Grenadians grab Discovery T.V.

Weekend EC NEWS
October 6, 1989

Grenada Prime Minister Herbert Blaize has confirmed that the Grenada government has reached agreement to acquire American-owned Discovery Television.

“We are working towards getting a company established so that shares will be sold to the public,” Blaize told CANA, “it will be an organization owned by the government and the public.”

Discovery Television, Channel 11, was set up by Boston businessman David McCourt and went on the air in 1986.

Blaize said that Minister of Education George Mcguire had been charged with organizing the new company of which government will own 51 percent of the shares.

Mcguire told CANA that negotiations with McCourt had been finalized for the purchased of the station for EC$2, 064,000 but “there is a little obstacle which has to be overcome.”

“We would prefer to make a public statement next week when everything is in order, he said.

Mcguire said he was not competent to say how the purchase would be financed but government had been looking for assistance “all over the world” and since last April, has had an offer of financing from a British company.

An informed source said on Sunday that technicians from the British firm of International Generics were in Grenada for the purpose of installing relay equipment at various sites to ensure television reception throughout the mountainous three-island state of Grenada, Carriacou and Petit Martinique.

The source said the total cost of acquisition of Discovery Television and installation of the relays was likely to exceed EC $20 million.

According to a press release issued by McCourt, who operates McCourt Cable Systems in Boston, Discovery has a staff of 21, of which one is an American, one is Trinidadian and 19 are Grenadians.

The release said the station has increased its initial daily on-air time of tow hours to the present fifteen hours and the number of television sets in Grenada has jumped from 1000 four years ago to over 30,000 today.

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