This might be showing my age a little, but do you remember when there was just one television station in Trinidad and Tobago?

Those were the days of the National Anthem played at midnight, followed by several hours of nothing but vertical bars on the screen. Days where kids came home from school and were parked in front of the TV at 3pm for a good dose of Sesame Street.

There were no worries about inappropriate content inadvertently shown to minors, or to offend the senses of the modest. It was safe for all ages until after the 7 o'clock news, and if you were a child lucky enough to enjoy a bedtime later than that, chances are you were safe until Benny Hill came on! Other than that a quick hand clapped over the eyes at the first sign of kissing protected the virtue of the child. :-)

This generation of children has a very different experience with television, as do their parents. Easy access to many stations certainly increases the viewing options, but it can also make the job of parenting much more difficult.

Children absorb what they observe, and they process... EVERYTHING. They may not act out everything they see, but ask any parent put on the spot to explain age-inappropriate concepts to which the child has been exposed how fun that experience is! That may bring a laugh in the retelling, but not so in the case of innocent children (particularly girls) mimicking suggestive behaviour seen on-screen.

Many parents are aware that edgy content sneaking its way into "family" television, and intended for adults, does not go unnoticed by children. Nowadays, even with basic cable lineups, protecting the virtue of your child as it relates to television often requires the use of parental controls to limit access to specified channels, and those who aren't technically inclined have to choose between constant vigilance and the the high-pitched antics of Kids-Only channels, or DVDs.

Recently I came across TSTT's Blink Entertainment presence on Twitter - @blinkentertain. I have known that TSTT had launched a digital entertainment initiative, but I honestly had never checked it out before.

When I checked out the website the first thing I noticed was the pricing on the packages. With a Lite package at $99/mth, and an add-on Kids package for an extra $31/mth, family-friendly cable TV viewing is available for under $150/mth.

That really got my interest - a truly family-friendly package both in terms of affordability and selection.

Our family has had a basic cable lineup for some time now, having found that premium movies weren't worth it for us. Still, we resort to a combination of channels completely blocked and a time-triggered lockdown of all channels, to manage what our kids are exposed to even with no premium packages added on.

So when I started looking through the channels offered as part of Blink's Digital Lite package, I was definitely looking out for any channels that might not be suitable for kids.

With the exception of E! Entertainment Television, the channel lineup looks pretty safe, including 

• all the local stations
• 7 US network stations (including FOX)
• News channela
• Religious channels
• Inspirational channels (including Halogen) 
• Entertainment channels (including E! and Style)

The next tier up in the Blink package offerings is the Basic Package, which gives access to over 50 more channels than available on the Lite package, for $100 more. For $199 you get access to a great selection of channels including:

• The Discovery Channel
• National Geographic Channel (HD)
• The Food Network
• HGTV
• G4
• FOX Soccer Channel
• ESPN and ESPN2
• and many more...

The Kids Package is really only a consideration if you've chosen the Lite Package, since all the channels it offers are available in the Basic Package except for Baby First. It's perfect for those who aren't ready to commit to the higher priced (though still affordable) Basic Package, or don't want all the additional channels in Basic. Kids consists of the following channels:

• Cartoon Network
• Boomerang
• Tooncast
• Baby First
• Smile of a Child

Lite subscribers may still want to consider parental controls after certain hours, especially for E! and the US network channels. There is enough variety to keep a family entertained, and I like the idea of adding Halogen - which bills itself as "Empowering Entertainment" offering "a platform for social good where people can connect with their purpose and with each other."

As parents, guardians and teachers, we won't be able to protect the kids in our care from advertisers pushing the envelope, and the general disdain for family values that seems to exist in foreign programming, but we can do what we can with the tools within our control.

I'd love to believe that the design of the Lite package from Blink Entertainment is a sign that embracing family values, which is what Macaroni Kid Trinidad is all about, is on the way back in. 

Note: This article is a reflection of my opinions and I am in no way affiliated with TSTT or Blink Entertainment nor am I acting on their behalf. I have not used Blink Entertainment and cannot vouch for service delivery or availability. All information is based on personal research and information readily available on the Blink Entertainment website.

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