They had defaulted in making payments for license fees, and were said to have been operating illegally according to a statement from the NCA in September 2017.

[contextly_sidebar id=”r3hAVk7o4srdvrNrtfFcSHYqyDiSVIxD”]The 30 day-window given to the stations to respond to the notice has elapsed.

Their managers have however disclosed to Citi News they are working to get back on air.

Okay FM and Hello FM were among the 131 stations that fell foul of Section 13 of the Electronics Communications Act (2009).

34 of the sanctioned stations had their licenses revoked because their authorizations had expired, and were operating illegally, whilst the others picked up over GHc1 billion in fines.

Radio Gold and Atlantis Radio picked up the heftiest fines of GHc 61,330,000 and GHc 60,350,000 respectively.

The sanctions have been criticized as being too harsh, with critics claiming that they amount to an attempt to monetize freedom of expression.

Critics like the National Democratic Congress (NCA) minority in Parliament, have cited the potential job losses that would result from the possible shutdowns of sanctioned stations.

The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), had served notice it was going to rally to the defense of the sanctioned stations, but they are yet to take any concrete decisions in this regard.

Break down of 97 sanctioned stations

According to the NCA, eleven (11) radio stations have been requested to pay application fees for renewal of Authorisation, and also pay a fine in accordance with the NCA’s gazetted Schedule of Penalties for failure to apply 3 months before the expiry of Authorization within 30 days.

Two (2) radio stations have been asked to submit renewal application within 30 days.

Sixteen (16) radio stations have been asked to submit renewal application, pay application fees, and pay a fine in accordance with the Authority’s gazetted Schedule of Penalties within 30 days.

Twenty‐four (24) radio stations have been asked to submit omitted documents and pay a fine in accordance with the Authority’s gazetted Schedule of Penalties within 30 days.

Fifteen (15) radio stations will have their Authorisation processed after payment of fines in accordance with the Authority’s gazetted Schedule of Penalties.

One (1) radio station has been asked to settle its outstanding indebtedness before renewal of Authorization is considered.

Twenty (20) radio stations have been asked to settle their Provisional Authorization (renewal) fees which have been invalidated due to non‐payment within sixty days – to pay interest on due amount.

Eight (8) radio stations have been asked to pay a fine in accordance with the NCA’s gazette Schedule of Penalties before the authority conducts inspection as requested by the stations.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Yet the actual penetration of social media networks differs markedly from place to place. According to data from Reach in June 2013, for example, WhatsApp is installed on over 90% of iPhones in Latin America, but under 10% in the United States; Line is on 44% of Spanish handsets yet 1% of French ones; and KakaoTalk is practically universal in South Korea, but nearly unknown beyond East Asia.

Asia’s social login scene is dominated by Facebook, with 82% of the market, Google+ scoring just 2%; in North America, the figures are much closer at 47% and 31%, respectively.

Then there’s China, with a social media scene all of its own. With global behemoths Facebook and Twitter kept out by the Great Firewall, their niches in the social media ecosystem are divided among the likes of Sina Weibo, Tencent Weibo, Renren and Qzone. Despite barely penetrating beyond China, WeChat has more total number of users than WhatsApp, Line, Viber or Skype.

In the same way that isolation allowed different creatures to evolve on the Galapagos Islands and Madagascar, the equivalence between Chinese networks and their global counterparts is far from exact. While Weibo resembles Twitter in limiting posts to 140 characters, it resembles Facebook in allowing threaded comments and likes.

Some of the differences in use of social media networks are driven by cultural circumstances. Unlike on Twitter, for example, it is common for users of Sina Weibo to post jpegs of longer chunks of text – because images are more likely to escape the censors, who are searching text for keywords. It is also because Chinese users usually do not have the patience to follow the links inside Weibo messages.

Censorship shapes the Chinese social media scene in other ways. Following a 2013 crackdown which saw several social commentators on Weibo arrested and the accounts of some political opinion leaders erased, there has been a shift to WeChat; the facility to broadcast some things publicly and share others privately with small groups is increasingly being used for social organizing, as well as for sports team fans to connect and for teachers to get together with students.

Beyond the unique circumstances of the Chinese market, there are examples of how companies have failed to adapt sufficiently to local circumstances to create a critical mass. But, in general, the extent to which cultural differences underlie social media differences should not be overstated.

Many of the current differences in social media use are best explained not by culture, but by historical trends in device use. In Europe and North America, for example, many people were accustomed to accessing social networks on PCs before buying smartphones as a supplementary device; across Asia, it is more common for people’s first experience of the internet and social media to be on a smartphone.

Mobile optimization underlies why, for example, Skype has been caught quickly by the likes of WhatsApp, Line and Viber, despite having a six or seven year head start – Skype was optimized for the PC and has had to adapt to mobile use, while its newer competitors launched with mobile in mind.

Skype is not alone: all social media networks which evolved in a context where PCs dominated, and mobile internet access was based on WAP, have had to re-customize for a smartphone-dominated world. The extent of their success in doing so – or in buying up more mobile-savvy upstarts – will determine how much market share they can hold on to against younger competitors.

As the same smartphone devices become ubiquitous around the world, it is arguable that the social media landscape will gradually converge. Whichever culture they were brought up in, young people with an iPhone tend to find the same features useful.

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Source: World Economic Forum

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At its annual conference for software developers, the firm unveiled iCloud Drive, an internet-based storage app, which works on Apple systems and PCs.

In an effort to keep customers using all its technologies, Apple improved integration for calls and messages across its devices.

It also unveiled new mobile and desktop operating systems.

Apple’s iMessage app was given extra features, some of which are similar to rival service WhatsApp, recently acquired by Facebook for $19bn (£11.3bn).

Users will be able to easily create and modify group messages, send voice clips with a single swipe, and even create and exchange short video clips.

The ability to send and receive text messages across all Apple devices was also introduced.

Jan Koum, WhatsApp’s co-founder, reacted to Apple’s announcement by tweeting:

“Very flattering to see Apple “borrow” numerous WhatsApp features into iMessage in iOS 8 #innovation”

WhatsApp’s co-founder posted a sarcastic tweet about Apple’s news

Apple also introduced HealthKit software that works with third-party wearable health devices.

A parallel app, called Health, measures users’ personalised healthcare statistics, and even contacts their hospital directly if it notices irregularities.

“The announcements represent an ambitious move to diversify the Apple ecosystem into a number of new segments,” said Geoff Blaber, an analyst at the CCS Insight consultancy.

“Critics will complain of no new devices but the Worldwide Developers Conference creates the foundation for the products [Apple chief executive] Tim Cook is promising in the second half of the year.”

iCloud Drive allows users to save any type of file on the firm’s remote servers and then access it via an iOS device, Mac computer or Windows PC.

Users do not have to pay an extra fee unless they want use more than five gigabytes of storage.

That is more than Dropbox’s 2GB sign-up allowance, but less than Google Drive’s 15GB provision, Microsoft One Drive’s 7GB limit and Box’s 10GB cap.

Apple’s service includes the ability to email attachments of up to 5GB, something also offered by Dropbox and HighTail – a specialist data-sharing facility.

However, Apple made no mention of iCloud Drive being accessible via Android, unlike the other services that offer apps via Google’s Play store.

“iCloud drive [is a] big shot at consumer Dropbox, if it works well,” tweeted Benedict Evans, an analyst at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz – a nod to the fact that Apple has faced problems with its online services in the past.

Former chief executive Steve Jobs had previously attempted to buy Dropbox, reportedly warning its founders that he intended to go after the same market when they refused.

Automated homes

The latest version of Apple’s operating system for desktops and laptops, entitled OS X 10.10 Yosemite, features a flattened design, and closer integration with other Apple devices, allowing users to make and receive calls and text messages from their iPhone on their desktops or laptops.

Like its predecessor, Mavericks, OS X Yosemite will be made available as a free update to existing Mac users.

Apple boss Tim Cook also showcased the tech giant’s forthcoming mobile operating system, iOS 8, and emphasised cross-device integration. One feature, Handoff, allows users to start a task on one device and instantly pick it up on another.

Apple’s software engineering vice-president, Craig Federighi, also unveiled HomeKit, which allows users to control their home environment with smartphones.

“Only your iPhone can open your garage door, or unlock your door,” he told the audience in San Francisco.

“With Siri integration you can say something like ‘get ready for bed’ and be assured that your garage door is closed, your door is locked, the thermostat is lowered and your lights are dimmed.”

Analysis: Richard Taylor, BBC North America technology correspondent

Today’s non-announcements of much-rumoured products like an “iWatch” will disappoint those who had hoped for the “amazing and exciting” new devices that Apple boss Tim Cook has promised this year.

But in truth this conference was always going to be about software rather than new devices; the Cupertino-based firm will leave those to the Autumn in time for the holiday season spending spree.

As predicted Apple is at least dipping its toes into new waters. If the health-centric features are well-executed, and can reconcile the various methods used by fitness band makers to measure our vitals, then it could indeed prove a powerful one-stop shop for this information. The big unknown: does it presage the introduction of Apple’s own biometric-sensor wristwatch?

Similarly the HomeKit is a welcome attempt to unify the multitude of smart devices beginning to appear in our homes – but here precious little detail was forthcoming.

As people increasingly use multiple devices – laptops, tablets and smartphones – much of the focus was predictably on streamlining the user experience between them. Amongst the many enhancements were some genuinely exciting innovations – like making or receiving phone calls on any nearby Apple device.

But other “innovations” will already be somewhat familiar to Android smartphone users – like iCloud Drive, predictive text and the ability to use different keyboards. Apple will hope that its painstaking attention to design and usability will give it an edge, and buy it some time to win over industry-watchers anxiously waiting for Tim Cook to deliver on “the next big thing”.

Fingerprint access

Apple also announced it would open up its Touch ID fingerprint recognition technology to third-party software developers – allowing device owners to avoid having to type in passwords – and let users install alternative keyboards including Nuance’s Swype.

Lea Simpson, strategy director at digital agency TH_NK, told the BBC this year’s conference “feels like the most ‘open’ Apple has ever been in both content and tone,” as it announced integration with outside partners.

For example, the Health app will integrate data from Nike and other firms’ fitness apps, and the tech firm is also working with medical care company Mayo Clinic in the US and NHS Cambridge University Trust in the UK.

Last week, Apple announced it was buying headphone maker and music streaming service Beats for $3bn – the company’s biggest acquisition to date.

No further details on the Beats deal were revealed, but co-founder and hip-hop star Dr Dre did make an appearance as a caller in a demonstration of how a Mac computer can now be used to make and receive calls if it is linked to the owner’s iPhone.

Apple shares, which have been doing well recently, closed about 0.7% lower on the day.

Source: BBC

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