Under the theme, “Capturing Our World; Framing Our History”, Kreative Communications Network (KCN) held an awards presentation ceremony at the Anguilla Music Academy on Sunday afternoon, February 27, 2022.
Over the years, KCN’s CEO, Mr. Carlton Pickering, has celebrated each milestone of his Channel 4 television network, and he was diligent enough to recognise persons and entities who had made contributions of one sort or another to his broadcasting efforts. This year, however, on the occasion of KCN’s silver anniversary, Mr. Pickering has gone the extra mile in presenting beautiful awards to some 29 supportive local individuals and companies, who stood with him throughout the years.
Sunday’s event was moderated by Mr. Andrew Niles, Principal of Advance Caribbean, which has been one of the network’s valuable supporters. Mr. Niles offered a Prayer of Invocation, and The Anguilla National Song was rendered by Gershwin Lake. Mr. Colwayne Pickering, the CEO’s son, then gave welcome remarks from Florida via video link:
“I welcome all of you here today from Orlando, but indeed I am still Anguillian at heart. Let me first say congratulations to Mr. Pickering for following his dream in operating KCN in Anguilla for 25 years. A dream is like a baby which must be nurtured, and it must be ultimately driven along with effort and force. No one sees the long nights of caring for a baby and attending to its needs. Everyone only sees the finished product — the image of a beautiful, well-dressed child. But no one ever knows of the struggles — the long, sleepless nights and process of caring for that child.
“Dreams, when they are nurtured, can blossom into beautiful things. To be successful at anything, first you have to start. And I congratulate Mr. Pickering for starting KCN and following his dream. In order to be successful, one has to be consistent. And today is a good testament of Mr. Pickering’s consistency — and the consistency of his colleagues who have put their shoulders to the wheel to make this happen.
“The past two years have been quite challenging. They have taught us that we must be innovative and we must transform ourselves, first with our minds, and then with our actions. This is what KCN is doing at this point — transforming the way in which it has operated, and charting the way for presenting itself to Anguilla and to the world.”
The Guest Speaker for the ceremony was Mrs. Michelle Low Chew Tung who also sent her message via video link from Trinidad. She said in part: “KCN television has come a long way in the last 25 years. The journey began in 1996 when KCN’s Founder and CEO, Mr. Carlton Pickering, launched Kreative Communications Network against the background noise of naysayers who said it could not be done. Resolute in purpose, and 25 years on, Carlton and his team has proven the Chinese proverb to be true: ‘Great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes.’”
Mrs. Low Chew Tung went on to emphasise the importance of volunteer work that keeps the wheels of television communication systems turning: “From the inception, Carlton’s vision was clear,” she said. “It was that the people of Anguilla should find a reflection of themselves and their communities on television. With the birth of KCN, he introduced a new model — one that was unprecedented and integral to the KCN story, and one that would ultimately lead to the continued success of Kreative Communications Network two-and-a-half decades later. This new model will be the use of committed volunteers. As you may be aware, volunteers are considered an essential part of community media.
“Without dedicated enthusiastic volunteers, local community radio stations, tv channels and even film organizations, would not be able to provide their services to the community. Therefore, the participation of volunteers in community media is highly recommended.”
One such volunteer is Mrs. Rosanna Browne-Harrigan, who has been with KCN’s operations since its inception. She spoke with a sense of pride at the ceremony, and related what being a volunteer at KCN meant to her:
“I have been volunteering my services to KCN for the past twenty-five years. There are some persons who did not think that I was involved with KCN on a voluntary basis. They did not feel that I was offering the service of a volunteer, and they might have thought that I was being paid. But yes, I volunteer, and I consider this voluntary service as something that I love to do.
“When Mr. Pickering asked me twenty-five years ago to host Anguilla Diary Magazine, I knew nothing about going on television, but I believed that he saw something in me, and that is why he asked me do it. And, even though I had no experience in the field of television, it did not prevent me from trying. So I thank Mr. Pickering, the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU), and other training agencies, for offering me the training over the years…With the exposure that I have received from those training platforms, I have learnt and I have come a long way. Now I have an ongoing ‘love affair’ with KCN.”
During the course of the evening’s event some twenty-nine awards were issued in various categories, including KCN Viewer Award, KCN Appreciation Award, KCN Recognition and Contribution Award, KCN Sponsorship Award, KCN Special Award, KCN CEO Most Excellent Award, KCN Everet Simon Community Award — and the KCN Lifetime Achievement Award which was presented to Mrs. Rosanna Browne-Harrigan.
On this their 25th year, Mr. Carlton Pickering and the KCN team wish to take this opportunity to thank all of their sponsors including: Alliance Insurance Services Ltd; Caribbean Insurance Solutions; Malliouhana and Maico Insurance Company Ltd.; Faitrplay Management; Nagico Insurances; Proxy Shipping and Courier Services; SuCuRian Property Management; Albert’s Marketplace; and all the anonymous contributors.
