Over a dozen veterans in Ghana’s private broadcasting landscape will converge in one space today, September 21, for a reunion on one of Ghana’s oldest radio stations, Radio Gold 90.5 fm.
Today’s return to the station, credited with grooming some of the finest broadcasters, is dubbed “The Homecoming” and is expected to be a one-off broadcast of some heavyweights who once worked with the ‘Power Station.’
A flyer announcing the reunion listed some 15 personalities expected to join today’s broadcast.
Among them are: Kwame Sefa Kayi of Peace FM, James Agyenim Boateng, Tamale Central Member of Parliament, Alhassan Suhuyini; Kwasi Okyere Darko, KOD; Fiifi Banson and Mikki Osei Berko.
Others include: Koo Fori, B. B. Menson, Kofi Abotchie, Omanhene Kwabena Asante, Patrice Amegashie, Wofa K, Darryl Ambrose Nmah, Mohammed Alhassan and Okyeame Badwenba.
The station, deemed to be pro-National Democratic Congress, NDC, fell on hard times in 2019 when it was closed down by the National Communications Authority (NCA) over regulatory breaches.
In March this year, Radio Gold announced that it was back on the airwaves after the NCA lifted the closure, which affected a raft of stations across the country.
In a post on Facebook announcing their resumption in March, the station noted that it was on a test run of sorts to enable the National Communications Authority (NCA) to run a field test.
“We are currently #OnAir to enable the regulator carry out field tests. This is not a typical test transmission. Thanks for the support,” the post read.
In explaining its decision to shut down Radio Gold, the NCA said that the radio station was closed because it did not have the authorisation to operate and was in line with Regulations 65 (1) of the Electronic Communications Regulations, 2011, L. I. 1991, which states that “a person shall not use a radio frequency without authorisation from the Authority.”
The NCA, however, granted Radio Gold the license to operate after it applied for a renewal of its expired FM Radio broadcasting authorization.
“The Governing Board of the National Communications Authority (NCA), at a Board meeting held on 11th October 2021, approved the grant of a total of One Hundred and Thirty-Three (133) FM radio broadcasting authorizations which include new applications from entities whose FM radio stations were closed down after the 2017 FM Audit as well as existing stations which applied for renewal of their expired FM Radio broadcasting authorizations,” a statement released by the NCA on October 12, 2021 said.
