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Jun 11, 2009 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

To the great majority of citizens in this land, the Guyana Times does not make sense.
I lived in Guyana during the reign of Burnham and people were desperate to get a copy of the Catholic Standard. It was a sought after newspaper. It was the same story when the Stabroek News was born. Today, most, if not all readers of the newspapers, seek out the Kaieteur News and the Stabroek News.
Under both Burnham and Hoyte, the Chronicle had a larger circulation. The Chronicle just cannot stand on its own. It may be harsh to describe it as moribund. But it is close to that. The Mirror, the paper of the ruling party, is given away on the sugar estates. It dropped its Wednesday edition about ten years ago. Three thousand copies are printed each week.

In the electronic media, I would rate Prime News, then Capitol News and the Evening News in that order. NCN is running a very poor fourth place. I doubt Channel 65 news is patronized even by PPP beneficiaries. Do you know I have never got a chance in years to see the news production of Channel 65?
So what is the point? Most people in Guyana prefer to see the news content of the media houses that are independent and not partisan to the Government. In fact, this writer knows of Government functionaries that have approached both the Kaieteur News and the Stabroek News to have column space. I also know that both newspapers are always the first recipients of letters from pro-government voices before they are sent to the Chronicle.

It means that even those that control the state read the state newspapers lastly.
In this picture of reality, the Guyana Times sought to project its face. It has failed to compete. This is putting it mildly. A very good friend of mine told me at the last race car meeting, the newspaper was freely given away, but there were no takers.
I know for a fact that free Guyana Times is given away in certain villagers up the East Coast. Six months ago, a Mahaica resident told me that a van came twice in the village and distributed free copies.
The Guyana Times has not only started badly in terms of markets. But in its capacity to retain the journalists it pulled from other media houses. A majority of them are gone. Three of them whom this writer knows are people that any newspaper would be glad to have. Not to mention, the editor only lasted four months.

Is this the paper that will give headaches to the two independent dailies? President Jagdeo, openly in front of other media workers, told a Kaieteur News reporter, in reference to the announcement of the birth of the Guyana Times that Kaieteur News looks like it is afraid of competition. Unfortunately, the Guyana Times is only competing with the Chronicle.
In terms of money, the Guyana Times will do well. It is already getting a whopping sum through steady placements of state advertisements.
This is the nasty, immoral side of the Guyana Government that the people of Guyana should not tolerate come the next election.
President Jagdeo said that State advertisements were taken away from the Stabroek News because it had to do with the numbers media houses reach. The Guyana Times is reaching no one but is getting Government’s patronage.

The same owners that cannot get the Guyana Times “off the road” have now bought VCT and will likely retain the Evening News. So the Ramroop Group will have a pro-government newspaper and an electronic media house. Something does not make sense here.
Who is going to tune in to the Evening News after they have seen Prime News and Capitol News? What is the answer? I will speculate in two areas.
First, I think the Evening News will be allowed to send its signal all over Guyana. This means that in many areas, it will be the only electronic newscast available as is the case with NCN in Linden. This is in preparation for 2011.
Secondly, it may be possible that we are seeing something to do with efforts to launch a third term campaign.
This essay has to come to an end right now. I cannot continue the analysis. I had blackout the entire day so I couldn’t type and right now there is blackout again, and the editor has called to say I am running late. Guyana has become an area of darkness under the PPP.

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