Owner of Linden’s radio station denies shut-down order

Apr 17, 2014 News

Region Ten’s lone privately owned Radio Station, 104.3 Power FM, was not ordered to shut-down operations by the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) contrary to reports in the Stabroek News.
This is according to the proprietor of the radio station, Haslyn Graham, who believes that the inaccurate reporting could be damaging to the relationships shared between 104.3 Power FM Radio Station and GNBA and sponsors.

Haslyn Graham, Proprietor of 104.3 Power FM Radio Station

Graham said that he recently received a letter from the authority reminding him to pay the $2.5M broadcasting licence fee. The spectrum fee of $116,000 has already been paid. His business became operational on October 19, 2013 and every effort is being made to meet the fee for the licence.
The proprietor finds it distasteful that the daily newspaper would publish such a serious article without contacting him for a comment on the matter.
“I must state that the publication of this news article without any effort being made by the reporter to contact me, has taken me completely by surprise? The article has had the effect of causing unease in my business and advertising clients.”
“The heading of the news item was ‘Region Ten’s lone private radio station to be pulled off air’…I am not aware that my radio station will be “shut down” within a week, neither am I aware of any demand from me of the payment of $5M in Broadcast Licence Fees,” he said.
According to Graham, he has been in constant contact with his attorneys in relation to his legal and other obligations being the owner of the radio station.
“The advice that I have got so far has been confined to me and my family. With regards to paragraph four of the newspaper article, it was reported that the Regional Chairman of Region Ten, Mr. Sharma Solomon stated that, ‘…the Region has been up to date in its payment to the radio station,” Graham said.
He vehemently refuted this claim. The Regional Administration owes 104.3 Power FM Radio Station an outstanding sum for programmes. Graham has been trying to collect the outstanding money months now but to no avail.
Graham emphasized that his radio station is not a political one and his main aim is to have programmes that are within the ambit of the law and would be enjoyable to all of the people of Linden and its environs.