Accra, April 20, GNA - Mr Paul Adu-Gyamfi, Chairman of the National Media Commission, on Monday said the restructuring process of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) must be completed and brought to full closure by end of year.

He therefore charged the new board members of the corporation to brief the commission on how they would proceed with the restructuring exercise by 20th May, 2009, expressing hope that the deadline would be met.

At the inauguration of the new board of directors for the corporation, Mr Adu-Gyamfi said the restructuring would proceed on some non-negotiable principles which would ensure that GBC remained a public service broadcaster, the corporation will not be divested, privatized or commercialized and the National Media Commission shall not permit the victimization of any staff of GBC in the name of restructuring. Restructuring of an organization involves planning and providing new strategy or structures for an organization to reduce financial burden.

Mr Adu-Gyamfi said the NMC still did not have documentation on the many things the Ministry of Public Sector Reforms claimed they had done on behalf of the GBC in the name of restructuring and expressed hope that some transparency would emerge on those issues in the coming months.

"When we inaugurated the outgoing board, two years ago, I was hopeful that we could complete the restructuring process under the leadership. The board took up the challenge and prepared itself and actually worked towards that. Unfortunately, the project could not materialize." Mr Adu-Gyamfi said the time was ripped for all stakeholders to put their hands on the wheels and redeem GBC, saying, "The time for action is now".

Professor John Bright Kwabla Aheto, Chairman of the new board of directors, said GBC must strive to be independent, credible, trustworthy and impartial in news and coverage of current affairs. "Policy makers and politicians of all divides must do what is needed to ensure continued national role for GBC. We must all ensure a plural public service.as a nation we must accept that universal access for audiences to public services though all the new technologies is an issue that cannot be left to the market." Expressing his strong support for public service broadcasting, Prof. Aheto said it must be allowed to evolve both in programming and in responsible regulations, adding: "We must change and be allowed to change to reflect our changing audience and market place without abandoning our public service values; we need fresh, thinking, revitalized workforce."

Prof. Aheto noted that the biggest challenge in the digital world was how to get the right content to the audience it is intended for and said as broadcasting technology developed, the aim of GBC should be to follow the model of the mobile phone technology with open standards. He said GBC should be looked upon and treated as an independent organ from governments of the day.

"Its internal management, including the content of programmes and timing of broadcasting them must be free from government interference." "GBC while being required to improve its own governance, transparency and accountability, must be explicitly granted independence from government just as the central bank is," he emphasized. Prof. Aheto said the board will be opened to advice and called for cooperation from staff.

Other members of the Board are Mr Edward Asare, Mr Yaw Wiredu Prepprah, Ms Vicky Wereko Andoh, Mr Gayheart Mensah, Mr Abdulai Dramani, Ms Ophelia Ablorh, Mr Kwaku Mensah Bonsu and Mr William Ampem Darko, Director-General of the GBC. 20 April 09