The National Media Commission (NMC), has directed the Board of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation [GBC], to appoint an acting Director-General to oversee the activities of the state broadcaster, while the substantive boss, Dr. Kwame Akuffo remains on leave.
The Board early last week asked Dr. Anorff-Ntow to proceed on leave following what it described as his poor handling of the TV license fee saga.
The duration of the leave, according to the Board, will depend on consultations with the NMC.
Background
Concerns over the TV license regime followed the Chief Justice’s setting up of special TV license courts across the country to prosecute people who refuse to pay the mandatory TV license fees in line with the TV licensing Act.
Domestic TV users were asked to pay between GHc36 and GHc60 for one or more TV sets in a household, while TV set repairers and sales outlets were required to pay an annual sum of between GHc60 to GHc240.
Following the setting up of the special court, it was expected that defaulting TV owners or operators will be prosecuted per Section 1(a) of the TV licensing Act 1966 (NLCD 89) with defaulters facing a fine or a prison term not exceeding one year.
But a statement from the Board stopped the prosecutions even before they occurred.
The Board also urged the National Media Commission (NMC) to explore a more sustainable funding module for the GBC.
During the back and forth, the GBC Director angered the public further when he suggested that persons who consumed TV content via smart phones were also going to pay the license fees.
Several pressure groups and civil society organisations kicked against the TV license regime, particularly the threat to use the court to ensure compliance.
In the midst of the arguments however, some individuals thronged GBC Revenue collection points to pay the fees. Regardless of this, the GBC Boss was asked to proceed on leave.
The statement from the NMC is below
DEVELOPMENTS AT GHANA BROADCASTING CORPORATION
The National Media Commission (NMC) has noted developments at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) and has been in communication with all the parties in the current dispute. It is the understanding of the Commission that the Director-General was directed by the GBC board to proceed on leave. The reason given by the board was to enable it to investigate matters relating to the setting up of courts to prosecute TV license defaulters.
The NMC recognizes the board’s authority to determine matters of leave relating to the Director-General. However, the Commission has directed the board to determine the matters before it and to report to the Commission within one month in order to inform NMC’s decisions relating to all the issues at stake.
In the interim, the NMC has also asked the GBC board to appoint an acting Director-General from within the management of the corporation in place of the current arrangement of an Interim Management Committee (IMC).
The Commission assures all parties and the public that the NMC remains committed to insulating the state-owned media from governmental control. At the same time, the commission shall at all times ensure that proper corporate governance principles pertain in all the state-owned media.
NANA KWASI GYAN-APENTENG
CHAIRMAN
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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana