Former Express editor-in-chief Owen Baptiste, who returned home a year ago after 13 years as an English tutor in China, said on Wednesday he was not impressed with the state of local media.

Speaking at the launch of his book at the National Library and Information System Authority (Nalis) in Port of Spain, Baptiste said, "I was very disappointed with the papers.... They only cover Government. That seems to be it. Cover Government."

Baptiste said the local media might lack the resources to do otherwise.

He also encouraged journalists to "remain independent of their sources" and stand up for their dignity.

Baptiste started writing while in China and, initially, the collection that formed the book was a series of letters meant for his son.

"This book will get me in trouble," said Baptiste, who was a journalist for over 45 years.

The book, titled The Seagulls Won't Come Down, explores not only Baptiste's years in China but, also, his time with the Caribbean News Agency (Cana), the Express, the Trinidad Guardian, the Barbados Advocate and the Jamaica Observer.

In it, he is clear on his views about the generally poor state of journalism and the failure of media managers to contri- bute to the building of better Caribbean societies.

"We are trying to build a country and not succeeding," Baptiste said.

Also speaking about the local media at the launch was Port of Spain Mayor Louis Lee Sing, who criticised the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) for attemp- ting to move a number of radio stations, including 96.1 fm, to a different frequency.

That station's owner and manager, Tony Chow Lin On, confirmed yesterday that he, along with at least 12 others, have been asked to change frequencies and said this issue has been ongoing for some time.

Chow Lin On said station owners have invested a lot of time and money in their brands, and moving could devastate their businesses.

Head of the Trinidad and Tobago Publishers and Broadcasters Association (TTPBA) Kiran Maharaj said yesterday no final decision has been made, and TATT has been "very accommodating" in hearing the concerns of the station owners.

Maharaj said the TTPBA is currently putting together a document on the issue to be presented to TATT.

"It is not as onerous as it seems," Maharaj said.

"Nothing has been finalised."

Executive director of TATT Cris Seecharan could not be reached yesterday.