In Ghana, the National Communications Authority (NCA) inaugurated a new Broadcasting Monitoring Centre (BMC) in Accra to help monitor broadcast content in the country.
The regulator notes that the BMC would help improve its capability to fully monitor the Broadcasting sector and expand its Broadcast Monitoring System (BMS).
In line with its mandate under section 62 of the Electronic Communications Act 2008, Act 775, NCA is clothed with the power to monitor the quality of service of television and FM radio broadcasting services.
Mr Isaac E. Osei-Bonsu (Jnr), Board Chairman of NCA, said the BMC would “provide a classic example of how the provision of systems or solutions by one Agency could be useful and critical for the other Agencies.”
Osei-Bonsu said the BMC would provide information to the various agencies when needed for investigations, and verification, providing a digital plug for the recording and storing of broadcasting content in a digital manner and format.
“Again, the BMC also shows how State Agencies can collaborate and harness each other’s systems, solutions and data to impact their delivery without facing obstacles or hurdles when sourcing for information critical to their work,” he explained.
Until 2018, monitoring the quality of broadcasting services required human intervention, which was phased out due to the implementation of the BMS system, Osei-Bonsu notes.
Also commenting, Joe Anokye, Director General, NCA, said, “In 2021, there was widespread public concern about the negative repercussions of the ritualist’s contents of television stations that entertained spiritualists as well as charlatanic advertisements which mislead a large section on of the public.”
He said that prompted the stakeholders to brainstorm ideas and ways of dealing with the issue.
Anokye said the new system had 16 satellite receivers and monitors, all 13 satellites providing Free to Air (FTA) satellite TV services over the territory.
