Govt. to set up committee to draft Public Broadcasting Bill

Accra , Aug. 31, GNA - Government will soon set up a four-member media committee to fashion out a Public Broadcasting Bill to be submitted to cabinet for consideration.

The Bill will, among other things, look at possible ways to make the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) a self-sustaining public broadcaster as well as review the television licence fee.

Mr Huruna Iddrisu, Minister of Communications, said this at a meeting with the Executives of the Ghana Journalists Association, KAB Governance Consult and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation to discuss viable ways to make GBC act as a real public service broadcaster.

He said the Atta-Mills led administration would continue to respect the independence of the media adding that the President had already set up a sub-committee to look into issues that will institute GBC as the public service broadcaster that it is supposed to be.

Mr Iddrisu said GBC was at an advantage in terms of coverage, and government would support proposals to make it act as a public service broadcaster, especially where they gave a voice to the voiceless.

"The media is a necessary ally," he said, advising the media to continue to support the growth of multi-party democracy in the country.

Mr Ransford Tetteh, President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), proposed that the TV Licence fees should be reviewed to GH¢10 a year, and called for the sensitization of the public on the need to pay their TV licence fee regularly.

He indicated that the public service broadcasting sector was underdeveloped, hence the need to support GBC to be transformed into a true public service broadcaster, especially in terms of its legal mandate.

Mr Tetteh also suggested that cabinet set up a public service broadcasting fund to support public service broadcasting.

GNA