COOK ISLANDS: Pitt broadcasting license is illegal, says Norman

The Pitt Media Group has been operating without a legal broadcasting license for the past four years

Pacific Media Watch
Sunday, March 21, 2004

AVARUA, Rarotonga (CIN Online/Pacific Media Watch): The Pitt Media Group has been operating without a legal broadcasting license for the past four years, says prime minister's adviser Norman George.

And he is shouldering most of the blame for an oversight which he says led him as Minister of Broadcasting in 1999 to give group managing director George Pitt a license to broadcast for 10 years, instead of the five years stipulated in the Broadcasting Act.

"I can confirm as Minister of Broadcasting between 1999 and July 2002 that the license that I gave the Pitt Media Group is invalid," he says.

"I was under extreme pressure from George Pitt at the time to give him a 10 year license and foolishly, without checking the Broadcasting Act first, I gave him what he wanted.

"It was only recently when looking into the matter of a broadcasting review that I checked the 1997 amendment to the Broadcasting Act 1989 and realised that under section 8, the minister can only grant a broadcasting license for five years and no more.

"The result of all that is that the license I gave George Pitt in 1999 is invalid.

"Perhaps it was divine intervention that guided me, but I granted that license in good faith. However the legal interpretation I make now is that the Pitt media organisation has been operating without a valid license since 1999.

"In fairness to Pitt, I do not blame him entirely for that as giving him a 10-year license was a pressure-driven decision on my part.

"But what is clear right now is that he does not have a license because I gave him one for 10 years when the law did not in fact allow it."

George says his description of what occurred is the absolute truth and he is prepared to testify on what was said before a court, word for word.

Government's next step will be to get a group of independent people together to review the state of television and radio broadcasting in the Cook Islands and investigate complaints and concerns about the Pitt Media Group's performance, he adds.

The group will pass on its recommendations to Prime Minister and Minister of Broadcasting Dr Robert Woonton, who will direct any steps the government might decide to take, George says. - Govmedia

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Date Posted: 3/21/2004