[ 2015-06-01 ]

Bagbin kicks against commercialisation of GBC
The Majority Leader in Parliament, Mr Alban
Bagbin, has kicked against the call for the Ghana
Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) to be
commercialised.

He said GBC was meant to be in a class of its own
as a public broadcaster and, therefore, the state
broadcaster would deviate from its mandate if it
was made to combine commercialisation with public
service.

Mr Bagbin made the call when he delivered the
fourth in a series of lectures marking GBC’s
80th anniversary in Accra last Thursday.
Disbursement of funds

He said there was the need for Parliament to come
up with legislation that would give GBC some level
of independence in the management of its
resources.

He said, “I dare say that knowing the voracious
appetite of governments for financial resources,
GBC’s budget should not be controlled by the
Executive.”

Speaking on the topic “Public Service
Broadcasting at the Crossroads”, Mr Bagbin
explained that among its major functions, the GBC
was expected to play a watchdog role without
government or private interference.

He said, “It is my understanding that a watchdog
loses its voice for barking and canines for biting
where it eats from every hand that feeds it. A
person with an intention adverse to that of his
master could earn his friendship by throwing
morsels of meat to it. A watchdog must serve one
master; must be fed by only the hand of that
master.”

Mr Bagbin further submitted that GBC should be
financed by only its master, the public purse, and
not the government or the private sector.

He explained that public interest was different
from government interest, political interest,
party interest and different from private
interest.

Mr Bagbin said should the current trend of
commercialisation continue, it would bring dire
consequences to the corporation as a public
service broadcaster.
GBC, property of Ghana

He said GBC should never yield to the temptation
of making money at the expense of selflessly
serving the development needs of the people.

He said commercialisation could not be GBC’s
survival instinct.

Mr Bagbin said, “GBC cannot be any person or
group of persons’ property or at their beck and
call. It must remain the bona fide property of the
good people of Ghana who must resource and finance
it.”

He said should GBC allow commercial interests to
override service to the people, the corporation
would soon reach a point where it would sell news
to the highest bidder like some commercial
stations did.

Mr Bagbin urged the staff and management of GBC
not to worry about commercialisation, adding, “I
completely disagree with that line of thought.”

He said Parliament would ensure that there was
regular realistic review of television licence fee
to generate more resources for the corporation.
Air community programmes

He called for the introduction of more community
programmes to educate the public on national
issues.

He said currently, the airwaves in Accra in
particular had been turned into a situation where
every station spoke its own language, leaving the
listeners confused.

The Board Chairman of GBC, Mr Richard Kwame
Asante, said GBC was developing a five-year
strategic plan for its development.

Source - Daily Graphic

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