The Broadcaster's Companion: Second Edition

By DAVID K. GHARTEY-TAGOE

The Book, The Broadcasters Companion, described as the first of its kind, discusses the genesis of the broadcast industry and the history of broadcasting in Ghana. Furthermore, it treats script writing, programme production, news gathering, editing and presentation on both radio and television. Again, broadcast ethics and professionalism are underscored. Moreover, the amazingly fast growing phenomenon of broadcasting in the emerging global transformation is examined. Finally, there are appendices on broadcast vocabulary and questions. The book constitutes a treasured resource material for the practitioner, researcher, teacher, student and indeed the general reader.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 31, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503545656

DAVID K. GHARTEY-TAGOE

David Kweku Ghartey-Tagoe was educated at the Mfantsipim School, Wesley College, and the University of Cape Coast. He pursued further studies in broadcast training in Dalhousie, Canada; Syracuse University, USA; and other institutions. He taught in high schools and was later appointed producer/newsreader on Radio Ghana. He later became Ghana’s first ever Television newscaster and pioneer producer/director. Subsequently, he became GBC’s director of television, deputy director general, and chief executive. He was appointed United Nations Broadcast Expert and served on UNESCO projects in nine African countries. He taught for several years in three public universities. As a founding member of Radio Peace, Winneba, he has supervised works which have won many coveted awards nationally and internationally. Kweku has been declared a distinguished Son of the Efutu State, acknowledged as a time-honored gifted and talented broadcast practitioner and indeed decorated as a recipient of the Order of the Volta, one of Ghana’s highest honors.

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 by David K. Ghartey-Tagoe.

First Impression, 2010

Second Impression, 2015

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 03/30/2015

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

663529

Contents

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Prologue

Chapter 1 A Brief History of Radio and Television

Chapter 2 The Sound Broadcasting and Television Studios

Chapter 3 Putting Together The Broadcast Script

Chapter 4 The Interview and Other Program Formats

Chapter 5 Television Production

Chapter 6 The News and The Bulletin

Chapter 7 The Use of the Pronunciation Dictionary Toward Acceptable English Speech on Radio and Television

Chapter 8 Programming, Program Operations, and Program Presentation

Chapter 9 Growth and Advocacy for Order and Professionalism: The Roles of the National Communications Authority, National Media Commission, and Ghana Journalists Association

Chapter 10 In Pursuit of a Station’s Code of Ethics and Philosophy

Chapter 11 Broadcasting in an Emerging Transformation

APPENDICES

Appendix 1 Some Radio Vocabulary

Appendix 2 Some Television Vocabulary

Appendix 3 Glossary for Internet and Website

Appendix 4 Some Questions to Consider

References

Notes

FOREWORD

Ghana’s media landscape is today dotted with almost four hundred public, community, and private FM stations and ten television stations, as well as over two hundred registered newspapers, journals, and magazines. Hundreds of people are today employed in the broadcasting sector, with many more yearning for a career in this existing field.

But ironically, it cannot be said that there are enough training institutions and books for those interested in a career in broadcasting or in journalism as a whole. The major schools of journalism give more attention to print journalism, but what has become clear in the last few years ever since the airwaves were liberalized in 1995 is the dominance of the electronic media, particularly private FM stations, a new reality that will further be broadened with the migration from analogue to digital broadcasting by 2015.

The question that must be posed is whether there are enough and good training institutions for broadcast journalism and, above all, literature that new and old broadcasters can rely on to broaden their intellectual and professional scope.

It is to address this issue that a pioneer broadcaster, Mr. David Ghartye-Tagoe, who over the years has been involved in practical broadcasting, teaching, research, and international consultancy and still finds time to follow his passion for broadcasting through his community radio station, Radio Peace in Winneba, has written this well-researched book, The Broadcaster’s Companion.

For those who are familiar with other books with similar titles, The Broadcaster’s Companion is indeed the best companion any person seeking a career in broadcast journalism or wishing to understand the world of broadcasting should possess. Academicians, professionals, and all those interested in the exciting world of broadcasting stand to benefit from this book.

In simple, concise, and flowing language, typical of an experienced broadcaster and teacher, the author, David Ghartey-Tagoe, uses his vast and rich experience to take the reader or user through the history and development of broadcasting in Ghana and, more importantly, offers practical insights into the world of news gathering, editing, and production of broadcasting news. In short, The Broadcaster’s Companion is an ABC of radio and television broadcast journalism, with rich perspective on the theory and practice of broadcasting and useful tips on professionalism and ethical conduct that will certainly prove a useful guide and compass for our newsrooms and schools of journalism.

Concerned by the lack of books about broadcasting, the author sets out to fill the void and has succeeded by coming out with a well-written and well-researched book that will prove a true companion to professionals and trainees not only in his native Ghana but throughout the world of broadcasting as well.

This is one book that I have the greatest pleasure to recommend to media professionals, trainers, and the general public. It is a book whose time has come.

—Ambassador Kabral Blay Amihere,

Chairman,

National Media Commission, Ghana

PREFACE

There were two institutions of media studies in Ghana not long ago. These were the School of Communication Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, and the Ghana Institute of Journalism, Accra. Today, there are scores of other broadcast training institutions across the country.

Functioning within a broadcasting environment offers one the opportunity to meet and interact with many of the products of these new broadcasting institutions. It is easy to discover that a number of these graduates could perform much better than they were doing. It does appear that the problems are, among others, the lack of textbooks and properly structured syllabuses.

It is this state of affairs that urged me on to put together my thoughts, rather briefly but succinctly, in the form of this book: The Broadcaster’s Companion.

It is my hope that it will be of some assistance not only to the teacher and the taught but also to the practitioner and the general reader as well.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I should like to express my profound appreciation and thanks to Professor Kwasi Ansu Kyeremeh, former director, School of Communication Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, and former head, Department of Communication and Media Studies, University of Education, Winneba. His suggestions were of inestimable benefit to me.

I should also mention Ambassador Kabral Blay- Amihere, Chairman of the Ghana National Media Commission who willingly offered to provide the foreword to this book. My debt of thanks to him too, is a huge account.

I further acknowledge the very useful assistance offered me by the following, who are all experts in their respective fields.

(i) Kwesi Ghartey-Tagoe, Director, Radio Peace, Winneba

(ii) Mrs. Vincentia Akwetey, Dean, National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI), Accra

(iii) Mr. Edward Faakye, veteran radio and television broadcaster

(iv) Kofi Akyempon Ghartey-Tagoe, computer interactive systems engineer

(v) Mr. Oscar Nchor, Director of Technical Productions, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Accra.

I am also grateful to my wife, Jane, and my children for their massive support.

All the errors that may persist in the book are entirely mine.

Finally, I dedicate this book to Radio Peace 88.9 MHz FM, and to my family, whom I cherish and joyfully adore.

David-Ghartey-Tagoe,

Winneba

PROLOGUE

Admittedly, radio and television arrived as powerful tools of communication. Both of them have been intriguingly effective in their impact. The grayscale and black-and-white televisions are not the preference now. Television in sparkling color has superseded them. Today, both radio and television have gone digital, yet it is worthy of note that newspapers were known before 1700. The telegraph was invented in 1876. The first radio station was on air in 1920, and television in 1948. When all is said and done, the following rather profound observation, which is as remarkable as it is useful, can be made:

I heard the break-in news a couple of hours ago on radio so I knew it. I have just watched it, animated, in sparking colour on television, so I believe it. Indeed, videre est credere: to see is to believe. But I have to wait until tomorrow morning to read it, in cold print in the newspaper, although, of course I can keep the paper for later reference. In fact, today, satellite and microwave technology allow broadcasters to bring events to audiences as they happen in places far and near! It is amazing to contemplate how fast the information communication technology is developing. The Internet, the latest to evolve, is still developing. The future can only be imagined.

The following three pictures, arranged sequentially, briefly tell of the growth of the broadcast industry.

Radio

Image%20(i)%20Radio.jpg

For clear, clean sound

Television

Replacement%20for%20Image%20(ii).jpg

For clear sound and sparkling pictures

Internet

Image%20(iii)%20Internet.jpg

Online and website

CHAPTER 1

A Brief History of Radio and Television

The Genesis of Radio and Television

In 1876, a Scottish physicist, James Clerk Maxwell, predicted the existence of radio waves. Other scientists, excited and spurred on by this discovery, undertook more research and studies in the subject. Then in 1894, an Italian engineer, Guglielmo Marconi, took up the research to new heights, combining the apparatus of Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, Édouard Branly, and Oliver Lodge into