THE Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica (PBCJ) recently struck a deal with China Radio International (CRI) to share educational content, documentaries and a television series produced by the Chinese media entity, to be aired in Jamaica.

Programmes Manager Carol Francis — who represented the state-owned organisation at a seminar for journalists and editors of Jamaica, held in Beijing, China from May 3 to 24 — brokered the deal.

The documentaries will highlight the culture and lifestyle of Chinese people, which falls within the focus and mission of the PBCJ “to promote culture and heritage alongside with values and attitudes”, Francis told the Jamaica Observer.

Given the variety of cultures that make up the Jamaican populace, the content will broaden the scope of content aired on the TV channel. PBCJ is not just about what is the most popular; we cater to all groups,” Francis said.

CRI has provided enough documentaries to be aired over a seven-week period, but the TV series could be cut short if the PBCJ is unable to secure funding to purchase additional episodes.

“We have partial series and what we are negotiating is for them CRI to give us an entire year. They have already agreed to give it to us at an extremely reasonable rate compared to what they normally sell for,” said Francis.

She explained that the Chinese radio station proposed a price of US$200 for each episode, but this is a high cost for the PBCJ as the entity is not an income-generating one.

All hope is not lost, however, as organiser of the seminar, the Research and Training Institute of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT), has agreed to work alongside the PBCJ to assist with procuring funds to continue beyond the initial seven weeks. Francis envisions that some funding/ financial aid will come from the Chinese Embassy for the first year, while her organisation seeks funding from different entities for subsequent episodes.

While a date has not yet been set, plans are in place to start airing within a month following a series of promotions. Francis said the PBCJ intends to have it aired on a Sunday afternoon.

The visit to CRI was just one of several media entities visited during a series of tours organised by SAPPRFT. Besides the content exchange, another highlight of the tour was the opportunity to record a short promo for Team Jamaica in the upcoming Rio 2017 Olympics. This was a chance to present Brand Jamaica to the CRI’s audience, and was quickly welcomed by the 20 delegates who attended the seminar.

Among them were eight journalists (six privately owned and two State-owned); three Government representatives and nine affiliates of the Jamaica Labour Party’s youth arm, Young Jamaica.