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Establish National Broadcasting Fund - GJA
Accra, March 10, Ghanadot/GNA - Mr Berifi Appenteng, a media
consultant, on Monday announced that the Ghana Journalists
Association (GJA) together with other stakeholders in the
media have proposed the establishment of a National
Broadcasting Fund to ensure effective public service
broadcasting in Ghana.
He said effective public service broadcasting in a country
provided a platform for everybody, especially the poor and
voiceless, with the aim of improving society.
Mr Appenteng who was the lead consultant for the project
said the GJA was proposing ways that would enable the Ghana
Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) to bring back television
programmes that would make it function as a public service
broadcaster.
He was giving highlights contained in a communiqué meant to
support GBC as a public service broadcaster when the GJA
called on the Minister of Information and National
Orientation, Mrs Oboshie Sai-Cofie and her Deputy Mr Frank
Agyekum to present a copy to the Minister.
Mr Appenteng said funding for public service broadcasting
should predominantly come from public sources and must be
substantial to prevent marginalization of the sector.
Funding must be independent of political, commercial and
other vested interests.
Other sources of funds, he said, were television license
fee, part of levies on airtime tax and a levy paid at the
point of entry by importers of radio and television sets.
Mr Ransford Tetteh, President of the Ghana Journalists
Association, said the move was to ensure that Ghanaians
enjoyed public service broadcasting in these current times
when most media organizations were going commercial.
"Public service broadcasting is crucial for the
consolidation of democratic culture in Ghana as well as the
country's overall development process in view of its unique
role in disseminating information and knowledge and in
providing a forum for all sections of the society to express
their opinion."
Mr Tetteh urged those in the private media not to feel
threatened but to bring their views on board to ensure that
GBC works as a public service broadcaster.
"The Public Service broadcasting sector is underdeveloped
and needs to engage the priority attention of policy makers,
regulatory bodies and civil society organizations."
Mrs Sai-Cofie said the Ministry would do further
consultations on the issue and stressed that the state
broadcaster should retain its core functions.
GNA
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