What percentage of viewing time should be dedicated to local television programming. The man/woman-in-the street share their views:

Terrence Grant - banker: `If all 21 local television stations are to be licensed based on local production, none would be granted a licence. While the licensing requirement would create a case for local programmes I doubt that stations in Georgetown get beyond the city and its immediate environment. Though the majority of the people live on the coast, Georgetown is not Guyana and it is important that people beyond the city know what is happening in the country. Linden, Ituni and Kwakwani see little or zero of the programmes or news from the city. They see more of what comes out of the USA. Radio is seldom heard in these parts. As far as residents of some of these areas are concerned, broadcast legislation means nothing to them. Then who will be the competent authority to determine what percentage of air time a television devotes to local programming. At present, I like to look at cable television VTV-102 for sports, particularly rugby and soccer, on ESPN. For general television programmes I go to VCT Channel 28. I would also look at Voice of the People in particular on CNS Channel 6. It is an outlet for the poor and downtrodden.'

Shirley Jeffrey - Mabaruma resident: `I don't know what television licensing can do for us in Region One (Barima/Waini). At Mabaruma for instance we get television programmes broadcast from Trinidad and Venezuela. The same goes for radio. Children and adults alike know more about what is happening in Trinidad than they know what is happening in Georgetown based on the news they see and hear. Except for a few copies of the Stabroek News and the Chronicle which comes in with a plane a few days each week, we basically live in our own world. However, though we are not a huge population out of the city, more for national security than anything else, we need to know what is happening in the city as well as the city needs to know what is happening our way. If legislation can bring us transmission, for both radio and television, from the capital city then the legislation would be welcome but as of now, it has no meaning.'

Mohamed Yusuf - manufacturer: `We have so many television stations but the programmes they offer need variety. Sometimes you find three stations offering the same movie, documentary or whatever the same time. You switch to Channel 28, you find the show there, you move to WRHM Channel 7... the same thing... you go to RBS Channel 13, still the same. I agree that we need some local programming and because of a lack of local production houses, for me 20% local programming would be good enough right now. To boost local production government now needs to grant duty-free concessions for equipment for production houses. Give me 40% of general educational programmes such as those offered by the Discovery Channel and National Geographic. The rest could go to musicals, movie, sitcoms or whatever. Local television stations advertise programmes that they are unable to air. They do this all the time with the excuse that programmes are subject to change without notice. This comes too often and they need to give a proper explanation for this. If and when granted licences who will monitor? Nobody is interested in standards. Everyone is looking for a quick dollar. Generally I watch WRHM - Channel 7 for variety; RBS Channel 13 for cooking and I am not sure right now if its MTV or NTN for movies'.

Paul Moore - independent producer: `I agree there should be more local programming. For me much of what is put out lacks content and that is because of the need for research. What is needed are television stations with vibrant production teams and scope for training. Some stations are operating without any producer and they depend on independent producers for whatever local programmes they carry. There are a lot of graduates coming out with diplomas and bachelor's degrees in communications. They are coming out with the theoretical knowledge and they could be the movers to get local production going. For me as an independent producer I have to cope with many others seeking the same sponsorship. Foreign programmes such as soaps - Young and the Restless - attract sponsorship at peak hours as well. Because of these factors a lot of programmes are stifled. Improving local television production could best be done through a producers association. Sharing resources, such as facilities and ideas could help in the interim. Government could also be lobbied to grant duty-free concessions for equipment and other things needed. As an independent producer of `Queue N Line and Paul Moore Show, on Channel 2, I have to rent cameras and pay to have my work edited because I do not have an editing suite.'

Wilmott Chan - miner: `I am not in the habit of looking at television but I look at both local and foreign news. After that it is just touch and go but from those few minutes, I feel that programming and local programmes leave much to be desired. Rebroadcasts of sitcoms and serials are much the same each evening. While more local programmes would be interesting it will cost a lot of money to produce of a certain standard and quality. A producers association might stifle healthy competition while it may have its advantages such as sharing resources. If legislation is calling for a certain amount of local programmes, government should concede to some request of the producers, after all, it is a fledgling industry and they could be deemed pioneers. In addition, they will create employment for a number of persons. There is certainly a need for local sitcoms, which express the local lifestyle, like the one `Agree to disagree' which was quite successful initially but which unfortunately came to an end for whatever reason... financing? There is need for programmes which would allow for constructive criticisms of the government and opposition, local entertainment and educational programmes through quizzes and among others, musicals for children and adults.'

Adam Scott - private sector employee: `Right now, we don't have the facility to produce local programmes. What will happen is that we will end up having six or seven producers doing the same thing basically... duplication, triplication. We may end up with several Voices of the People as with the talk shows and call them local programming. Name one proper production house we have in the country. Probably GTV but what does it do? How many of their own productions do we see each week or each day? They may have staff. What do they do? First of all to do proper productions, there must be proper cameras. I doubt that we have these in Guyana. Apart from just one or two who can handle a camera, what we have? A set of little boys who never had formal training but got jobs because of pointing a camera where they would not get good reproduction because of too much light. They are either afraid to tell those they are going to shoot that they are not properly positioned or they just don't know. Government has to grant certain privileges, initially, to producers if they want quality.'

Aubrey Smith - private sector employee: `We should have at least 40% of local programmes from each television station but we need to extend transmission to cover the entire country. Right now we have to take what we get because we do not have production houses. You just don't go shooting footage without being able to edit or properly edit. We need the foreign news and programmes because we are not living in isolation. We are living in a global village and we need to know what is going on in Europe as much as we need to know what is happening in Matthew's Ridge or in the Rupununi, because either way events far and near could affect my life. Right now in Guyana with economic depression, political and race problems, we need a lot of motivational programmes.'

Julian Chung - interior decorator: `I would think that about 25% or 30% of local programmes should account for local television station viewing time. But they need to be monitored for quality and standard. Some of them should be aired at peak time and should be good substitutes for some of the more popular sitcoms like Fresh Prince, Family Matters and Three's Company. I like those shows. I also enjoy some of Channel Nine's local, regional and foreign productions. Channel 69 is my movies channel. While we may need to promote local programmes, I still see a heavy reliance on foreign programmes because, with the exception of GTV, we have no other production house. Where will the local programmes come from?'

Jasmattie Da Silva - Cumberland/Corentyne resident: `We get no television stations from Georgetown but we do get Prime News, Six 0'clock News and Eight 0'clock news on the three stations in Berbice. The three stations are Channel 8, Channel 10 and Channel 12. But then we don't always get them. Some days we only get Channel 10 - Little Rock Television and then we get only the soaps like Young and the Restless, Days of our Lives and Passions. To be frank I would like more local programmes and I would like my children to know more about Guyana, its people and I would also like them to know more about the world.'

Robert Benn - mechanic: `There are no special programmes I look for but I do watch out for the Voice of the People on CNS Channel 6 because in Sophia we experience a number of problems for which we get no justice. It is only when you go on the station that you tend to get some kind of justice, even if it is just getting the problem off the chest. Right now in Sophia we need electricity because I have to look at television powered by batteries.'