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:

2.6 (2006:n/a; 2008:n/a; 2011:2.1;
2013:2.0)

3.7 The state/public broadcaster offers diverse programming formats for all interests including local content and quality public interest programmes.
Programming offered by the state broadcaster is diverse, but the quality is poor.
“There is no creativity or innovation. Sometimes, you even have people virtually
fighting in the studio.” This is despite GBC having more reporters in almost all the
regions, better infrastructure and equipment than most private broadcasters, and
a bigger budget within which to operate.
Programmes such as ‘Talking Points’ are popular, as they cover a wide range of
issues in the public interest. But with respect to quality, various issues abound. On
shows with panel discussions, e.g. the panellists selected for the programme can
be questionable. “What goes into the selection of panellists?”
Several young staffers at GBC have complained that they are kept from producing
more creative stories, making them complacent and compliant to the status quo.
GBC no longer builds production sets, and “quality and creativity are missing.”
“When people get into the system, it’s the culture that dominates, and they don’t
feel motivated to do anything. They are more motivated to do work outside of
GBC than inside. At other institutions, you wouldn’t be able to get away with
doing one story a day and survive.”
A panellist noted that the culture at the GBC is essentially one of “me baa ha
akye.” (meaning “I have been working here for ages”).
Panellists highlighted that the state of affairs at the national broadcaster could
point to a leadership vacuum. “If you look at the antecedence of how people
get to these positions and keep growing, but don’t have competence to look
at things from an economic perspective, what do you expect? Elsewhere, if you

AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER GHANA 2017

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