The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) has assured that it will continue the live broadcast of the election petition hearing currently going on at the Supreme Court.
The assurance, which was given by the Director-General of the corporation, Major Albert Don-Chebe (rtd) Sunday, clears the dark cloud that hung over the live coverage of the petition in view of the huge cost involved.
According to Major Don-Chebe, the live coverage costs the state broadcaster about GHc130,000 daily.
That means after 24 days of proceedings at the Supreme Court, the live coverage has imposed a cost of GHc3.12 million on the GBC, which is already reeling under serious financial challenges.
Major Don-Chebe, speaking on some Accra-based radio networks last week, had expressed concern over the cost implication of the live coverage to the corporation.
In view of that, he said, the GBC could not sustain the activity.
He, however, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that “we intend to continue the coverage”.
Major Don-Chebe said the GBC was holding discussions with some of its major stakeholders to see how best the corporation could be supported to continue the live coverage.
Responding to suggestions that the GBC could leverage on the live coverage to rake in more revenue through advertisements, he said the election petition hearing was a very serious national matter that should not be diluted with advertisements.
The Executive Director of the Danquah Institute, Mr Gabby Otchere-Darko, had suggested that the GBC could make huge profit from the live telecast of the election petition by taking advantage of the opportunity to increase revenue from advertisements.
The live coverage of the petition is a novelty in the court process in Ghana, with many people hailing the initiative as a major bolster to the country’s fledgling democracy.
It has also helped to calm down tension in the country, as people are able to follow live proceedings at the court in the comfort of their homes, workplaces and other places.
Source: Daily Graphic
