#BTSpeakingOut – Incompetence on display

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.

by Charles Cooke
Toronto, Canada

I was very, very disappointed with the recent CBC TV8 election night coverage. There were a number of glaring omissions and technical snafus, the most egregious of which was the station’s inability to display the returns on screen with totals for each constituency so that their viewers could follow the vote count.

Good grief! Does CBC not have the ability to produce the most basic graphics or even a spreadsheet of the totals for each candidate?

How hard could that be?

Certainly no one expected magic boards with the latest gizmos as seen in election coverages in the USA, Canada and other countries.

But surely, CBC management could not seriously expect their viewers to have pen and paper at hand tallying votes as they were returned and keeping track of the various races as they played out.

As a dispassionate observer, I was simply disgusted that virtually no progress had been made in this type of live TV event since CBC’s inception in 1963.

My question is this . . . what was the difference in the election coverage on the Barbados’ radio stations and CBC TV8? The answer is none! They were both catering to a listening audience.

How can there be TV coverage without visuals?

Heads should roll over this as it points to a severe lack of leadership at the highest levels.

If Government funding is the issue, then the Minister responsible should rectify this immediately.

The Bajan diaspora want nothing more than the very best for their country of birth but when they see, what could only be described as a “bush league” presentation when the eyes of the world were focused on Barbados, not only because of its recent proclamation of republic status but also the high regard with which its Prime Minister is held, it is to weep with despair at such untrammelled incompetence.