GBC is Ghana’s flagship state broadcaster. It operates GTV and five digital television channels (GTV Sports+, GBC News, GTV Life, GTV Govern, and Obonu TV, the latter being focused on Greater Accra). It also runs 10 regional and five district radio stations.
Media assets
Television: GTV, GTV Sports+, GBC 24, GTV Life, GTV Govern, Obonu TV
Radio: National: Radio 1, Radio 2; Local: Uniiq FM, Volta Star, Twin City Radio, Radio Central, Radio Savannah, Garden City Radio, URA Radio, Radio Upper West, Sunrise FM, Obonu FM, Radio BAR
State Media Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
GBC is a state-owned enterprise. Its highest governing body is the Board of Directors, whose members are appointed by the media regulator, the National Media Commission (NMC). The NMC falls under the Ministry of Finance and its members are appointed by the President through an act of Parliament. The NMC also appoints the GBC Director General in consultation with the president.
Source of funding and budget
GBC is funded through a combination of government subsidies, commercial revenues (advertising), and revenues from license fees that are supposed to be paid by households. Because of the low collection rate, the fee was scrapped in February 2021, making the government, which in the meantime has covered the gap left by the fee, the largest funder, with over 50% of the GBC’s budget being accounted for by state subsidies. In 2019, according to the latest data available, GBC operated with a budget of GHS 70.76m (US$ 13.7m), according to a finance ministry report. Commercial revenues accounted for nearly 28% of that, the rest coming from the state budget.
In 2020, GBC’s director said that GBC spent some GHS 7m (US$1.1m) on delivering on its public service mandate. The government allocated some GHS 64m to the GBC in 2021, mostly covering the broadcaster’s salaries. Overall, in 2021, GBC reported total debts worth some GHS 88m (US$14.5 m). In 2023, GBC received a state allocation of GHS 73.1m (US$ 6.4m), according to an official budget report.
Editorial independence
Although it is guided by its editorial policy, GBC often bows down to pressure from the government, which influences the broadcaster’s editorial coverage. The government arbitrarily issues ministerial directives to control channels that broadcast GBC content, sometimes bypassing its own structures. The government also controls the editorial coverage at GBC through directives issued by the state-controlled NMC. Although GBC’s management has claimed in recent years that it has resisted attempts by the government to interfere with its editorial agenda, controversies regarding orders from government bodies related to GBC’s editorial output continued to surface. In January 2024, for example, GBC was accused of abruptly canceling an interview with Nana Kwame Bediako, the leader of the New Force political movement. The request to cancel the interview reportedly came from government officials.
No statute, oversight, or assessment mechanism to validate GBC’s editorial independence has been identified.
July 2024