The National Broadcasting Commission has said that it sanctioned 35
broadcast stations for violation of the broadcasting code during the 2011
general elections.
The Director, Spectrum Administration, NBC, Mr. Mark Ojiah, disclosed
this in a lecture entitled: ‘2015 general elections: Ensuring fairness, decency
and access in broadcast media’ at a sensitisation meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.
The Director-General, NBC, Mr. Emeka Mbah, who confirmed that some
stations had also been sanctioned for their role in the events leading to this
year’s general elections, advised broadcast stations to sign agreements with
political parties before taking life campaign broadcasts.
Ojiah said, “Thirty-five broadcast stations were sanctioned for various
breaches, including advertisement less than 24 hours to voting; giving undue
advantage to some parties in programmes; and non-equitable airtime.”
Others offences that attracted the wrath of the regulator were negative
adverts, speculation or announcement of results, and not keeping logs of
political programmes.
In an interview with journalists, Mbah said broadcast stations could
avoid running afoul of the law by signing pacts with political parties to
enable them take out provocative statements, especially during life broadcasts.
He admitted that the regulatory agency had concerns with several
phone-in programmes as well as many stations owned by state governments thrived
on impunity and failed to give access to opposition parties.
Mbah said, “Day by day, there are minor breaches. No one in the industry
will like to risk their investment in the broadcast industry. Where we tend to
have issues are largely the television stations that are owned by the state
governments.
“We also have issues with phone-in programmes and life political
broadcasts. Other areas we have problems are the paid for political campaigns
where people go on soap box and say things largely because they think they paid
for it, they can say all sorts of things.
“We are not saying people cannot pay for you to go on life broadcasting;
we all need the money. The responsibility for what goes on air at the end of
the day, however, rests with the broadcaster and not the politician or the
party that has paid the money.
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