NCA threatens to close down FM station...

... for breaching national interest.
The Youth Wing of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Thursday said it was amazed that the National Communications Authority (NCA) was threatening to close down some FM Radio Stations because their programmes breached national interest.

The NDC youth wing feared the statement was "intended to put fear into the owners of FM stations and by so doing compel them to fall in line by behaving as propagandists of the NPP Government while denying non-NPP Ghanaians access to the airwaves."

A statement issued in Accra said: "Over the week-end of 5-7 July, this year, Major J. A. Tandoh (rtd), Acting Director-General of the NCA was reported to have said that there are too many FM stations in Ghana and threatened that the Authority would close down any FM station whose programmes threatened the national interest".

The NDC youth wing said it was amazed at the statement because the NCA was responsible for issuing frequencies and if it had over issued them then the NCA must take responsibility for it since it had recently granted a lot more frequencies.

The statement signed by Mr Iddrisu Haruna, National Youth Organiser of the NDC the Youth Wing said it had reason to suspect that there was something sinister behind the Director-General's threat.

It said there had been numerous veiled threats directed at talk show hosts and management of FM stations, who insisted on giving access and fair opportunity to all sides of the political divide as stipulated in the Constitution and in accordance with democratic practice.

The statement said; "the NPP is already in charge of the Executive. It has the majority in Parliament. It has packed the Supreme Court. If the media, the Fourth Estate of the Realm, should also come under its control, then God Help Ghana"

It asked the National Media Commission to turn its attention to the issue and urged all "to speak out lest by their silence they be seen to be acquiescing in the unfolding plot to stifle the electronic media".