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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