Seminar for broadcasting stations opens

A member of National Media Commission, Dr Rex Quartey, called on owners and managers of broadcasting stations to be interested in the issues that their presenters put forward for public debate on Saturday. He said they must do that not only because they are of commercial interest to them but also because they are privileged citizens who have a better view of some of the issues as they confront them on a daily basis. Mr Quartey made the call when he opened a three-day seminar for 40 owners and managers of broadcasting stations from the southern sector of the country at Elmina, organised by the National Media Commission in collaboration with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) and the Association of Private Broadcasting Companies.

Mr Quartey, who stood in for the Chairman of NMC, Mr Nutifafa Kuenyehia, said while "it is true that editorial independence is not negotiable, that does not mean that nothing could be done to influence programme format, which are purely administrative and not journalistic in manner." He said the seminar was very necessary because indications were that unless owners and managers of these stations were brought into the picture, "it may not be easy to eliminate some of the things that we consider unnecessary on our airwaves, some of which provide the financial backbone of operators."

Mr Quartey said, "We were also told that although our guidelines on broadcasting standards...was developed by those in the industry, some of you are reluctant to respect the provisions because they could undermine your capacity to generate profit or expand." He added, it was because of such "dysfunctional comments" and their desire to involve all stakeholders in the process of enabling the people to reap the full benefits of the electronic media that the seminar was organised. "For now, because of intervention of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), the NMC has agreed to defer any process on broadcasting standards, which may be taken up as a major law."

Speaking on the legal base of the Commission, Mr Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafo, Executive Secretary of the NMC, spelt out some functions of the Commission to the participants. He said it was precisely in the exercise of the power and obligations conferred upon it by the 1992 Constitution and Act 449 that the Commission initiated three instruments on newspaper and publication, registration, publications or rejoinders and broadcasting standards for passage by parliament to ensure balance between freedom and responsibility. He said the NMC was in the process of publishing a booklet containing information on all the laws that set it up.

Ms Joyce Mensah, Programme Coordinator of FES, said the foundation was most supportive of such seminars because of the important role the media play in the development of a country. She said though the Ghanaian media are doing a great job, there was still more room for improvement.