation The Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation is the government-owned media corporation located in Barbados.The television service broadcasts on channel 8 and is the only legally-licensed, over-the-air television channel broadcasting in the country of Barbados... |
||
 Belize |
Broadcasting Corporation of Belize | ||
| Great Belize Productions Great Belize Productions Great Belize Productions is a Belize-based local production company and the parent company of Great Belize Television .-Founding:GBP was formed in 1982 as a video making company specialising in commercials for Belize's then-small television industry... |
|||
 Bermuda |
Bermuda Broadcasting Company | ||
 Curaçao |
TeleCuracao | ||
 Dominica |
Dominica Broadcasting | ||
| Marpin Television | |||
 Grenada |
Grenada Broadcasting Corporation | ||
 Guyana |
Guyana Television Broadcasting | ||
| Guyana Broadcasting Corporation Guyana Broadcasting Corporation The Guyana Broadcasting Corporation was the state-owned radio company of Guyana. It was created in 1979 after a government takeover of Radio Demerara, and in April 2004 was merged with the Guyana Television Broadcasting Company to form the National Communication Network Incorporated... |
|||
| WRHM Television Service | |||
| Viera Communications | |||
 Jamaica |
CVM Television | ||
| Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation The Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation was a public broadcasting company in Jamaica founded in 1959 by Prime Minister Norman Manley with the aim of emulating the success of other national broadcasting companies such as the BBC and CBC.-History:... |
|||
| Television Jamaica | |||
 Montserrat |
Radio Montserrat | ||
 Saint Kitts and Nevis |
ZIZ Radio and Television | ||
 Saint Lucia |
Cablevision | ||
| Helen Television System | |||
| Saint Lucia Broadcasting Corporation | |||
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Broadcasting Corporation | ||
 Suriname |
Surinaamse Televisie Stichting | ||
| ATV - Telesur | |||
 Trinidad and Tobago |
AVM Television | ||
| Caribbean Communication Network - TV 6 | |||
| International Communication Network | |||
| Trinidad Broadcasting | |||
| Radio Turks and Caicos | |||
Associate members
| Country | Broadcasting organisation | Abbr. Abbreviation An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase... |
Year |
|---|---|---|---|
 Canada |
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster... |
CBC | |
 Cuba |
Cuban Radio and Television under the new constitution | ||
 Early Modern France |
Societe Nationale de Radio Television Francaise D'Outre-mer | ||
 Germany |
Transtel CMBH | ||
| Jamaica |
Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication | CARIMAC | |
| The Creative Production & Training Centre Ltd. | |||
| Independent Radio Co. Ltd. | |||
| Radio Education Unit | |||
 Netherlands |
Radio Nederland Wereldomroep | ||
 Tortola |
Department of Information and Public Relations | ||
| Trinidad and Tobago |
Banyan Ltd. | ||
 United Kingdom |
British Broadcasting Corporation | BBC | |
 United States |
Cable News Network | CNN | |
| National Association of Broadcasters National Association of Broadcasters The National Association of Broadcasters is a trade association, workers union, and lobby group representing the interests of for-profit, over-the-air radio and television broadcasters in the United States... |
|||
| Voice of America Voice of America Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio... |
|||
 United States Virgin Islands |
St. Thomas-St. John Cable Television | ||
Non-member affiliates & associates
- North American National Broadcasters Association (NANBA)
- National Association of BroadcastersNational Association of BroadcastersThe National Association of Broadcasters is a trade association, workers union, and lobby group representing the interests of for-profit, over-the-air radio and television broadcasters in the United States...
(NAB) - World Broadcasting Union (WBU)
- Commonwealth Broadcasting AssociationCommonwealth Broadcasting AssociationFounded in 1945, the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association is a representative body for public service broadcasters throughout the Commonwealth. A not-for-profit non-government organisation, the CBA is funded by subscriptions from 102 members and affiliates from 53 countries...
(CBA) - Caribbean News AgencyCaribbean News AgencyPrior to the merger, the Caribbean News Agency founded in January 1976 as successor to the former Reuters Caribbean service, created by the Caribbean region's print and broadcast media outlets. Stake-holding media companies share their own local content with CANA which in turn would have access...
(CANA) - European Broadcasting UnionEuropean Broadcasting UnionThe European Broadcasting Union is a confederation of 74 broadcasting organisations from 56 countries, and 49 associate broadcasters from a further 25...
(EBU) - Arab States Broadcasting UnionArab States Broadcasting UnionThe Arab States Broadcasting Union , founded in 1969, is an Arab joint-action institution related to the League of Arab States and the Pan-Arab Association of Public Service and Commercial Broadcasters based in Tunis.-Active Members:...
(ASBU) - Asia-Pacific Broadcasting UnionAsia-Pacific Broadcasting UnionThe Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union , formed in 1964, is a non-profit, professional association of broadcasting organisations. It currently has 200 members in 57 countries and regions, reaching a potential audience of about 3 billion people....
(ABU) - Union des Radiodiffusion et télévisions Nationales d'Afrique (URTNA)
- Organización de Televisión IberoamericanaOrganización de Televisión IberoamericanaOrganización de Televisión Iberoamericana or "Organization of Iberoamerican Television" is the former name of Organización de Telecomunicaciones Iberoamericanas , an organization of television networks in Latin America , Spain, and Portugal. Its mission is to foster relations between television...
(OTI) - Asociación Internacional de Radiodifusión (AIR)
- Canadian Broadcasting Association (CBA)
Previous presidents of the CBU
- 1999 - 2002 Stewart Krohn
- 1991 - 1999 Vic Fernandes
- 1987 - 1991 J.A. Lester Spaulding
- 1984 - 1987 Frits Pengel
- 1980 - 1984 Terrence Holder
- 1976 - 1980 Frits Pengel
- 1975 - 1976 Ron Sanders
- 1973 - 1975 Leo de Leon
- 1970 - 1973 Ray Smith