User:Moswento/Television in Ghana

Television service GBC-TV started by the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation in July 1965. Transmitting stations near Accra, Cape Coast, Kumase and Tamale. Government's aim was for educational programming, fine arts and historical dramas. However, programming was often different from this; up to 50% of the airtime was filled with foreign films.

All programming was state-controlled until 1996.

Early examples of programming that met government's aims: Ghana Builds, promoting Ghana-made goods; Doctor in the House, health information programme. Arts: Our Heritage, showing arts and crafts and festivals such as homowo, afahye and aboakyir. Ghanaian music: Musical Rendezvous and Come Listen Awhile.

One popular programme, running for a decade, was Osofo Dadzie, a satire on contemporary Ghanaian society, broadcast in the Akan language.

Jerry Rawlings: celebrated achievements of the Provisional National Defence Council, with programmes such as 3 Years of Self Reliance and He is Back.

In 1996, the Ghana Frequency Registration and Control Board assigned frequencies to private stations, the first of which were TV 3 and Metro TV. Satellite TV provided by South African MNET and Channel O. These stations mostly show foreign productions, but also some indigenous programming. Acquiring foreign films is cheaper than producing films locally.

Funding can mean even popular programmes have to be temporarily removed from the air while new funding is sought.

Today: mixture of Ghanaian, other African, Indian and Western productions. News is popular: local, plus CNN and BBC. Foreign entertainment: soap operas, drama, films and children's shows.

Significant amount of educational and religious programming. Fridays can include Quran Recitation and Islam in Focus; Sunday features Christian shows such as God's Miracle Power, or broadcasts from Ghanaian churches.

Ghanaian performance arts. Shows in indigenous languages, including Ewe, Ga, Dagbani and Akan. Ghanaian productions in minority. Some criticism of Western productions as too violent or sexually explicit.