Suspend directive to GBC to reduce channels – GJA to Ministry of Communications

The Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) has asked the communication Ministry to immediately suspend the directive issued to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) to reduce its channels on the Digital Terrestrial Television Platform from six to three.

According to the GJA, the directive “will significantly impact the operations of GBC and among to interference by the government in the work of the state-owned media and this is against the provisions of chapter 12 of the 1992 constitution.”

The GJA in a statement further noted that the directive has the practical effect of curtailing the broadcast of GBC and will lead to some of its content or programmes going off the air.

The Association says the action of the sector minister, Ms Ursula Owusu-Ekuful is not only against GBC but also against Crystal TV, a private media organisation.

“The GJA thinks the actions of a minister of state with respect to a critical national media infrastructure cannot and should not be placed on the same level as that of private business transactions. The directive by the communication minister has the potential of curtailing the operations of media houses particularly a state-owned media which the constitution has specifically asked to be insulated from governmental control by a constitutional body,” the statement said.

The association has, thus, asked the Ministry of Communication to “suspend the directive immediately to both GBC and other media houses”.

The GJA’s position dovetails into the position of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), who also believes the directive undermines relevant constitutional and regulatory provisions on institutional governance and operational independence of GBC as well as media pluralism, generally.

“Guided by the lessons of history, the 1992 Constitution and other enabling pieces of legislation have sought to raise guardrails around the state media in particular. These legal provisions are meant to stave off interferences in the management and editorial discretion of the state media. The provision is also designed to enable the state media offer fair voice and visibility to all segments of the national population including minority groups and interests,” MFWA said in a statement.

It added that: “Ghana is also signatory to a number of regional charters and conventions – the relevant ones of which include the African Charter on Broadcasting adopted in Windhoek in 2001, and the Joint Declaration on Media Independence and Diversity in the Digital age, adopted in Accra in 2018 – which seek a shared vision for independent and inclusive media systems. Not only is this attempt by the Minister of Communication to sequester three of the TV channels of the state broadcaster an expression of ministerial overreach; it also unfairly reduces the public service broadcaster’s footprint within the current 40-channel platform.”

MFWA has, thus, called on the Minister of Communication, Ms Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, to withdraw the directive.

A communiqué from the Communication Ministry to GBC, directed the state broadcaster to reduce the number of channels it occupies on the DTT platform from six to three.

The letter, signed by Mrs Owusu-Ekuful, said the move is aimed at cutting cost and ensuring there is space on the platform.

GBC has petitioned the National Media Commission (NMC) to intervene.