URSULA OWUSU COLLAPSES GBC -Cites COVID-19, Zoomlion’s JOSPONG Is Suspected Beneficiary

The Ministry of communications has started a serious confusion at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) by forcing GBC to reduce its channels on the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) platform from six to three in what will ultimately collapse the state broadcaster.

The GBC on July 7, 2020 letter quoted by Accra-based Kasapafmonline.com and addressed to the Chairman of the National Media Commission, the state broadcaster warned that that directive from the Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu –Ekuful, will kill GBC.

“It’s with these implications in mind that the Board of Directors has instructed me to communicate this to the National Media Commission and request your urgent intervention on behalf of GBC” the letter from the national broadcaster complained to the Media Commission.

In Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful’s letter to GBC dated June 26, 2020, she gave the GBC a 60-day ultimatum to scrap their TV channels or face the consequence that will be meted out to it.

“…The Ministry hereby notifies you of its intention to reduce the number of channels your outfit currently occupies on the National Digital Terrestrial Television network from six (6) to three (3) channels. This is to ensure that there is redundancy on the national DTT platform which is currently at full capacity,” the letter ordered.

The Minister curiously stated that the GBC will be given back the lost channels, but cited the COVID-19 Pandemic as the reasons why that will delay.  “Kindly note that upon the planned future expansion of capacity on the network, which has been delayed due to the current pandemic and the uncertainties generated in the gloval supply chains, you will be allocated additional channels.

GBC currently operates GTV, GBC News, GTV Sports+, GBC Obonu, GTV Life, and Ghana Learning TV.

Whatsup News has gathered that the order for GBC to shut down its channels is a clever ploy by the Akufo Addo administration to sell off these channels to a private operator with connections to China.

Highly-placed sources within the GBC have revealed the government has forced GBC to enter into a contract with KBL, a privately-owned company by the JOSPONG Group of Companies.

The US$ 400,000 contract will see the private company operate a new station, Adwinpa, on one of GBC’s channels. The deal was reportedly sole-sourced to KBL and had been done on the blind side of the broadcaster’s sub-committee on projects and programmes.

The committee was only informed of the contract after it had been concluded, Whatsup News gathered.