Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Nicholas Morris has outrightly rejected claims of censorship or nefarious actions during TTT Limited’s broadcast of the Calypso Monarch Final on Sunday night.
During the Dimanche Gras show, a technical audio problem arose when defending Monarch Helon Francis was on stage, which left TV and online viewers without sound. However, the live audience at the Queen’s Park Savannah continued to experience the show without disruption.
In a statement on Monday, Minister Morris said the State Broadcaster’s technical team, led by its Chairman and Acting CEO, has provided a report which highlighted that this occurrence was due to a Dante network routing error.
He insisted that there was no political interference in the broadcast, noting that similar occurrences have happened before.
“At no time was the audio intentionally or nefariously cut. This was a technical difficulty which we have seen TTT experience even before this Government took office. In 2024 similar circumstances occurred when then Leader of the Opposition Kamla Persad-Bissessar SC was addressing the Divali Nagar and TTT suffered technical difficulties, leading to her entire live presentation being interrupted.”
Minister Morris said it is important to note that patrons on stage or in-house at the Queen’s Park Savannah were not affected.
“Further, other entities providing pay-per-view packages would have been able to still broadcast the performance even though TTT was encountering technical issues.”
He confirmed that TTT Limited and its management have issued an apology to viewers, Mr. Francis, and all those affected.
Minister Morris said the Government has delivered one of the best Carnivals in our history by empowering, preserving, and promoting every aspect of the world’s greatest show.
