Radio in Accra 19
complex diversity and dissemination of content. This approach to media practice is not what
pertained in Ghana prior to the mid 1990s. The media under government pressure and coercion
lacked improvisation and experimentation and were not prone to innovative ways of serving the
Ghanaian public. This stifled the growth of the radio industry economically, socially and
politically.
Economically, the government owned radio stations had stunted growth, in that they were
not able to take care of their own cost of production. They failed to attract audience and
advertisement money, and they lacked sound management practice. This impacted all other
aspects of operations, especially programming. The stations had to depend on government for
funding and the government did not always give broadcasting the priority it deserved. With the
introduction of private broadcasting, the practice got a new lease on life, but was fraught with the
challenge of how to reflect the social, political and economic environment in a culturally relevant
manner. With the use of Akan symbols and imagery on radio in Accra, private radio proved its
willingness to improvise and experiment in programming. Radio evolved a practice, which
reflected the use of traditional Akan forms of representation in national discourse. Radio in
Accra exhibited a confluence of traditional and national representation, and has remained the
easiest, quickest and relatively inexpensive means to bring issue to the court of public opinion.
Today being on the radio or using the media to reach the public is synonymous to going public in
a culturally symbolic way.
The media especially radio functions as a ready and easy medium for public debate on all
issues. And the media now enjoys greater press freedom. One of the greatest social
achievements in Ghana in the 21century is the growth of press freedom, which is symbolized by
the repeal of the Criminal Libel Law on 27 July 2001. The administration of J.A. Kuffour
Convention