AIRING OF TERRORIST: Channels Television apologizes to NBC, as regulatory body says award winning station handled programme unprofessionally

“The spokesman made lots of allusion that were not true, that are inciting and inimical to the peace of the society that could cause unrest.  The NBC now said because of that this breach attracts a shutdown or a fine of N5 million, but the pay line was that they were advised to discontinue the programme.”

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) on Tuesday said Channels Television has apologised over its infraction of the broadcasting code, an offence it committed when it allowed the spokesman of terrorist Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Emma Powerful, make inciting declarations against the state and its armed forces last Sunday.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, made this known in a report where it said the NBC’s Director of Public Affairs, Mrs Franca Aiyetan, explained during an interview with it, on Tuesday in Abuja.

Citing a media report of a letter, The DEFENDER has on Monday said the NBC suspended the television station bit noted that as at 6.47 pm when it filed the report, Channels Television station was still on air with KICC church program making the suspension of the station unclear.

According to NAN, Aiyetan explained that the commission’s letter to the TV station was a regulatory instrument to check the excesses of the station called “the bridge letter “.

She said that the intent of the letter was neither to close down nor sanction the station, rather it was meant to draw the station’s attention to its breach of the broadcasting code, adding that “the station has accordingly apologised’’.

According to her, the letter is asking Channels TV to explain why it gave credence to an organisation that was already proscribed by the Federal Government.

“It was actually not for public consumption, it was not a press release. It was a regulatory instrument to check the excesses of the station.

“It is a station that won an award but we say in this particular situation, you did not handle it professionally.

“It is possible to bridge the public peace and that was what the letter conveyed to Channels TV, to which the TV station has responded, saying we apologise, we did wrong.

“When the media started asking me about Channels TV, I had to go and find out what letter we had issued out because if it is a press release or something that is for public consumption it will come to the Public Affairs Department of NBC.

“And I will be able to communicate to the media about it but this letter that went to Channels TV is our way of regulating the broadcasting industry.

“It is called a bridge letter to the station to say in this particular programme you did not act professionally; you did not do it in line with the provision of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.”

The director further explained that the particular programme in reference was an interview of somebody who was representing an organisation that was already proscribed by the Federal Government.

She said that in the exercise of its power as the regulatory body, NBC wrote a letter asking Channels TV to explain why it gave credence to the spokesman of the proscribed organisation.

“The spokesman made lots of allusion that were not true, that are inciting and inimical to the peace of the society that could cause unrest.

“The NBC now said because of that this breach attracts a shutdown or a fine of N5 million, but the pay line was that they were advised to discontinue the programme.

“Because when station interviews live, they keep repeating it for maybe 24 hours before that kind of news will be dropped.

“And when I followed up on Monday, April 26, I discovered that the monitoring department that had written the letter had also received an apology letter from the Channels TV to say okay, we have received your letter and see where we went wrong, we are sorry.

“So it is now left for NBC to say this station has responded or reacted this way. The letter was neither meant to shut down the station nor sanction it. Rather, it is drawing their attention to what they have done.”

Aiyetan said that the station was also free to write NBC back to say “we stand on what we have done because in our own professional analysis of what we have done we think we are right.’’

“Maybe NBC misinterpreted our intention. And when we have a situation like that, we invite the station to sit down on a dialogue table and understand where they are coming from.

“And then we will also explain to say this is what you intend to do but for those receiving the signals, this is what it connotes, this is what the gravity of what you have done to the country.”

According to her, when a particular programme in a bid to pursue a particular trending issue begins to threaten the security and peace of the nation, then you check yourself.

“Because broadcasting is not self-serving; it is for the society. So everything you do must be to the common good of the people and it must also hold the people accountable.”

The DEFENDER/NAN