The National Media Council (NMC) has defended introduction of TV license fees by government.
The national broadcaster will from August 2015 begin a nationwide collection of the license fees as required by law.
Speaking at a public lecture to mark the 80th anniversary of GBC, the Chairman of the NMC, Ambassador Kabral Blay-Amihere said every Ghanaian who owns a TV by law is expected to pay the fee on the stipulated date.
“We sincerely believe that the funds generated from the TV license fee will ultimately be to the benefit of the entire media industry both private and public owned. It is true that GBC will remain the highest beneficiary but there are many good reasons that GBC should be funded by the state to serve its mandate of serving as a true public service broadcaster,” Mr. Amihere said.
He believes the move forms part of efforts to support “private and community broadcasting particularly the many disadvantaged broadcasters in Accra …for them to produce and broadcast programmes that will serve the national cause and ensure that they exist to serve their communities.”
Ambassador Kabral Blay-Amihere added that GBC’s inability to compete with other national broadcasters across the world is a result of the governmental interference since independence.
“GBC’s full potential has often in our history been truncated by underfunding from state. Military interventions and the long hand of governmental control from the CPP government, the PPP government, the PNP government, the NDC government and the NPP government has not allowed GBC to become a true public service broadcaster.
“GBC is not as useless as some will have us believe. It was once Ghana’s soft power on the African continent. It is GBC that has given the chance to have a voice and access to radio and television.”
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