U.S. Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Lisa Johnson with Ms. Khrisna Virgil during courtesy call at the U.S. Embassy.

The U.S. Embassy, through the U.S. Department of State sponsored a sub‑regional International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) professional exchange program focused on “Combating Corruption” from March 6 – 16, 2016.

Supreme Court Judge, Justice Bernard Turner and Tribune reporter Khrisna Virgil represented The Bahamas in the program. Other countries represented included Guyana, Jamaica, and Suriname.

On March 31, Justice Turner and Ms. Virgil paid a courtesy call on U.S. Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Lisa Johnson at the U.S. Embassy to discuss their participation in the program.

During the exchange, the participants visited Washington, D.C., Manchester, New Hampshire, and Raleigh, North Carolina.

They explored the vital role of public/private partnerships and media in supporting good governance and discouraging corruption; examined the dynamics of political campaign financing and government procurement; learned best practices combating corruption; and looked at the mechanisms that enable citizens to foster good governance, ethical standards, and accountability at the local, state, and federal levels.

U.S. Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Lisa Johnson with Justice Bernard Turner during courtesy call at the U.S. Embassy.

U.S. Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Lisa Johnson with Justice Bernard Turner during courtesy call at the U.S. Embassy.

Derek Newbold, Sr. Business Development Manager addresses investors at FTZ/SEZ Summit China.

More than 400 senior executives and investors from China's most powerful, private and state-owned enterprises, along with representatives from countries around the world, were in attendance at The Free Trade Zone & Special Economic Zone Summit held in Shanghai, China

The Grand Bahama Port Authority, Limited (GBPA) showcased the value of Freeport and competed for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) opportunities that could be made possible by way of China's increasing Outbound Direct Investment (ODI).

Sr. Manager of Business Development for GBPA, Derek Newbold, in an exclusive speaking opportunity, prominently featured Freeport as the Free Trade Zone of the Bahamas, which provides access to key western markets by virtue of its proximity to North, Central and South America.

He further stated that "Most FTZs/SEZs are directly or indirectly administered by Governments with the ability to legislate. However, our centralized location in the western hemisphere, modern infrastructure and low-tax environment remain attractive features."

Newbold also took advantage of the exceptional opportunity to have one-on-one meetings with first-rate prospective investors to explore outbound investment opportunities. Preliminary discussions on attracting significant investment projects appeared promising as potential investors showed keen interest in regional collaboration.

Sr. Business Development Manager of GBPA, Derek Newbold in one-on-one meeting with a prospective investor.

Sr. Business Development Manager of GBPA, Derek Newbold in one-on-one meeting with a prospective investor."It was encouraging to see the interest level in Freeport among participating companies seeking to expand to foreign jurisdictions," stated Newbold.

GBPA President, Ian Rolle added that it is important for GBPA to continually take advantage of opportunities to promote Freeport, the FTZ of the Bahamas, at premium platforms for business development, since numerous companies across the globe are now seeking to expand to foreign territories.

Free Trade Zone & Special Economic Zone Summit held in Shanghai, China.

Paula Rigby has been appointed Acting Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer at NAD, effective April 1, 2016.

Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD) and Vantage Airport Group are pleased to announce the appointment of Paula Rigby to the position of Acting Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer. Paula’s appointment follows the departure of Chris Ryan, who assumed both roles when he joined NAD in 2012.

Paula joined the company in 2007 as Financial Controller and was appointed Director of Finance in 2013. In her new post, she will provide leadership and coordination of the company’s financial planning, debt management and budget management functions toward the continued implementation of the organization’s strategic goals.

“We’re delighted to congratulate Paula on her acting appointment,” said Vernice Walkine, NAD’s President and CEO. “She has excelled in her previous roles here at NAD and, as such, has the background and experience necessary to succeed in her new position.”

The Honourable Glenys Hanna-Martin, Minister of Transport and Aviation, also offered her congratulations, stating, “This most recent appointment signifies the attainment of a 100 per cent Bahamian leadership at NAD. This is historic. I congratulate Ms. Rigby on her appointment and am very proud to see the vision materialize of Bahamians entering a new industry and distinguishing themselves at world standards. These airport industry leaders are trailblazers and I expect them to continue to uphold and indeed exceed the very high standards that they have already set.”

Source: Bahamas Information Services

$1.5m invested in news studio and television production training

REV announced today that its community channel, Cable 12, would be re-launching March 31 with its new name, Our TV. With the change, its first since it was launched nearly 18 years ago, the channel will present its new brand in HD and introduce new principles behind the channel.

The first programming change on March 31st, will be the re-launch of its daily news programme, currently NB12, as Our News.

REV's Vice President of Marketing David Burrows said that these changes are deeply rooted in a desire to reflect and amplify the voices of the people of The Bahamas. "Our TV is not just a new name, it is an entirely new direction for our television channel," Mr. Burrows said. "Our TV will bring information and insight to our viewers through compelling programming, focusing on those things that are important to the future and growth of our nation. We will concentrate on positive images of and for our people, and give a voice to positive things about our country. We see this as part of our corporate responsibility."

A new slate of programming is currently under development for Our TV, which will provide new opportunities for Bahamians and residents to explore what it means to be Bahamian, from historical, political, cultural and economic perspectives, as well as providing groundbreaking new entertainment content.

"We are a complex people with a deeply rich history," said Mr. Burrows. "So much of our past has been forgotten and so many of our people have been overlooked along the way. Our TV will create new avenues through which those stories can be told, so that our history, our people and our future are preserved for generations."

One of the most dramatic changes coming March 31st will be when the new Our TV television studio and the new set and programme format for Our News will be revealed.

Our News will grow to include daily sports news, significantly enhanced weather and business news reporting as well as expanded daily news reporting from islands around The Bahamas, the region and relevant international news stories.

REV began the journey to the new Our TV and Our News brands more than two years ago. In the intervening time, more than $1.5 million has been invested in creating a new production studio with new facilities and equipment, and training and developing new skills among the company's production team.

The company is working with Emmy Award nominated producers and set designers, and is preparing its production staff to ensure the long-term growth and success of the TV channel and ensuring Bahamian producers are trained in the most advanced techniques of television production and studio management.

Mr. Burrows said, "Knowledge transfer for our people is vital to ensure that the long-term opportunities for passionate and skilled Bahamians are firmly in place."

"What a great time this is for our team," said Cable Bahamas Vice President of Human Resources Beverly Saunders. "These changes coming with Our TV and Our News open tremendous new opportunities and experiences for everyone involved. New training, new skills and new ways to put those skills into action are all part of these exciting changes. It will also mean that we can expand our staff to help create and support all the new content that must be created, both on camera and behind the scenes."

"We have created one of the most advanced production facilities in our region," stated Alexia Coakley, station manager for Our TV. "We are, and always have been, the innovator in The Bahamas. We set a new standard for news production and news content, and we are doing it again with Our TV and Our News."

The company also announced entirely new advertising opportunities for businesses throughout The Bahamas. "We are already the number one newscast in our time slot," asserted Mr. Burrows. "When our newscast is on, more viewers are watching us than any other local newscast by far. That means that advertisers can reach more people with their messages at a lower cost per viewer than is available anywhere else.

"Not only will there be more time for advertising when we launch our one-hour newscast," Mr. Burrows explained, "but new sponsorship segments and innovative new advertising bundles will become available."

Our TV will launch on REV TV channel 12 on Thursday, March 31st.

Cable Bahamas is the communications provider of choice and the first to offer triple play (voice, video, data) services in The Bahamas. In 2013, Cable Bahamas expanded its operations to Florida by acquiring four telecommunications providers and merged them into Summit Broadband, offering businesses and consumers a nearly 500-mile fibre-optic backbone connecting south Florida, west Florida and central Florida. In The Bahamas, services are provided under the REV suite of products including REVOICE, REVON and REVTV, covering telephony, broadband Internet and cable TV respectively. The company has revolutionised every area of business: delivering REVOICE landline phone services at the lowest cost and with the most features in The Bahamas; REVON broadband Internet, which is the fastest in the nation; and, REVTV cable TV service, that includes more than 500 channels with over 100 in HD and thousands of hours of video on demand content. Cable Bahamas serves residential and business customers on 16 islands in The Bahamas. The company also created the Cable Bahamas Cares Foundation, which has awarded over $2 million to local Bahamian non-profit organisations since its inception. Summit Broadband, a telecommunications provider, offers phone, high-speed Internet, cable TV and data transport services to both commercial and residential customers throughout southwest Florida and central Florida. The company also offers dark fibre transport to enterprise and carrier customers. Summit Broadband now supplies uncompressed high-definition television and the fastest Internet service available, with speeds of 1,000 megabits per second (1 gigabit per second). For more information please visit the company web site at www.cablebahamas.com, follow on Twitter @cablebahamas or visit the company Facebook page at www.facebook.com/GetRevdUp.