NLA head claims SVGTV boycotting NLA hosted events

The management of the National Lotteries Authority (NLA) has called on the St Vincent and the Grenadines Broadcasting Corporation (SVGBC) to start attending functions hosted by the NLA once again.

But while this call has been put out by the NLA, the management of SVGBC, parent company of SVGTV, Hitz FM and Easy Radio, denies that they have been boycotting functions hosted by the NLA.{{more}}

During a press briefing that was held on August 17 to announce the latest lotto winner, manager of the NLA McGregor Sealey, noticing the absence of SVGTV, said that it has been a while since that media outlet has sent a representative to any of the NLA’s functions.

“I would hope that SVGBC reconsider…because the NLA is not a political organization, it is a national thing and every person in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) who plays the lottery can see the benefits of the lotto,” said Sealey.

The apparent rift between the two entities can be traced back to the decision by the NLA to move their televised lotto draws away from SVGTV to the Vincentian Cultural Connection channel or VC3 television, channel 114, an entity owned by the NLA.

Sealey said that the move caused a significant amount of loss of revenue for SVGBC, but it was a sensible decision on behalf of the NLA, as it helped them save money, something Sealey says all businesses are aiming to do in these harsh financial times.

The draws of the NLA, which were stopped in May 2015, were first broadcast on SVGBC in 1984.

Marketing officer at the NLA Anthony Dennie commented that the NLA still advertises with SVGBC and he hoped that they would soon be part of their media conferences.

However, assistant manager at SVGBC Rodger Dalrymple said the company does not have a policy of not covering press briefings of the NLA and denied that they have been deliberately boycotting those functions.

He said if the NLA feels that their events are being boycotted, they should discuss it with them. Dalrymple noted that in the few instances that they did not cover events by the NLA, there have always been valid reasons, including shortage of personnel to attend the event; vehicles out on assignment and not available to take someone to the event; or extremely late notice by the NLA.

“In many instances we had other commitments and we could not send people, but we do not have a policy to not cover them. It’s a matter of having the manpower,” stressed Dalrymple, who revealed that if the NLA sends footage, it is used by the station.

The assistant manager, however, encouraged the NLA to reach out to them to discuss the matter.(LC)