Information Minister-designate, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has hinted of a possible change at Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) to make it more competitive.

Mr. Oppong Nkrumah told Parliament’s Appointments Committee, Friday that a committee had been constituted by President Nana Akufo-Addo to advise on how to restructure the nation’s broadcaster.

“…the president has set up a committee to advise on the restructuring of GBC,” the nominee announced.

The committee, he explained, had been tasked to offer recommendations as to whether GBC should continue to operate as a public service broadcaster and adequately resourced to do so or its mandate should be amended to allow it operate as a commercial entity. (A bit wordy here. I struggle to understand what you’re trying to say.)

GBC was established in 1935 and known then as Radio ‘ZOY’ until it was renamed the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation following the country’s attainment of Independence from British colonial rule in 1957. It is funded by broadcasting television commercials and the levying of a television licence.

Channels

GBC operates GTV, a channel for events that matter most to Ghanaians, which is broadcast nationwide on an analogue terrestrial platform.

Additionally, GBC runs five digital channels namely, GTV Sports+, GBC 24 and GTV Life, a religion and culture channel as well as GTV Govern. It also operates Obonu TV, which is a channel for the people of Greater Accra and window for the Ga-Dangbe and 10 regional radio stations plus some five District radio stations in Ghana.

Despite having a strong backbone, the network has seen its influence on the media space diminish over the last decade and ceded control to the private media.

But Mr. Oppong Nkrumah expects that to change when he receives the report by the advisory committee which he believes will provide the guideline to help the government restore the network to its glory days.

“I will receive a report of the committee and the direction that the president wants us to go,” he told the parliamentary committee.