SECTOR 3 Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 3.2 (2006:n/a; 2008:n/a; 2011:n/a; 2013:3.4) 3.6 The state/public broadcaster is adequately funded in a manner that protects it from political interference through its budget and from commercial pressure. GBC depends on government grants to cover its major costs. GBC personnel salaries are paid for by the government, as are infrastructural expenses; while utilities and other less major costs are covered by GBC’s advertising revenue. “I wish we could get to a point where they begin to fund themselves.” “GBC has the best technicians, infrastructure and equipment, but they’re not innovative, and have no sense of drive to make things happen. Corruption probably plays a role too, because if you look at the ads that exist, and the amount associated, it would only seem that money must be missing or is not accounted for in the books.” Panellists noted that with far fewer resources, smaller private broadcasters are able to operate profitably, produce high-quality programmes, and create more public interest stories with objective coverage free of commercial intent. Until about 2016, GBC had stopped collecting licence fees “because the economy had outrun the fee”. However, when the TV Licence Act was reviewed and a new figure was proposed last year, there was a national outcry. The public questioned as to why it had to pay a licence fee when there are many private radio stations to whom no fee is paid, why it needed to pay a fee for content that was not always up to par, and what the practical mechanism for collection of this fee would be. 54 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER GHANA 2017