Award-winning media practitioner and the ‘Chairman-General’ of radio, Kwami Sefa Kayi, has proposed that the National Media Commission (NMC), Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), and other media bodies roll out basic standards for all radio stations to adhere to.
He mentioned that it would help prevent outrageous things from being communicated on some radio waves, as well as guide presenters and owners of the stations.
According to him, it would have been good if the rules were established with the advent of media in the country, but the authorities failed, causing people to say inappropriate things on the radio.
To explain his view, the ‘Chairman-General’ said, “I think that basic broadcasting journalism media standards have not been adhered to. First of all, I think we have too many radio stations, and unfortunately, the kind of quality that you’d expect from radio is usually very suspenseful sometimes, unless we don’t want to be truthful.”
He commended the evolution of radio and the media at large. However, he thinks the authorities could have paid proper attention and ensured that basic regulations were enforced at the primary stage.
The majority of stations, he stated, are politically and commercially owned and tend to create content in their favor, thereby contributing to the unwavering unprofessionalism within the sector.
“Between the two of them, someway in there, we should have found proper broadcasting content and standards to guide. Unfortunately, we did not, and we still have not,” Kwami Sefa Kayi noted.
“Sometimes the things you hear on the radio are outrageous, to say the least. We have the Media Commission, the GJA, the Media Foundation for West Africa, and other media watchers, but I don’t know what can be done. You ask yourself, what really are the standards? I think there should be some basic standards we should all follow,” he further added.
Having headed the Peace FM morning flagship program ‘Kokorokoo’ for years, Mr. Kayi shared his reason for switching from the English language to Akan.
He stated that he needed to change the narrative of people devaluing presenters at local language-speaking stations who were considered low-standard journalists.
As a result, he has no regrets about that decision because he noted that he has learned a lot of things from the local dialect, which he was not knowledgeable of. He testifies that he has enjoyed every bit of the journey.
He revealed that he is content and nothing will make him leave Peace FM, even though he received huge offers from other companies.
The ‘Chairman-General’ is willing to retire his career at Peace FM, as he has no plans of exiting the station anytime soon.
Kwami Sefa Kayi Disputes Claims About Him
Veteran broadcaster Kwami Sefa Kayi disputed claims that he owns shares in the Despite Media Group.
According to him, he is an employee of the company.
“But I happen to be one of the influential people there, both on and off the radio. But no, I don’t own it. No, I don’t have any shares. I also look forward to my salary at the end of the month. I’m sure you don’t believe it, but it’s the truth,” he said.
Mr. Sefa Kayi blamed the circulation of some of these rumors on the Ghanaian’s love for gossip without seeking verification.
“We like to gossip. We like to say things we have absolutely no idea about and pass them off as truth. And we’ll swear that we were there or we heard or we know,” he revealed.
He noted that one of his colleagues calls him a Lionel Messi in the company seemingly reflecting his years of experience and dedication at the station.
Mr. Sefa Kayi insisted there was no truth to those rumors.
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