Prof. Amin Alhassan, Director-General of Ghana Broadcasting Corporation minces no words by stating that the state broadcaster cannot cut down to size its original three channels to three on the National Digital Terrestrial Television platform as directed by the Communication Ministry.
Contained in a letter addressed to the National Media Commission (NMC), he said all six channels serve clearly defined purposes, and as a matter of fact cannot be pulled down.
In giving the significance of the channels, Prof. Alhassan held that all six channels are dedicated 24-hours channels with “specified focus reflecting the mandate of GBC as a State Broadcaster, a Public Service Broadcaster and a Commercial Broadcaster”.
In lieu of this GBC is “unable to respond to the request of the Hon. Minister of Communication,” the letter indicated.
Earlier, Ursula Owusu Ekufful, the Minister for Communications, in a letter to the Director General for Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), defended the decision to close down three channels belonging to the state broadcaster.
In addressing the media, however, the minister explained that she’s acting within her jurisdiction by making such a move which is solely directed at freeing up space and also reducing maintenance of the DTT platform.
“The fact still remains that the sole multi-channel through which broadcasting can be transmitted in this country for now is full to capacity, there is absolutely no redundancy on it, for us as a country it is dangerous to be in this situation”.
“Pending the acquisition of an additional multiplex which will provide for more capacity on that and it has absolutely nothing to do with spectrum…it is the multiplex which has capacity challenges and not spectrum and until such time as we acquire an additional multiplex to provide channels for broadcasting in this country, we have no other means of doing so and so a responsible ministry in a responsible government has taken the only means available to it at this time to sit with those who have excess capacity on that multiplex to cede some of it for the security of our own state”.
She further iterated that the National Media Commission cannot compel the ministry to act otherwise.
The state broadcaster insists however that, none of their six channels can be taken off.
Currently GBC operates GTV, GBC News, GTV Sports+, GBC Obonu, GTV Life and Ghana Learning TV. Prof Alhassan expressed the view that, conforming to the request by the Minister means GBC has to lose three of these channels.
“It will virtually mean that GBC will have to reduce its operations by half. This request will also impose serious budgetary and human resource challenges on the operations of GBC and indeed, can collapse the Public Service Broadcaster. It is with these implications in mind that the Board of Directors has instructed me to communicate this to the National Media Commission and request your urgent intervention on behalf of GBC”.
Prof. Amin Alhassan
He further stated that the state broadcaster Board expects the media commission to intervene to save them from the consequences of having to operate with only three channels.
