‘JOY FM’ Sacks Bobie

…And satisfies NPP bigots

Owner of Joy Fm and Multimedia Broadcasting Group, Mr. Kwesi Twum, backed by a strong cabal of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) within the group, have now succeeded in permanently dislodging the gifted Nana Kwabena Bobie Ansah from his widely listened to evening-rush-hour program, ‘Eko Sie Sen’ by giving him a letter of summary dismissal without any tangible reason or explanation satisfying the whims and caprices of NPP bigots.

A young, industrious and talented broadcaster, Nana Bobie Ansah has over a short period of time virtually single handedly shepherded ‘Eko Sie Sen’ into becoming the flag ship program of Asempa Fm, one of the radio stations under the Multimedia Group. With a strong appeal to the Akan communities across the country and abroad, coupled with his objectivity, the NPP, especially the militant wing of the party led by the flag bearer Nana Akufo Addo, have never felt comfortable with Nana Bobie Ansah’s professionalism and have been angling to oust him in order to get someone malleable to their cause in the run up to the December polls. On Monday the 16th of April 2012, the very day NPP Member of Parliament for Assin North, Hon Kennedy Agyapong was arrested by the police following his treasonable and genocidal hate speech, Nana Bobie Ansah, who was earlier assured of hosting a yet-to-be launched program on the station by management; was handed his dismissal letter without any reason/s assigned. Part of his termination letter, reminiscent of the revolutionary days and signed by one Jane Ohenewa Gyeke and Ekyi Quarm reads: “We write to inform you of our decision to terminate your contract as Presenter with immediate effect. “We would like to thank you for your contribution to this company. We wish you well in your future endeavours”. The letter concluded Nana Bobie Ansah was first suspended by his employers following brouhaha that has arisen on the show on Wednesday February 22 2012, when hundreds of angry supporters of the opposition New Patriotic Party besieged the premises of Asempa FM threatening to enter the studios to beat up Bobie Ansah and his producers. But for the timely intervention Police personnel and some private security persons around, the situation would have turned nasty. Management of Multimedia Company, owners of Joy, Adom and Asempa FM stations among others subsequently took the program, ‘Eko Sie Sen’ off air when the NPP threatened not to have anything to do with the station again.

Ironically the management of the station has failed to either lodge a complaint against the NPP militants’ attack on the station at the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) or even offer a word of condemnation against that despicable violent behavior of the Anthony Karbo-led all-die-be-die group.

The NPP late last year (October to be precise) announced their boycott of Asempa Fm’s ‘Eko Sie Sen’ citing deliberate policy of the programme, to continually focus its programming agenda on attacking their presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and the party as a whole.

According to a statement in the pro NPP New Statesman “This sustained campaign by ‘Eko Sie Sen’ of attacking Nana Addo has been ongoing for the last couple of years and thus has prompted the party to register its displeasure, firstly through protests to Multimedia group and now the boycott of Asempa FM.

The NPP ended its boycott of Asempa’s Eko Sie Sen’ on the 20th of February this year and two days later hundreds of its angry supporters besieged the station in an attempt to beat up Bobie Ansah and his producers, threatening to once again boycott Asempa FM for the second time in less than a year.

But Nana Kwabena Bobie Ansah says the decision by the opposition NPP to boycott his show and discredit his personality has more to do with his disinclination to pander to their whims.

He told Allhassan Suyini in an interview on Radio Gold that his unwillingness to fulfill the demands asked of him, led to the boycott of his show by the NPP.

“…I have in my possession, tapes that can authenticate all the comments I’m making….Those who offered me that booties, they are very close to the (NPP) hierarchy,” he told his host.