Bring back Volta Star FM - MP

Accra, May 20, GNA - The Member of Parliament for Ho West, Mr. Francis Agbotse, has appealed to the Minister of Information to help restore the operations of Ho-based 'Volta Star' FM, the only public radio station in the Volta Region, which had been off air in the past two months.

Mr. Agbotse said Volta Star was not serving only the Volta Region but reached as far as the Afram Plains in the Eastern Region and the central part of the Republic of Togo.

"It is the only Regional FM Station that broadcast in two Ghanaian languages - Ewe and Akan - to reflect the linguistic composition in the region," he said in a statement in Parliament on Friday.

The MP said from discussions he had with the Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) on May 12, this year on the situation, he got the impression that either the Director-General was not aware of the real situation at the Volta Star, or the Corporation's engineers had not briefed her properly.

Mr Agbotse said he also held discussions with the Executive Officer of Ghana Telecom on May 16, this year, and it came to light that GBC was informed four years ago that the analogue system on which the Volta Star was operating had become obsolete and could breakdown anytime without the possibility of getting replacement parts to fix it.

"I was informed that the total cost of a transmitter is about 17,000 pounds only, but GBC ignored the advice and continued to operate the analogue system until it broke down," the Member said.

Mr. Joseph Amenowode, NDC-Hohoe South, also bemoaned the problem of the Volta Star and Ghana Television (GTV), saying, television transmission was not reaching parts of the Volta Region. He held that if such technical problems are not explained, the impression is created of a sabotage of the region.

Mr. Alfred Agbesi, NDC-Ashaiman, said Volta Star was his only source of 'Borborbo' and 'Agbadza', as well as other traditional music and that for the past two months, he has been denied these sources of entertainment.

Mr. Eugene Atta Adjepong, NPP-Abetifi, advised prominent people in the Volta Region to set up private FM stations in addition to the Volta Star, instead of relying solely on GBC FM stations.

Benito Owusu-Bio, NPP-Atwima-Nwabiagya, said Kumasi and its surrounding areas do not receive GTV signals and that the inhabitants now rely solely on TV3 which they have lauded with the accolade "One touch and direct TV".