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by MICHELLE SPRINGER Verbal sparring erupted on the airwaves last Thursday and Friday between the island's two leading broadcast entities STARCOM Network and Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) over the first 98.1 The One/Banks Sweet Soca Competition. Thursday afternoon on Voice of Barbados, Dennis Johnson, moderator of STARCOM Network's Crop-Over call-in programme, Fireworks queried the alliance between the National Cultural Foundation and CBC. This followed the announcement of the Sweet 16 semi-finalists in the Sweet Soca competition the previous evening at CBC headquarters in The Pine, St Michael. To date this radio station has received no indication as to the rules of that competition, the judging criteria or who the judges were. And I have to ask, will this competition be broadcast solely and exclusively on the stations of Caribbean Broadcasting Corportation or will it be broadcast across the airwaves as most other competitions and other functions put on by the National Cultural Foundation are broadcast, such as the Party Monarch Finals, the Pic-O-De Crop Finals, Bridgetown Market, Cohobblopot [and so on]? Johnson asked. Is this a precedent being set, where a national event is given exclusively to one media house with no representation or presentation being made to the other? he queried. Speaking on CBC's Crop-Over call-in programme Festival Stage Friday morning, announcers Anthony Admiral Nelson and Teshia Hinds responded to Johnson's concerns. As a sponsor, we do what any other sponsor would do and we lend support in any way we can . . . . Other people were upset that the announcement [of the sweet 16 semi-finalists] was going to be here [at CBC], Hinds said, indicating CBC was acting in accordance with their role as sponsors. "We are a business, so like any other business . . . [when] we're sponsoring an event, of course we need to get the type of mileage that would go along with sponsoring the event. "The sponsorship comes with our deejays being a part of it and of course, then the support for the competition in helping to get the music out there, as is the case with every other competition for the festival. "If another station is not a sponsor, it does not mean that they do not play the music. We hope others would understand this competition is part of the Crop-Over Festival, and because 98.1 is a sponsor does not mean you can't play the music," she said, stressing the CBC had no role in the selection process." The semifinalists in the 98.1 The One/Banks Sweet Soca Monarch Competition are: Statement, All Night Till Mornin'; Blood, Back It Up; William Watts, Busted; Li'l Rick, Carnival Jucks; Mr Dale, Come Out; Lorenzo, Good Vibes; TC, Hot Sun & Riddim; Tarah Holdipp, Hottie Hottie Gal; Mikey, I In Dat; Outpatients, Keep Drinks Coming; Tasha, Move Over; Peter Ram, Peter Pan; Khiomal, Trouble; Sir Ruel, We Come To Party; Natahlee, What We Do; and Brett, Wining Zone. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it |
| Last Updated ( Saturday, 11 July 2009 00:07 ) |