Ghana journalists asked to reflect thorough professionalism
Mr Kabral Blay-Amihere, Chairman of National Media Commission (NMC) has urged journalists to reflect thorough professionalism in their work as the December 7, 2012 polling day approaches.
He said journalists working with radio stations especially must take their gate keeping responsibilities seriously and prevent hate speeches and tendentious statements on the airwaves.
Mr Blay-Amihere was speaking at the Maiden Awards Day Celebration of Volta Premier Frequency Modulation (FM) Station, 98.1 MHZ, in Ho on Saturday to climax the campus station’s 16th anniversary.
It was on the theme: “The Role of Campus Radio Station in National Development.”
He said there was too much heat on the airwaves with politicians and political party supporters sometimes reflecting unnecessary aggression.
Mr Blay-Amihere said journalist must go by the journalistic code of ethics which expects them to be fair and truthful.
He said the airwaves are public space and that the NMC and the National Communication Authority would not shirk their responsibilities of calling recalcitrant radio stations to order.
Volta Premier, first FM station in the Volta Region, is fully owned by the Ho Polytechnic.
Mr Blay-Amihere described Dr George Afeti, who was Principal of the Polytechnic when the radio station was established, as a visionary.
Mr Ben Hoenyenuga, Lecturer at Ho Polytechnic and Chairman of the Management Board of Volta Premier said the idea of a campus radio emerged when in 1995, “some daring students at the Polytechnic tried their hands at invention, resulting in simple campus radio equipment with a wireless radio transmitter which could only transmit within 200m radius”.
He said “this innovation aroused the interest of the Students Representative Council (SRC) and the Polytechnic Administration, who saw an opportunity to share the vision with stakeholders”.
Mr Hoenyenuga said the Polytechnic then applied and was granted a frequency, giving birth to Volta Premier on July 19 1996.
He urged the relevant regulatory bodies to facilitate efforts of Volta Premier to expand its services geographically as well as the programme content to enable it share the polytechnic’s technical capacities in agriculture, skills training and research among other issues, to a more extensive listenership.
Dr Afeti, who is currently Chief Executive of National Inspectorate Board, an education quality control organ of the state, said Volta Premier was a splendid example of how students and management could work together.
He lauded Mr Mawutor Agbavitor, the Polytechnic’s SRC President then, for his resilience in seeing the idea come to fruition.
Dr Afeti, who was among those honoured, said everyone must show resourcefulness in life, adding: “Lack of resources should not be confused with the lack of resourcefulness.”
Mr David Dzantoh, Registrar of the Polytechnic who chaired the function announced that the school is signing up all the part-time staff of the radio station as full-time staff.
Volta Premier, which also has some student volunteer presenters, has a large market share in the Ho Municipality and beyond.
Paul Senyo Dome received the long service award, Nene Lamptey, was awarded for his dedicated service and Mawuli Yevu-Agbi, the special award.
Special Awards were also conferred on past board members and SRC officers including Mr Robert Apati-Gyima who for a number of years was the legal counsellor of the FM station.
Source: GNA