Sanctions for erring radio stations

The action taken by the National Broadcasting Commission [NBC]   against twenty two radio and television stations across the country for various breaches of the broadcasting code couldn’t have come at a better time. They were fined N3 million. NBC’s spokesperson Maimuna Jimada said the broadcasting stations were punished for hateful speech, vulgar lyrics and unverifiable […]

The action taken by the National Broadcasting Commission [NBC]   against twenty two radio and television stations across the country for various breaches of the broadcasting code couldn’t have come at a better time. They were fined N3 million. NBC’s spokesperson Maimuna Jimada said the broadcasting stations were punished for hateful speech, vulgar lyrics and unverifiable claims. The breaches contravened the provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code and were all committed in the third quarter of 2017, according to NBC.

She said the contraventions were made between June and September this year and all the erring stations had been fined according to the provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code. 

the sanctioned radio and television stations include  Family Love FM Port Harcourt [fined N200, 000] for use of hateful speech on September 6th; Express FM Radio Kano, fined N300,000 also for use of hateful speech on September 12, 16 and 17. Stations fined for using indecent musicals are Royal FM Abuja, Flo FM Umuahia, Radio Continental Lagos and Crystal 100.5FM Minna. They were fined N100,000, N100,000, N200,000 and N100,000 respectively. Among those punished for making unverifiable claims are Crowther FM Abuja, Harmony FM Abuja, ABS FM Awka, IBC (Orient TV), Owerri, Globe FM Bauchi, Arewa Radio, Kano, EBS Radio, Benin and Bond FM, Lagos.

Infraction in broadcasting is very wide with the proliferation of FM radio stations over the years and the breaches in just one quarter shows that NBC and other stakeholders have a lot of work to do. Many operators of private FM radio stations tend to think that they can broadcast pretty anything they like. In fact in some states they have become terrors where their platforms are used as stages for abuse and counter abuse between political opponents.

Hate speech is the trademark of many of them and as we approach the 2019 elections and political parties are gearing up, politicians would soon be using the FM radios to spew venom against one another. They tell lies, fabricate stories and make unsubstantiated claims. And once aired the damage has been done. Some television stations have taken liberty to obscure the line between dancing and pornography. It is only by coming down hard on such infractions that NBC can restore sanity in the broadcast industry before matters get much worse. 

Also to blame for these breaches of ethics and the broadcast code is poor training of staff and the gatekeepers, that is the editors, by these radio and television stations. A lot of the staff are untrained and they hardly know which words, videos and allegations are off-limits on air. Part of NBC’s duty therefore is to organise regular trainings and refresher courses for staff of radio and television stations. It should be emphasised that it takes more than owning a mast to set up a radio station. Qualified staff is even more crucial.

We commend NBC for its vigilance and prompt application of sanctions. We however observe that Federal Government and state-owned radio and television stations are not among the sanctioned ones, probably because they can afford better quality staff and are generally more careful. Yet, state radio stations in particular are often guilty of political partisanship and lack of fairness to opposition parties. 

In many states, radio and television stations owned by state governments shut out opposition elements from news, discussion programs and even from placing paid adverts.  This ugly practice is likely to worsen as the 2019 election season approaches. It is one of the most important breaches of the code and NBC should pay particular attention to it. Democracy can hardly be expected to flourish at the state and local levels if opposition politicians and parties are denied access to the news media. It is an ugly practice that should be brought to an end as soon as possible.