A private legal practitioner, Mr Ace Ankoma has called on the National Media Commission to formulate a legislation that will encumber radio stations to acquire delayed broadcast equipment. That he said was necessary to avert the current situation where people make all manner of dangerously reckless comments during radio phone-in programmes. Mr Ankoma was speaking at a forum to discuss the pros and cons of radio phone-ins. He contended that if Section 208 of the Criminal Code were to be activated, many a radio host would have problems with the law because they allow all kinds of scandalous and inflammatory statements to be made by callers and panelists on their networks. For him, the recklessness that pervaded some radio stations in the run-up to the December 2008 elections strengthens the need for delayed broadcasting equipment. He said Ghana enjoyed the blessings of providence during the elections and cautioned that things could get out of hand if the current trend persists. “If you can’t buy delayed broadcasting equipment then, I am sorry, stop broadcasting,” he stated. Mr Ankoma also emphasized the need for radio owners and managers to place emphasis on training and retraining of radio show hosts to equip them with the necessary tools to run their programmes while keeping in check all callers and panelists. He expressed concern at the tepid understanding of issues by radio show hosts, saying the lack of proper grasp of the issues made it extremely difficult if not impossible for them to adequately guide callers into their shows. The Editor of the Daily Dispatch newspaper, Mr Ben Ephson, who shared Mr Ankoma’s views on the subject, said phone-ins must be regulated if the country is to avoid any future implosion. He regretted that even radio stations that were provided with delayed broadcasting equipments by the US government, refused to use them. Mr Ephson said many Ghanaians do not believe in statements of serial callers anyway because many of them are paid political agents. Story by Malik Abass Daabu/Myjoyonline.com.Ghana