The Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) has thanked its international partners who helped with much-needed support for three radio stations hit by hurricanes Irma and Maria.

The CBU is a grouping of nearly four dozen media entities located in 23 countries and territories in the English, Dutch, French and Spanish-speaking Caribbean and South America. 

The Union’s mandate includes: facilitating indigenous programme production and sharing; capacity-building of media institutions and professionals; joint negotiation of rights for programming; and advocacy in regional and international forums on policy and technology issues.

In the wake of each of the September 2017 catastrophic hurricanes, the CBU sought damage updates from its member stations in the affected countries and territories.

The reports, which told of wrecked transmitters, unusable studios and uninhabitable offices, spurred a CBU appeal to sister broadcasters via the Union’s international partners, the World Broadcasting Unions (WBU) and the Public Media Alliance (PMA).

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) a member of the WBU, opened its warehouses to CBU members Radio Anguilla, Radio Turks and Caicos, to ensure vital information about relief and recovery efforts could continue reaching the populations served before the hurricanes brought transmitters crashing down.

Because of CBC’s generosity, the CBU was able to mobilise support for a former member of the Union, in a country which had been particularly hard hit, the Dominica Broadcasting Service (DBS).

All three radio services have been supplied with FM and 150w exciters as well as FM transmitters, and are in the process of installing the crucial equipment.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responded with a replacement antenna for Radio Anguilla, and even sent St. Lucia-based technician, Thomas Anius to help his Anguillan counterparts with the installation.