They apparently lacked the backbone and stomach for a head to head clash. Instead they sent a middle distance runner to race against a sprinter.

TVJ expected and is even daring CVM TV to move their news cast

Over the past two years Television Jamaica (TVJ) has been consistently and strategically extending its 7 o’clock news hour into the 8pm CVM TV prime time news programme. The intent was clear, keep the audience on TVJ and reduce the numbers who would switch over to CVM at 8pm.

Although it has never been said (publicly anyway) there was a general understanding between the two main free to air Jamaican television stations that TVJ would present its news at 7pm and CVM would do there’s at 8pm. The thinking was that the advertising market would not support two competing major newscast at 7pm and that the public liked the two presentations, if they missed one they could catch the other.

Live means live

The move by TVJ into CVM news time is a clear declaration of war and an abandonment of the so called understanding. The way was now clear for CVM to do what everybody expected them to do, move the 8pm news cast to 7pm. CVMTV has resisted this move for some time now citing a potentially heavy fall out in advertising revenue for them if they moved. So expectation for a real head to head clash was very high as word got out that CVM was formulating an appropriate response.

But they apparently lacked the backbone and stomach for a head to head clash. Instead they sent a middle distance runner to race against a sprinter.

Instead they sent a middle distance runner to race against a sprinter.

Live@7 was launched this week by CVMTV as a direct attack and response to the TVJ move. As its name suggest Live means just that, live up to the minute newscast and presentations. But the current format of pre produced full length features is not only a weak response but is very difficult to sustain for a daily programme, especially in an organization with very limited resources.

The irony of the situation is that TVJ expected and is even daring CVM TV to move their news cast. But as one senior executive at TVJ remarked “You can expect CVM to fail to execute a good plan”.

Another interesting perspective is that the CVMTV newscast at 8pm is widely regarded as a much better news presentation than TVJ 7pm offering, both in terms of format and content. So the product is there.

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No support

A clear indication of the lack of support and commitment to the new programme is that CVM TV has not placed it full weight behind LIVE@7 as evidenced by the glaring absence of the programme from its own website homepage www.cvmtv.com, the limited promotional presence on the station itself and on sister radio station HOT102FM. LIVE@7 is not even mentioned in the CVMTV online programme schedule.

But the biggest blunder was to introduce two new untested hosts for a new programme at the biggest audience time on local television, estimated at over one million viewers. Rather than move some of their experienced high profile presenters into the new programme they kept them away.

CVMTV newscast at 8pm is widely regarded as a much better news presentation than TVJ 7pm offering,

Internal Conflicts

RJR’s Financial Report recently announced that Dr. David McBean, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the CVM Group, who has been CEO of CVM since September 2003, is leaving the company, reportedly to pursue other opportunities. Details and official confirmation surrounding his departure are not yet available. However unconfirmed reports suggest that a senior female executive from Michael Lee Chins Canada office, recently installed by Lee Chin to keep an eye on things, is creating unease among the senior management team. Word is that other departures are expected in the coming months.

CVM TV as outlined above has what it takes to take on TVJ, but it would seem they lack the most critical of all elements in any organization and battle, strong, effective, decisive, and strategic leadership. Maybe McBean’s departure will allow for a correction of this.