Television Jamaica (TVJ) yesterday said it had commenced legal proceedings to ensure that the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) disallows any practice within its pool of broadcasters in Beijing which have been breaching agreements reached between both media entities over the Olympic Games.

In a statement issued yesterday, TVJ said that its interests are being handled by lawyers based in Barbados, but refused to disclose the details of the legal correspondents.

TVJ also said it had "all but exhausted other attempts at resolving the matter".

Yesterday, TVJ made it clear that its dispute is with the CMC and not CVM-TV, whose reporter Wayne Walker is a member of the CMC's pool of broadcasters in Beijing and whose reports for CVM have triggered the dispute.

"Having seen reports by the reporter on another station exclusively, TVJ raised an objection with the CMC," TVJ said, adding that the actions of the CMC have put TVJ at a disadvantage as it has had to pay separately for its reporter, Patrick Anderson, to travel to Beijing and cover the games for stations in the RJR Group.

"This is egregious, particularly as TVJ has paid a part of the competitor reporter's expense in China," TVJ said.

The station confirmed that it has a written agreement with the CMC stating that the inclusion of a reporter from a competitor station would be on terms that the reporter would not do work on camera in the Olympics broadcast.

"In addition, the CMC agreed that in accordance with its rules, and in this particular case, the reporter would not be given permission to report exclusively for his home station, as he is in Beijing partially financed by TVJ," the statement said.

"It is important to note that the CMC is essentially asking TVJ to pay almost J$30 million for the Olympics, including the cost of our competitor's reporter, while that reporter is being allowed to do exclusive work and give advantage to his station," said TVJ. "That is what is reprehensible and that is what they agreed would not happen. Now that it has been happening, TVJ must be compensated and it must be stopped."

TVJ also denied a claim by CMC that its plan to use the reporter was disclosed as far back as 2007. "TVJ can state that this is misleading, as up to earlier this year TVJ sought to get the team listing and was told by the CMC that it was not ready," the station said.

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