00:00A shroud of controversy overshadowed last night's Dimash Gras show after an unexpected audio interruption during the performance of reigning
00:09Calypso monarch, Helan Francis.
00:31Those inside the Queen's Park Savannah may not have noticed anything unusual, but viewers watching the live broadcast on state
00:39-owned TDT Ltd. reported a blackout of Francis' 2026 offering, Don't Forget.
00:57In the performance, Francis appeared to take aim at actions of the newly installed government, urging leaders not to forget
01:04the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
01:21In a media statement, TDT said it experienced limited technical issues, which resulted in a brief audio interruption.
01:29The broadcaster apologized to viewers, stating, quote,
01:32We understand how important this moment was for the artistes and for many viewers at home, and we regret that
01:39the broadcast was disrupted.
01:41At no time did TDT purposefully cut the audio, but rather experienced a Dante system failure, end quote.
01:49According to TDT, the issue was detected around 10.30 p.m., and engineers and audio technicians restored the signal
01:57approximately 15 minutes later,
02:00allowing the remainder of the Dimash Gras presentation to continue without further incident.
02:05The company also revealed that the system's redundancy failed, and because of the nature of the malfunction, there was no
02:12clean recording available for immediate playback.
02:16A brief second interruption, it said, was also reported.
02:20Authorities maintained the disruption did not affect the judging process or Francis' scores, but the incident quickly drew political reaction.
02:28Opposition MP Stuart Young described the occurrence as, quote, unquote,
02:33Disturbing at minimum and censorship akin to dictatorship at the next level.
02:39Young also questioned why a separate live stream carried by WAC Radio 90.1 FM was later interrupted.
02:47In a statement, he accused the government of attempting to censor free speech and democratic expression,
02:52adding that the opposition would not sit idly by and allow state resources to be used to suppress culture and
02:59commentary.
03:01However, WAC's owner and CEO, Kenny Phillips, told TV6, while the timing may appear suspicious,
03:08the interruption on his platform was due to a suspension by YouTube.
03:12Phillips said he received a notification citing harmful or suspicious behavior and is currently unable to access the account.
03:20He added that a similar suspension occurred last week during coverage of stick fighting.
03:25For now, TTT insists the blackout was purely technical,
03:28but the debate over whether it was coincidence or something more continues.
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