Communication Minister-designate Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has rejected claims that pro-NDC radio stations Radio XYZ and Radio gold were targeted for closure.
“Montie FM and Radio Gold were not targeted. If they had not acted in contravention of the law, nobody would have touched them no matter how much you disliked or hated them because they’d have been in compliance with the law,” the Ablekuma West MP told the Appointment Committee during her vetting Monday.
“It is not possible for me to target any particular radio station for political reasons. It’s not possible for me to target any radio station for special treatment,” she further noted.
Background
The two radio stations were taken off the air in May 2019.
Officials of the NCA and police personnel stormed the premises of the stations to shut them down.
The NCA has in a statement said they were shut down because they failed to renew their license
“Radio stations operating without valid authorisations as determined by the 2017 FM Broadcasting Audit are being shut down with immediate effect as enforcement action in view of the decision of the Electronic Communications Tribunal.
“Following the FM Spectrum Audit in 2017, some stations were found to be in default and were fined by the Authority. However, some of the stations in default were not satisfied and proceeded to the various courts; Electronic Communications Tribunal (ECT) and the High Court to appeal against the NCA’s decision.
“This resulted in a decision by the ECT in 2018 which reviewed the status of expired FM Radio Broadcasting Authorisations and which ruled among others that Companies whose authorisations had expired reverted to the same position as a fresh applicant. While some stations shut down following this decision, others did not,” the statement said.
-Ghana|Starrfm|103.5FM
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