Step up your game to properly compete for the advertising dollar.That's the word to media houses from Attorney General Anand Ramlogan on questions about government advertising in the media, including whether some media houses got more State advertising and for what reasons.Ramlogan said the media was a very robust, vibrant and independent institution in T&T and one would be hard-pressed to say any media house was a declared supporter of any political party.
He said all media houses had been very robust and fair in their criticisms of the Government and he did not see any hidden agenda on the part of the media or Government.Noting T&T's many media houses, Ramlogan said government had, by law, to advertise certain notices with one or two daily newspapers and the criteria to make a choice would involve examination of prices, the quality and standard of the ad.
Moreover, Ramlogan said, Government simply could not advertise with every single media house since it would bankrupt it.He said advertising costs for the PP administration had been significantly less than the PNM's."We've been spending less and doing more so there is less to share among the media," he added.
Ramlogan said people took it for granted that there was a divine right to the advertising but with growth and competition in the sector media houses needed to step up their game to ensure they had a standard to compete for the advertising dollar from the private as well as the public sector.
He said high ratings might only be one consideration but not the only one in choosing a media house to advertise. He said a lot also depended on whether customer service inspired confidence and his division's experience was that customer service varied greatly among media houses.
