Set up an Indepedent Public Service Media

Participants at a day's workshop to accept proposals that would inform the drafting and passage of a National Broadcasting Law to regulate the industry have advocated for an independent public service media devoid of overwhelmingly 'negative' control from the government.They argued that legislation of Broadcasting either public service, commercial or community-owned should represent multiplicity of public views because the airwaves belonged to the people in whose interest and welfare it should be utilised. It was organized by the Ghana Advocacy Steering Committee for a national Broadcasting Law with support from Rights and Voice Initiative, a Non Governmental Organisation.The Chairperson of the Advocacy Steering Committee, Berifi Apenteng, said the fundamental legal framework for broadcasting, as for the mass media in general, has undergone radical transformation with the commencement of the Constitution. He said until the commencement of the 1992 Constitution, the media landscape was characterized by the domination of the state-owned media. He said broadcasting law is necessary to fill that loophole in the law to provide for the orderly yet dynamic arrangement of the broadcasting media landscape.Mr Apenteng said the draft bill was produced since 2001 but unfortunately there is no follow-up to see it through to full-fledged legislation.He said the draft proposal is currently with the Minister of Information to be submitted to cabinet for approval.The Executive Director of Media Foundation for West Africa,Professor Kwame Karikari,said the basis of broadcasting law has to be premised on the concept of pluralism and multiplicity of views. He said for the concept of media independence to work properly the media should not be attached to any organization or institution.He said community broadcasting is important to give all societies the choice to be heard or show their culture and to share common interest to the development of their people.The Editor of the Ghanaian Times, Ajoa Yeboah-Afari, said Ghanaians are concerned about the language used on radios, especially during phone-in programmes.She urged the drafters to look critically at the aspect of translation and find means of regulating them. She said the bill should also regulate the ownership of broadcasting to ensure that those granted frequency to operate have a basic knowledge in journalism to influence those working under them.The Director of Diamond FM, Tamale, Edward Ameyibor,expressed concern that foreign broadcasters have hijacked the Ghanaian frequency and questioned if the Ghanaian media too could be allowed to do same in their countries.Concerning public service broadcasting, he urged the government to come out clearly whether it wants to be the sole owner of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) or not. He said if government should continue to be the sole owner of GBC then it should be prepared to fund the corporation to realize its full capacity in the best interest of the public.A Lecturer at Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Esi Sutherland-Addy, Lecturer,said there is the need to inform broadcasters themselves as to the choices that they have.