Director General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, GBC, Professor Amin Alhassan says it is time to have a full-scale conversation on how to find a permanent solution to the Corporation’s funding mechanism, to enable it to deliver on its mandate.
In his view, it is important to empower GBC to perform its role in society as a Public Service Broadcaster, instead of a State Broadcaster.
Prof Alhassan was speaking on the GTV ‘Breakfast Show’ this morning in reaction to a Ghanaian Times story titled; “Unbudgeted expenditure for national assignment coverage crippling GBC”.
He pointed out some inaccuracies in the paper’s reportage stressing that GBC has a budget, but often unexpected expenditures throw the budget out of gear.
Professor Amin-Alhassan pointed out that GBC has not fully paid up all its debts as the Ghanaian Times had wrongly stated.
He said payment of debts is work in progress.
The Supreme Court in an earlier ruling in NPP and GBC had asked GBC to give equal time and space to parties but fell short of telling GBC how to fund that.
He said some people have argued that the Corporation should not be funding itself commercially, but he explained that Outside Broadcasting involved the use of Satellite links and these links cost the Corporation.
That is why it is time to confront the issue openly about how to fund the Corporation’s Public Service obligations.
Contributing to the discussion, Mrs Susan Adu Amankwah with the National Interest Movement said a lot more education is required about funding GBC.
She said people must get the picture that Public Service Broadcasting is a way to ensure that the people are better educated, because the more people are educated the better the society.
She emphasized that people must see TV license payment as a Civic responsibility.
For her part, NPP National Communications Team Member, Ellen Ama Daku said she is happy GBC has positioned itself as leader in the media industry. She said the Corporation ought to be supported to help tell the many untold stories.
