HE MIGHT have wanted it muted for now, but the obstinacy of intelligence sources has forced a confirmation from Mr. Kennedy Agyapong that within days, he will outdoor simultaneously his mega-media empire comprising two FM stations, one television station, two newspapers, a mobile television facility, a journalism training school and an advertising company as a first phase of an investment that insiders predict will rival any media group in the world.
The NPP MP for Assin North yesterday, in an interview with affirmed, that Time FM, Oman FM, NET2 TV, The Nation and National Agenda newspapers will constitute an initial investment that could eventually rival any of the global media giants, including the CNN, the BBC and Sky.
Apart from the state-of- the-art equipment currently at the Madina command and control centre of the group, he can even at these initial stages boast of four brand new pick ups and 14 saloon cars dispersed in all the departments ready for a command to veer into action.
"Initially, I'm limiting myself to Ghana and West Africa. Then, when I produce good content and it's generally accepted that this is a good TV station, nothing will stop us from competing with CNN and BBC," he predicted, when asked whether he intends rivalling these international media organizations.
Mr. Agyapong said he intends invading the media turf with the two newspapers in Accra, the radio stations, one in Accra and the other in Kumasi, the TV station to be stationed in Accra but broadcast in both Accra and Kumasi from the beginning and later move to other parts of the country.
Oman FM will be in Accra and Time FM in Kumasi, and the journalism training school which will be solely responsible for churning out products for these media organizations will also be stationed in Accra. The Oman FM, the training school and the TV station are all going to be housed at the same command and control centre in well-refurbished building at Madina in Accra. All the outlets are going to complement the work of one another as the company lurches forward.
The mobile TV facility is also to be stationed in Accra where operations would have the capacity of broadcasting for other TV stations in the country such as the GTV, TV 3 and Metro and TV Africa.
"For the radio station, we are going to have Akan and English programmes. We are broadcasting live in the US, one station in Accra, one in Kumasi….The newspapers; I call them the Nation and the National Agenda. We are sure we'll report it how it is, I've cautioned my people not to be biased, they should verify their information.
"Let us promote the country, that is why I chose the name the Nation ….At the moment, I've license for Accra and Kumasi for the TV so we will start broadcasting in Accra, then in Kumasi, then as time goes on just like others have done, we'll expand to all the regions. Broadcasting on TV will be 70% English and 30% Twi and radio, it will be 30% English and 70% Twi.
"For the mobile TV, I have a system where you can tune in to England on your mobile phone, we call it mobile TV and I signed agreement with the company but what I told them is that they should let me open this station first for them to see the viability of it before we go into the mobile TV.
"So we are going to have a mobile TV in this country where, if you stand at the bus stop and you want to watch TV3, you have it on your mobile, if you want to watch TV Africa, if you want to watch GTV, it's on your phone. With the mobile TV, it is not going to be limited to only my company. I've a system where you can watch all the TV stations on your phone," he explained.
The astute business tycoon emphasized the simultaneity of the formation of this media empire, which observers described as unprecedented in the nation's media history.
"Everything I'm talking about is going to come out simultaneously except the advertising company which will start somewhere in May," he told yesterday.
Kennedy downplayed the claim which was carried in the initial two stories of on his mega empire that he has hatched plans to dismember the nation's most vocal station, Radio Gold, by using financial inducement to pluck some reporters out and use them as part of his star-studded team.
He was categorical in his answer to this paper that he has not in person spoken to those individuals mentioned in our stories and his consultant has not brought him names or names of any potential employees for consideration for now, but quickly added that his doors are always open to anyone who wants to come, provided the person is qualified and also shares his vision of fairness, balance, accuracy and ethics that he intends implementing.
"What I want to say is that, I've never sat anywhere or slept and thought over an issue that I'm going to destroy Radio Gold. Any businessman who would sit and plan and say that you are going to destroy your colleague, you are not going to succeed."
The rising international media maven with floods of cash, said however, he is going to compete and compete well, but that is not to say that he intends to blunt other media organizations' means of survival.
"I'm saying that I'm going to compete and compete effectively; I'm going to give Ghanaians the best….I will never sit down and plan that I'm going to destroy somebody's business. Don't forget that, if you throw a ball at a wall, it bounces back to you…If I sit there and say that I'm going to destroy Radio Gold, today, NPP is in power and Kennedy Agyapong has power and wants to destroy people, tomorrow, NPP is not going to be there forever, so if you use your position to destroy someone definitely one day it will be used against you," the tactical law maker prophesied yesterday in an interview on phone with this paper.
In an emphatic but very friendly tone, the MP said he is prepared to select and pick anyone of the reporters mentioned in our earlier reportage if they themselves approach him saying his doors are open but will never set out to deliberately destroy anybody's business with mouth-watering promises.
He confirmed to that the people who have approached him for jobs include the former Joy FM's boss, Ken Ashigbe, who expressed his desire and preparedness to provide him with consultancy services, having being introduced to him by his engineer.
"If they themselves decide to come I'll select and pick the ones I want… I want people who will be objective…If it is me (who has done something) ask him; if it is you, ask, don't use faces…I want people who share the same ideas and visions with me, that is the kind of people I need, you just don't walk to me….If they (journalists from other media houses) come they are welcome, but I'll not go and destroy anybody," the combative no- nonsense MP pointed out.
Mr. Agyapong categorically dismissed any notion of political bias against any political party by any of the outlets within his media group re-emphasizing that fairness, objectivity and balance will be his guiding principle and if his party, the NPP, will lose an election because of that, so be it.
"Fair is fair and foul is foul and don't say foul is fair and fair is foul. When you do that, you are being mischievous. If NDC does something wrong, I'll report it, If NPP does something wrong I'll report it. That is the only way I can be unique. I think I'm carving a name for myself gradually and people are calling me objective so I would like to extend that to my stations everywhere," the MP posited.
