Community Radio Network rejects portions of guidelines

Accra, July 14, GNA - The Ghana Community Radio Network (GCRN) has rejected portions of the regulatory guidelines recently issued by the National Communications Authority (NCA) saying they would further serve to constrict the development of community radio in the country. At a meeting for stakeholders of community radio and members of the Network in Accra on Thursday, Professor Alex Quarmyne, Executive Director of Radio Ada, said the guidelines tended to see the concept of community radio within small geographical areas.

The guidelines also limit the coverage of community radio to five kilometres and gave criteria for content. Under the guidelines, style of presentation has to follow familiar forms of oral communication that inform, educate and entertain. The guidelines on content also state that talent pool must be drawn from the community.

But Prof. Quarmyne said the concept should be expanded to allow a particular community radio to reach people with a common language and common culture.

He said patrons of community radio stations should be requested to give enough information and identify the communities of operation properly in order to justify the technical provisions they were requesting.

The guidelines also state that the operator of a community radio shall not air any advertisement or sponsored programmes. So far, the World Bank has been supporting the radio stations. Prof. Quarmyne said the Network and its stakeholders were asking the NCA to delete all the points on content from the guidelines and allow the operators to function the way they know best. These form part of recommendations under discussion with the stakeholders, which included the National Media Commission, Mr Kwaw Ansah, Chief Executive of TV Africa, representatives of Association of Ghanaian Broadcasters and the World Bank Office in Ghana among other institutions.

Currently there are only six community radio stations in Ghana - Radio Ada; Radio Peace in Winneba; Radio Progress in Wa; Royals FM in Wenchi; Dormaa FM in Dormaa Ahenkro and Radio Afram Plains in Donkokrom, which has just began operations.

Other stations yet to be given licences are Radio Cida in Navrongo; Simli Radio in Dalun; Daetsrifa Radio in Pokuase; Radio Dove in Amrahia and LaTeNu in La.

According to reports from NCA, most commercial radio stations hid under the pretext of acquiring licences for community radio operations but turned round to operate community radio stations. Dr Audrey Gadzekpo of the School of Mass Communications said the distribution of frequencies should be done in a fair and equitable manner to ensure development of the nation.

Dr Gadzekpo said the new national telecommunications policy offered more incentives for the operation of community radio and expressed the hope that work on the guidelines would be completed soon to enable beneficiaries to get the best of such facilities.

Documented background of community radio describes beneficiaries as marginalized people, who lack adequate food, shelter, education and health. It also describes them as people who are ill treated by institutions of State and society and are powerless to influence decisions affecting them.

Despite their situation, they are expected to pay an application fee of 100 dollars, licence fee of 2,000 dollars and an annual fee of 800 dollars.

An earlier meeting of a reference group on Wednesday prior to Thursday's meeting said the fee was to high. In the case of Afram Plains the whole community contributed to pay for the application fee of 100 dollars.