The existence of media pluralism in Ghana is characterised by the coexistence of privately-owned, state-owned and public broadcasting services, as well as an overabundance of print media publications. For instance, there are 345 operational FM radio stations, 79 community radio stations and 31 public radio stations. There are also hundreds of newspapers. However, accessibility and affordability are major problems. In terms of newspapers, their distribution is often urban-centred and with a price tag of 2.5 cedis (US0.65), the same as the cost of a loaf of bread, many Ghanaians consider newspapers unaffordable. Affordability and accessibility are also factors in the area of digital media; the Internet is considered expensive for the average Ghanaian citizen, and as a result, the internet penetration rate remains low, with access being limited mainly to regional capitals. Although more people are able to access the Internet through smartphones, this does not come cheap; with 1.5 gigabytes (GB) of data costing about 19GH¢ (USD4.27). However, this media pluralism is not accompanied by media diversity. Although society is given a full spectrum of alternatives to access media, there is a lack of diversity of voices and a growing homogenisation of media content. Voices of women, rural citizens, the disabled, minority, ethnic and religious groups are marginalised in the media. This is captured in a statement from one panellist, who stated that the media is dominated by “able-bodied, middle-aged, heterosexual, Christian, southern Ghanaian”. Content diversity also has to do with language; English and Twi from the Ashanti region dominate across all media. Politics also dominate media content, and stories focusing on health, education and social issues receive little space in the media. The deterioration of the diversity of opinion in media is also caused by crossownership. Ghana does not have a competition law and the National Media Commission (NMC) does not have the mandate to curb monopolisation or media concentration. Large media groups and individual moguls are rapidly buying up the media. The Excellence in Broadcasting (EIB) Network (the owners of Starr FM, GH1 TV, the Daily Heritage newspaper), for instance, is owned by former Finance Minister Kwabena Duffour, who also owns several other companies in other sectors. The lack of broadcasting legislation in the country has created a murky regulatory environment. The two bodies created to oversee various facets of the broadcasting sector; the National Communications Authority (NCA), focusing on technical and licencing issues and the National Media Commission (NMC), concentrating on content, seem to operate in a broadcasting legislative vacuum. There is tension between the NCA, which is seen as politically compromised due to its mandate falling under the Ministry of Information, and the NMC, which is perceived as independent. The NCA has been criticised for awarding licences to people with political connections. Although the independence of the state (public) broadcaster, the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), is guaranteed in Article 167 of the Constitution, the GBC is largely seen as a subservient mouthpiece of 8 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER GHANA 2017