December 2018

  By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 31 December, 2018 It is the end of the year by the Gregorian calendar; time for stock taking. Most Christians around the world are celebrating the birth of the Infant King. In a few days’ time, Jews and some Christian sects will celebrate the Epiphany – the day the Wise Men discovered and presented their gifts to Emmanuel, God with us. This Christian festival is based on the Jewish celebration of Lights. The birth of Jesus the Nazarene about 2000 years ago was a sign of endings and new beginnings. Simeone the High Priest got that message clear.Read More →

  By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 29 December, 2018 If you are a media house and you do not have a written formal editorial policy, get one immediately! Now that is both a warning and an order. In one of my conversations with my mentor we discussed why Ghanaian graduates even at the Master’s level have serious difficulty in writing a simple research article for publication in a school journal. ‘Because they are not taught how to write and the lecturers who taught them research methods themselves did not understand that course when they were being taught’, I offered. ‘So these lecturers have aRead More →

  By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 28 December, 2018 Writers and Shakespeares Ghana Limited (WSGL) has fully commenced the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) certificate programme for media workers effective, 27 December, 2018. There are various modules covering all aspects of communication and media management. This training programme is designed for those already practising in the communication industry. The courses cover the full range of services as stated on our company’s website www.writersghana.com. The media scene today is very challenging and complex. In Ghana there are at least 200 radio and TV channels all competing for attention. And yet social media dominates the video viewershipRead More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 24 December, 2018.   The controversy over celebration of Christmas and the constitutional rights of citizens is an annual debate around the world. It gets complicated when the affected groups have not openly complained or worse still they take active part in it. An announcement from the La Dadekotopon Municipal Assembly (LADMA) in Accra circulating on social media shows that to all intents and purposes, the state’s resources are being used to celebrate a festival of nine lessons and carols aka carol service. LADMA is not the first to do this; over the years the parliament of Ghana, GhanaRead More →

  By Mavis Akosua Agyepong Accra – 21 December, 2018. Early this month, the Pre-Vas TV marketing campaign team hit the Spintex Road in Baatsonaa, Nungua. ‘I’m putting you into four teams’, said Emmanuel Larweh, Marketing Manager, when he called us into the studio to give us his usual briefs. ‘You’ll be five in a team.’ I enjoy the marketing trips, but this time it was different. We had been told as prospective employees that training for those who will go on air will be on Mondays and Fridays. And I had not eaten breakfast before leaving home. In my other life as a footballer,Read More →

  By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 19 December, 2018.   The Daily Graphic newspaper is dead, but the Graphic Group survives in other forms. The obsequies of the Daily Graphic newspaper was observed on 13 December, 2018 in an article right under the editorial titled, “Taking a bow”. It was written by Yaw Boadu Ayeboafoh, a lawyer and former editor of the Graphic in his column “Thinking aloud”. Two sentences from his article will suffice….. “Just like Zinedine Zidane decided to leave Real Madrid Football Club as a coach, at a time he had achieved back to back wins in the European Championship football,Read More →

  By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 17 December, 2018.   My mentor has diagnosed the Ghanaian situation well – ‘They have no point of reference’, he says. It has taken me many years to realise that quite often, the Ghanaian will speak or act without any point of reference. And when challenged (s)he will become obnoxious, petty and aggressive…..again without any reference to the substance of the issue under discussion. These days, it has become a signature characteristic in the nation’s mad race to the bottom. My newsroom training session at Pre-Vas TV, Teshie First Junction in Accra, is free of charge and openRead More →

By Diana Awo DORCOO Teshie – 14 December, 2018. ‘It is as it is,’ my colleague Akosua Agyepong will always intone when some moments of reflection come up. Then we shall burst into laughter or engage in some animated discussion of the real nature of what we are getting ourselves into. ‘It is as it is’, is Akosua Agyepong’s punchline for the Pre-Vas TV news christened NEWS AS IT IS. Training for the news team has been very tough. It is characterised by being called at unscheduled hours for meetings. But, looking back, it is what it is – the COALITION OF THE WILLING –Read More →

By Vivienne Adjorkor Laryea Accra – 12 December, 2018.   Pre-Vas TV started test transmission on 3 October, 2018. Since then, it has not looked back. The station’s premises at Teshie First Junction have become a buzzing with activity by day and resolving palavers at night. On 4 December, the news team went on the road to hit one more milestone, to populate the website with stories…what you are reading now. ‘So are we going to walk all the way,’ we the three ladies asked our acting head of news. He only kept rapping us along. The December heat was unbearable at about 28 DEGREESRead More →

  By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 10 December, 2018.   Friday the 7th December was the national Farmers and Fishermen’s Day holiday. I joined a group of children in the afternoon at the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park in Accra. The filth and rubbish right from the gate, opposite the Kempinski Gold Goast City was annoying. I was in two minds about taking pictures, especially of children at play in a park full of rubbish. Yesterday, I formatted my phone and cleared all the pictures. I did not care. Why? Because just like the Independence Square situation, after 30 days I will still go andRead More →