NCA’s sensitisation workshop for Radio Gold, others face-saving gimmick – Suhuyini

The Member of Parliament for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhuyini, has described the National Communications Authority’s planned sensitization workshop for Radio Gold and others as a face-saving gimmick.

According to him, the withdrawal of the licenses of the 131 stations should not have happened in the first place accusing the Akufo-Addo government of witch-hunting opposition-aligned stations.

“I think that exercise is a face-saving gimmick. The shutdowns were purely politically motivated and they should not have happened,” he told the sit-in host of Starr Chat Francis Abban on Wednesday.

He was however confident that the stations that were affected by the action can take advantage of the curiosity around their comeback to reestablish themselves.

“I was indifferent about the restoration of the licenses of Radio Gold and XYZ. But later when I realized that a lot of people were happy about it, I felt it meant a lot to people. I do believe that they can harvest the curiosity of the people to shoot themselves up again. Let’s not lose sight of the cost and losses of the business owners over the years as a result of the political shutdown.”

The National Communications Authority (NCA) has restored the radio broadcasting authorizations to Radio Gold, XYZ, and 131 others.

The license of NDC-affiliated Radio Gold and Radio XYZ were revoked over their refusal to pay operating license fees and expiration of their licenses.

The approval is subject to the applicants attending a sensitisation workshop on the terms and conditions of FM radio broadcasting authorisations.

It said provisional authorizations shall be issued to the successful applicants at the end of the workshop and frequencies shall be assigned to the applicants only upon the fulfillment of the conditions of the Provisional Authorisation.