Accra, Feb. 24, GNA - The management of Adom FM, a Tema-based Akan speaking radio station and member of the Multimedia Broadcasting Group, h= as launched a month-long programme to celebrate its 10 years of providing broadcasting service to the Ghanaian public.

The programme, which begun on February 23 and ends on April 1, invol= ves debates for young listeners, fun games such as soccer to be played by politicians, opinion leaders and radio presenters and charity events. Bishop Hansel Adjei Frimpong, General Secretary of Word Miracle Chur= ch International, launched the anniversary in Accra on Tuesday. Mr. Klaus Vonbackustein, Chief Operating Officer of Adom FM, said th= e celebration was in recognition of the valuable contributions it had made,=

championing societal transformation and giving voice to majority of the people "making it a choice station for the public".

He said launching into the broadcast industry as an Akan speaking station especially at a time when competition was high, presented it with=

many challenges but added that its focused leadership, dedicated staff an= d appealing programming made it to survive and grow to where it is today. Mr. Vonbackustein said but for their support, Adom FM would not have=

been where it is today and assured listeners of more appealing programmes=

which would be the industry's benchmarks serving the best interest of the=

nation and the public at large. Mr. Elvis Aryeh, a Member of the National Media Commission, urged th= e station to devote some attention to the country's economy and government policies that either advanced the betterment of the people or retarded th= e development of a community. He urged the management to check industrial practices that aided glo= bal warming and expose companies that engaged in those practices to ensure th= e safety of the environment.

Mr. Aryeh appealed to radio stations in the country not to concentra= te too much on politics but to champion issues of community education, healt= h and provision of social amenities, which are core concerns of the people to enhance the nation's development.

He urged the media to uphold high journalistic standards saying "wha= t our media writes or broadcasts should not destroy the 50 years of nationhood". Mr. Aryee called on the management to reflect over its 10 years of existence and come out with improved performance in the coming years to attain higher heights.

Mr. Bright Blewu, General Secretary of Ghana Journalists Association= , said radio broadcasting had brought transformation and inspiration to society, championing democracy and offering platform to the citizenry to air their views and concerns on national issues. However, he cautioned against crippling falling standards in the med= ia and urged industry players to stick to high journalistic standards to enhance the country's democracy. The station has lit a perpetual flame that will be taken round all i= ts 22 affiliate radio stations across the country and back to Tema at midnig= ht of March 31. The grand celebration will be held on April 1 at Nkawkaw in the East= ern Region.