Ghana Broadcasting Corporation

Last updated
Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC)
Company typeTerrestrial television and
radio broadcast network
Industry Mass Media
Predecessor Gold Coast Broadcasting System-31 July 1935;88 years ago (1935-07-31)
Founded1 January 1953;71 years ago (1953-01-01)
HeadquartersAccra, Ghana,
Ghana
Area served
Ghana, 16 regions
Key people
Professor Amin Alhassan
(Director General)
ProductsBroadcasting, radio, web portals
ServicesTelevision, radio, online
Owner Government of Ghana
Parent Government of Ghana
Website gbcghanaonline.com

The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) was established by law in 1968 with a triple mandate as a State Broadcaster, Public Service Broadcaster, and a Commercial Broadcaster in Ghana. [1] [2] [3] [4] Headquartered in the capital city, Accra, it is funded by grants, broadcasting television commercials and the levying of a television licence, costing 36 cedis and 60 cedis for one or more TV sets in the same house every year. TV set repairers and sales outlets are to pay an annual sum of between 60 cedis to 240 cedis. [5] [6] [7]

Contents

History

Established under an act by the British colonial government in 1935, the Gold Coast first operated a Broadcasting outlet called radio ZOY. [8] This was the code name of a relay station the BBC operated. It was in the time of Governor General Sir Arnold Hodson. [9] [10] It later became the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation after Dr Kwame Nkrumah changed the name Gold Coast to Ghana, upon political independence in 1957. [11] The broadcasting service, originally known as Station ZOY, was introduced on 31 July 1935 by the colonial Governor, Sir Arnold Hodson. [12] [13]

Back in 1965, Dr Kwame Nkrumah inaugurated the television division for black and white screens. Both radio and television became main components of GBC's electronic outlets for information dissemination. In 1996, the Supreme Court settled a key debate in Ghana when its ruling committed the state broadcaster to the equal opportunities doctrine in broadcasting. Thus, the corporation is obliged to be fair and grant equal publicity to all political parties in Ghana. [14] It expanded with time to meet ever increasing expectations occasioned by growth in human population. As a result, the station now operates seven television channels and thirty three radio frequencies which broadcast in twenty five languages.

Establishment

Broadcasting began in Ghana on July 31, 1935, from a wired relay station opened in Accra. The brain behind the introduction of broadcasting into the country was the then Governor of the Gold Coast, Sir Arnold Hodson, affectionately known as the "Sunshine Governor".

He was ably assisted by a British radio engineer, Mr. F.A.W. Byron. By 17:00GMT on that historic day, gramophone records of martial and light music were relayed and at exactly 17:45GMT the voice of Sir Arnold Hodson came through to break the tension and the suspense with this explicit message:

“One of the main reasons for introducing the Relay Service is to bring News, Entertainment and Music into the homes of all and sundry. This will bring to an end the barriers of isolation and ignorance in the path of progress and also to enable the people of Gold Coast to improve on their very rich cultural music". [15]

Administration

The new broadcasting Service, code-named Radio "ZOY", was staffed by eight technicians and housed in a small bungalow on 9th Road near the Ridge Police Station in Accra. Broadcasting first began in four Ghanaian languages, namely Fanti, Twi, Ga, Ewe, and later Hausa. Part-time staff were engaged to translate and announce the news in these languages until 1943 when full-time staff were appointed. Between 1946 and 1953, the organisation was administered by the Public Relation Department, now the Information Services Department. The Corporation expanded with time to meet ever increasing expectations occasioned by growth in human population. As a result, the station now operates seven television channels and thirty-three radio frequencies which broadcast in twenty five languages.

The Director-Generals of the GBC:

Legislation

On the recommendation of a commission set up in 1953, the Gold Coast Broadcasting Service (GCBS) was established and from there it became a department in its own right. On attainment of independence in 1957, the Gold Coast was renamed Ghana and the GCBS became Ghana Broadcasting System (GBS). The legislation that basically set up GBC as an establishment was National Liberation Council Degree number 226 (NLCD266) of 1968.

Television and radio stations

GBC operates the famous Ghana Television GTV (a channel for events that matter most to Ghanaians), which is broadcast nationwide on analogue terrestrial platform. Additionally, GBC runs four digital networks namely: GTV Sports+ (24-hour sports channel that provides premium sports programmes), [16] GBC News (24-hour news and current affairs channel), GTV Life (Religious and cultural channel), Obonu TV (a channel for the people of Greater Accra and window for the Ga-Dangbe). It has branches or affiliate stations across the regional capitals, partnered with other private and Public Service Broadcasters across the globe, and collaborated with other governments worldwide. [17] [18]

The mandate of GBC requires that it provides services for all segments of the multicultural society, with the cardinal roles being timely information, education and entertainment. It quickly set up the GTV Learning channel to broadcast to school pupils and students forced to stay home as the academic calendar was suspended at onset of the novel Coronavirus pandemic from March 2020. [19] [20] New cards on the table are the plans to establish radio stations in the six newly created regions in Ghana.

Regional FM stations nationwide:

Training school

The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, which is also an agency overseen by the Ministry of Information, runs a training school that provides tuition in radio and TV broadcasting and engineering. [21] It has over the years trained both locally and internationally renowned broadcasters. The training school has two faculties: Broadcast Journalism and Broadcast Technology. The corporation also promotes training and educational programs and is central to fulfilling the GBC's mission to inform, educate and entertain. [22] [23]

Landmarks

YearEvent
1935Radio ZOY Established (BH-1)
1939-40British Government built BH-2 (now known as Old House) [24]
1943Local Languages broadcast introduced
1946Information Service Department handled Administration of GBC
1953Gold Coast Broadcasting System Established as a Department
1955Establishment of Engineering Training School
1956Audience Research Department set up
1956GBC News unit set up
1958Broadcasting House (BH-3) built
1960Mr.W.F.Coleman appointed first Ghanaian D-G
1961External Service
1962GBC Reference Library established
1965GTV inaugurated
1965Rural Broadcasting introduced
1966Television Licensing Decree, N.L.C.D 89
1967Commercial Broadcasting introduced
1971Public Relations Department set up
1975Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (Amendment) Decree, N.R.C.D 334
1985Colour Television Introduced
1985URA Radio established
1986Accra FM Radio established
1987Apam fm station commissioned
1989Installation of satellite TV dish to receive CNN
1991Television Licensing Regulations, LI 1520
1994Dormaa Ahenkro Community station commissioned
1994Twin-city radio commissioned
1995Radio GAR now Uniiq Fm goes stereo
1995Radio Savanna commissioned
1996Radio Central commissioned
1996Radio Volta Star commissioned
1997Installation of satellite TV dish to receive Deutsche Welle
1997Installation of satellite TV dish to receive Worldnet
1998Installation of satellite TV dish to receive CFI
2001Radio BAR commissioned
2001Radio Upper West commissioned
2002Radio GAR re-commissioned to Uniiq FM
2002Radio Obonu FM commissioned
2002Radio Sunrise FM commissioned
2010Pilot Digital Terrestrial Transmission DTT(MPEG2, DVB-T)started
2010DDT Committee Inaugurated
2010Upgrading and Expansion of DTT (MPEG2, DVB-T)to Greater Accra, parts of Central, Eastern and Ashanti Regions
2010GBC marks Diamond Jubilee
2010GTV Sports (All Sports Digital Channel) established
2011GBC24 (24 hour News Digital Channel) established
2011Obonu Fm marks 10th Anniversary
2011GBC Life (All Life Digital Channel) established
2014GTV Govern Digital Channel Established
2014Obonu TV Digital Channel Established
2014GBC Digital Set Top Boxes Launched
2015GBC celebrates 80th Anniversary
2015TV Licence Fee revised from 30p to 36 Ghana Cedis a year

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References

  1. ↑ "BBG Partners with Ghana Broadcasting Corporation". US Agency for Global Media. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Ghana state broadcaster 'shocked' to lose Premier League rights to Chinese firm StarTimes". GOAL. January 9, 2020.
  3. ↑ "GBC launches 80th anniversary celebrations". Multimedia Group (Joy Online). Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  4. ↑ "Zongo Development Fund partners GBC for development". News Ghana. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  5. ↑ Young, Kevin (18 January 2007). "TV licence fees around the world". BBC News.
  6. ↑ "The National Budget". Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.
  7. ↑ "GBC to re-introduce payment of TV Licence fee". Graphic Online. 5 June 2019.
  8. ↑ Gadzekpo, A (2021). "Tuning in to his-story: An account of radio in Ghana through the experience of B. S. Gadzekpo". Africa. Cambridge University Press. 91 (2): 177–194. doi: 10.1017/S0001972021000012 .
  9. ↑ Head, Sydney W. (1979). "British Colonial Broadcasting Policies: The Case of the Gold Coast". African Studies Review. 22 (2): 39–47. doi:10.2307/523811. JSTOR   523811. S2CID   144897176 . Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  10. ↑ "Sir Arnold Hodson, Introduction of broadcasting in Ghana". GBC Ghana Online. Ghana Broadcasting Corporation.
  11. ↑ "Media Ownership Monitor Ghana (History)". Media Foundation for West Africa. Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
  12. ↑ "Sir Arnold Hodson, Introduction of broadcasting in Ghana". GBC Ghana Online. Ghana Broadcasting Corporation.
  13. ↑ Wells, Alan (1997), World Broadcasting: A Comparative View, Greenwood Publishing Group, p. 162. ISBN   978-1-56750-246-6.
  14. ↑ "Ghana votes (What of the media?)". BBC News. 3 December 2004.
  15. ↑ Ghartey-Tagoe, David Kwesi (28 Jul 2010). David Ghartey-Tagoe: A Broadcast Icon. Xlibris Corporation, 2010. p. 70. ISBN   978-1-4535-4206-4.
  16. ↑ "GBC secures Olympics rights (Tokyo 2020: Time, date, events and how to watch all 14 Ghana athletes)". Myjoyonline. 26 July 2021.
  17. ↑ "First Lady Launches "Learning to Read, Reading to Learn project"". The Rebecca Foundation. 24 October 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  18. ↑
  19. ↑ Kale-Dery, Severious (3 April 2020). "GES releases virtual learning timetable". Graphic Online.
  20. ↑ "Ghana Learning TV May Timetable from KG to SHS". Ghana Education Service (GES). May 5, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Ministry of Information - Six Agencies We Oversee"
  22. ↑ "U.S. Partners with Ghana to Launch Learning Radio Program to Improve Reading for Ghanaian Children". U.S. Embassy in Ghana. 15 June 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  23. ↑ "GES to start radio learning program June 15". Graphic Online. 9 June 2020.
  24. ↑ "NATIONAL DIGITAL BROADCASTING MIGRATION TECHNICAL COMMITTEE" (PDF). National Communications Authority: 21. August 2010.

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