The UWI Regional Headquarters Jamaica. 29 November 2016 – The UWI Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles announced the launch of UWItv, a new multimedia public information and education service. UWItv is set to go live on December 1, 2016 - initially with three hours of programming per day, showcasing a diversity of UWI-owned content.
This tripartite partnership involving The University of the West Indies, CaribVision (the regional cable service of the Caribbean Media Corporation) and the RJR Group in Jamaica,
will deliver UWI programming to millions of viewers in 22 Caribbean country markets as well as the large Caribbean Diaspora communities in New York, Toronto, Montreal, London and Europe.
UWItv’s cable service will be complemented by a robust web and social presence, allowing users to access content in real time or on demand. The UWItv website will also offer a vast searchable video database which will serve as an invaluable resource for students, scholars, librarians, researchers, documentarians and journalists throughout the region and across the world.
Speaking at the media launch event hosted at The UWI Cave Hill Campus on Friday 25 November, 2016, Vice-Chancellor Beckles described UWItv as a demonstrable outcome of partnerships between industry and academia which forms part of the Triple A Vision outlined in the University’s new strategic direction: alignment between industry and academia for wealth creation and distribution; expansion of access to tertiary education and increased agility to global opportunities.
He outlined the various segments that will be featured on the new media platform intended to “capture the voices of all of The UWI.” These will include: Region talk – which places The UWI at the centre of the conversations about regional issues and challenges facing the region; student-produced programming as well as the latest research output of the regional institution.
According to Sir Hilary, “This changes the global identity of our university. It allows us for the first time to discuss our Caribbean civilisation with the world”. He went on to add that this was a transformative initiative, deeply rooted as a “One UWI” project, and poised to drive regionalism through solution-based discourse and public education.
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Photo caption: The UWI Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles speaking at the media launch of UWItv, the institution’s new public information and education service.
Note to the Editor:
Visit the UWI-TV website at www.uwitv.org or its social channels:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/UWITv/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/UWITv
Instagram: www.instagram.com/uwitv
About CaribVision
CaribVision was launched by the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) in August 2006. This cable channel is available in 22 Caribbean territories, on Cablevision in the New York Tri-state area (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut), Canada and the United Kingdom. It is an information and lifestyle channel which broadcasts a variety of culturally rich and entertaining Caribbean programming including news and current affairs, sports, drama, sitcoms, soaps, entertainment, lifestyle shows and everything Caribbean. CMC’s mission is to position this channel as a first class consolidator of quality Caribbean programming while steadily forging ahead as the “eyes and ears” of the Caribbean.
RJR Communications Group
RJR Communications Group is home to seven brands with international appeal - delivering news, current affairs, human interest stories, sports, family entertainment and great music. It also operates Multi-Media Jamaica Limited which offers technology solutions. Making a positive change through broadcasting is not only its raison d'etre; it is a legacy it does with delight and renewed commitment daily. The Group’s social responsibility as the standard bearer in the industry bolsters its dedication to articulate and adhere to Truth, Accuracy, Integrity, and Fairness. The RJR Communications Group's success story is intrinsically linked to its unrelenting pursuit of excellence through germane programming, technological progression, investment in highly skilled creative teams and the protection of its reputation of being principled corporate citizens. The entities of the Group operate as limited liability companies which are publicly traded on the Jamaica Stock Exchange. The Group boasts an enviable range of shareholders, from ordinary Jamaicans to large government and private sector organizations.
About The UWI
Since its inception in 1948, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a fully-fledged, regional University with over 50,000 students. Today, The UWI is the largest, most longstanding higher education provider in the Commonwealth Caribbean, with three physical campuses in Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and an Open Campus. The UWI serves 17 English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, The British Virgin Islands, The Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos. The UWI’s faculty and students come from more than 40 countries and The University has collaborative links with 160 universities globally; it offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology and Social Sciences. The UWI’s seven priority focal areas are linked closely to the priorities identified by CARICOM and take into account such over-arching areas of concern to the region as environmental issues, health and wellness, gender equity and the critical importance of innovation.
(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.) Visit www.uwi.edu
