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General News of Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Source: Graphic.com.gh
2019-07-10
Mr. Augustus Yamson, Acting Director General of GBC, speaking at the press conference
The management of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) has denied selling its TV channels to private entities.
The badertion of some news outlets that GBC has sold eight channels to private entities was false, since no state broadcaster's chain was sold to anyone and the hanging of banners at the entry of the company was not made by the union but two disgruntled individuals who had been suspended by the union.
At a press conference held in Accra yesterday, GBC Acting Director General, Mr. Augustus Yamson, said that GBC was a state institution subject to the regulation of the National Media Commission ( NMC). As a result, the company could not sell any channel to any entity without government and NMC approval.
He added that the company's goal was to sign an agreement with KBL Media to partner with GBC to manage an Akan station on one of GBC's channels.
Soft
Mr Yamson said that a 10-year agreement protocol had been signed between GBC and KBL, in which GBC was to bring in a capital of 350,000 USD, while KBL would create a goodwill of 100,000 USD to title already pledged. GBC accounts.
He said that the six GBC channels appeared to offer a public service, whereas according to the strategic plan, only two channels were to be used as such, the others being marketed.
He said that the partnership with the private entity was not a new venture, GBC currently holding 50% of Metro TV shares and also holding shares of JOY FM.
In addition, he said, this new venture was part of the state broadcaster's five-year strategic plan.
Public broadcaster
Mr. Yamson indicated that GBC, in accordance with its mandate, was a public broadcaster and that GBC Govern and GBC 24 were doing the same thing. For the sake of efficiency, management has decided to market it.
According to the interim CEO, GBC was trapped in cash; moreover, some of the channels had been there for six years and operated at a loss.
He added that the local union had not participated in setting up the banners because he had been consulted about the company and had even made his contribution before signing the agreement .
He said the two men who had suspended the banner had been suspended by the union since last March and duly punished for being misled.
No tension
He added that contrary to the information provided by the media, there was no tension in GBC and that all the mounted banners had been shot down, adding that "the six channels can not be used solely for the public service. ".
Mr. Yamson badured the GBC workers that no one would lose his job when the new station began transmitting the tests.
"Management will make decisions for GBC and not individuals," he said.
Legal
For his part, GBC's Director of Legal Services, John Kwame Waja, said that GBC had the ability to become commercial and that, to transform the company, it was necessary to follow the strategic plan, which management had made.
After 80 years of existence, GBC had to change, he added, adding that broadcasting was now market-driven, which is why the company could not afford to stay out of the way and to be fed by the government.
Petition to NMC
The GBC Workers' Union of Greater Accra asked the National Media Commission (NMC) to complain about the nature of the agreement that merged the staff of GBC 24 and GTV Govern and renamed GTV Govern to GBC News.
"We want to know what has become of the platform that hosted GTV Govern. Was it sold to the Jospong group of companies, as our checks reveal?
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