Management of XYZ Broadcasting Company Limited has described as unfortunate, the closure of its station by the National Communications Authority (NCA).
XYZ and Radio Gold were shut down by the NCA on Thursday.
The NCA had explained that it shut down the two stations because they, among other things, failed to comply with the ruling of the Electronic Communications Tribunal.
XYZ in a statement, however, said the NCA failed to follow legal and administrative processes in shutting down their station.
“We find it [closure] unfortunate especially when Radio XYZ was broadcasting a paid live event of a press conference by the Council of Elders of the largest opposition party, NDC at its headquarters.”
“We have today, Friday May 10, 2019, written to the NCA on their inadvertent legal and administrative procedural breaches in closing down our station . The NCA erred yesterday with its action and we trust they will rectify the breach for us to continue broadcast.”
The NCA in a 2017 audit named Radio XYZ and Radio Gold among over 50 FM stations that were operating against its regulations.
It fined Radio XYZ GHs 4,090,000 in September 2017 for operating with a license that expired on 8th May 2016.
In the report, Radio Gold was fined GHs 61,330,000 for operating with a license that expired on 6th September 2000.
Closure of our station by NCA inconsiderate – Radio Gold
Management of Radio Gold had also described the closure of the station by the NCA as high-handed.
Though the NCA said the station had been operating without valid authorisations, Radio Gold in a statement said it had tried to rectify this shortcoming on numerous occasions.
“We have made numerous attempts to submit the required documentation to the NCA for the purposes of renewing the frequency authorization, which documentation was inexplicably rejected by the NCA,” the statement signed by its CEO revealed.