GTV ONLINE! Mr. Dwayne Hackett, who is mainly responsible for the graphics work at GTV, and Mr. Neaz Subhan taking a closer look yesterday at the GTV multi-media website which can be accessed on the internet at www.gtvguyana.com.
THE state-owned television company (GTV) is currently going through one of its most important phases of development in recent times with several changes taking place all centrally aimed at upgrading the company’s transmission system, improving the quality of the video-feed and ‘breaking new grounds’ and ‘setting new standards’ for television in Guyana.

Due to these changes, the company now boasts of a new “multi-media website” - www.gtvguyana.com -which is believed to be one of the most, if not the most, modern websites in Guyana.

The company is also currently is the process of stepping up the quality of its video feed and upgrading its transmission country-wide at a cost of some $15M.

And about two-weeks ago, a new-look GTV newscast, replete with new anchors, state-of-the-art news-desk and teleprompter and a new title - the ‘6 O’Clock News Magazine’ - went on air for the first time amidst much excitement from the viewing public at the programme’s transformation.

The newscast, formerly called ‘The 6 O’Clock News’, now boasts two beauties - in the person of former Miss Guyana Universe and World contenders, Ms. Petal DeSantos and Ms.Olive Gopaul - and Messrs Wilfred Cameron and Duane Fowler, as anchors. Both Fowler - who has also been retained as Newsroom Coordinator - and Cameron previously worked as anchors with other rival newscasts.

Among other revolutionary changes to have swept the Homestretch Avenue facility of late, in the hope of making its programmes more viewer-friendly, is the installation of a whole range of new state-of-the-art equipment, which, according to Head of the Graphics Interfaces Department and Coordinator of the ‘6 O’Clock News Magazine, Mr. Neaz Subhan, is responsible for the improved quality of the graphics we now see in the newscast.

Subhan indicated that some other multi-million dollar, state-of-the art equipment are due to arrive in Guyana shortly for installation at the company.

The new news-desk, which is also state-of-the-art, is courtesy of the local manufacturing firm, FibreTech. The newsroom, which was formerly located on the ground floor of the building, has now been moved one floor up.

Subhan noted that among the new programmes launched in the past few weeks is one called ‘Indian Top 10’, which is aired at 09:00hrs on Saturdays and rebroadcast during the week, and another called ‘Anmol Geet’ aired Sundays at 07:00hrs.

New also is the ‘GTV Sports Magazine’ hosted by Sean Devers, and another called ‘The Cook & Craft Show’.

Speaking with this newspaper yesterday to announce the launch of the GTV multi-media website - www.gtvguyana.com - Subhan said “the website is up and running since last week and could be considered the most modern in Guyana”. The website has a lot of features, including `streaming videos’, and daily news stories on video format as it would have appeared on the GTV News Magazine.

It also has separate pages on programmes aired on GTV, who is hosting it and what time it can be seen among other things.

Subhan said, too, that there is a marketing page on the website whereby persons can access advertising rates, etc..

“We have received a number of feedbacks from not only Guyana alone but North America and elsewhere and these have been very positive. Persons overseas can now log on and see almost in real time what is happening in Guyana on a daily basis and we are very encouraged by that,” Subhan said.

Subhan also noted that GTV will be launching another programme tonight (Thursday night) which is expected to be “a ‘Talk Show’ with a difference”. The name of the talk show is ‘Lets Talk’ and according to him, the programme is designed to take a form similar to the acclaimed ‘Larry King’ programme on CNN.

He said the 30-minute programme will be aired live on GTV three times per week in the initial stages and hopefully, would be expanded into a five-day per week programme (Monday to Friday).

The programme will be aired every Tuesday night at 21:00 hrs (9:00pm) and Thursdays and Fridays at 20:30 hrs (8:30 pm).