Dear Vincent,
I am an ardent listener of Joy Fm. In fact, there is hardly a single day that I don’t follow the Super Morning Show.
Even when I am out of the country, I monitor keenly via their online portal or on the tunein radio APP. I am a business man with interests in shipping, exports and imports and general international trade. But I am also a trained journalist with a degree in journalism from GIJ and a lot of friends in the media who I know agree with what I am about to say but will not dare or cannot say it for one reason or the other.
There is no denying the fact that one of the major reasons the mass media is also known as the 4th Estate is its ability to affect opinion, stimulate thought and even set the agenda. There is no argument regarding the media’s ability to make and unmake. Yes! The media is that powerful! Read about the media’s role in the Rwandan genocide and you just might have an idea what I mean.
Since August 2018 when the Bank of Ghana issued its notice warning the public to desist from doing business with Gold firm Menzgold, I have followed Joy Fm keenly and arrived at the conclusion that they are either being used by some superior authority to cause some public dissatisfaction for the Menzgold brand or have their own dirty agenda to see the brand go down.
I would hate to believe, as some have asserted that CEO of Joy FM, Mr. Kwesi Twum and his Multimedia Empire feel threatened by the rise of the young Nana Appiah Mensah, CEO of Menzgold’s Zylofon Empire which holds a chain of media products including Zylofon FM (which has snatched a majority of Multimedia’s Hitz and Adom FM listenership) and Zylofon TV which is gradually becoming a household brand in the television space.
Unless nothing pops up, from the 6am news to the Super Morning Show, Midday News, special business bulletins to News night, Joy FM has consistently dedicated not less than 2 to 3 hours of quality radio time everyday feeding the public a very biased angle to every Menzgold related item. Editor of their online portal, Malik Abass Daabu together with Raymond Acquah, show host Daniel Dadzie and a few others who jump in from time to time always present a front that only paints the gold firm black. From their on air posturing to the choice of words, interpretation of what they call the facts plus a desperate attempt to convince the public there is something sinister with the business of Menzgold only makes some of us extremely disappointed in the brand Multimedia.
What ever happened to balance in sensitive discussions and news presentations? What ever happened to truth and the need to move on when the story is done? This morning was the umpteenth time I heard Joy FM retell the story of the genesis of Menzgold (ah well, maybe they believe they are talking to a new set of listeners who just arrived in the country), but as expected, not without the usual innuendos and subtle conclusions. But who cares? Maybe I am just being paranoid, but I can almost swear there are many who would agree with me.
Many who probably don’t even know that Menzgold recently paid for advertising spots and LPMs on Joy Fm. The ads were run as scheduled for 3 days only for Joy FM to stop the ad and breach a contract without any prior notice whatsoever to Menzgold. In fact, had Menzgold not monitored their ad and raised a red flag regarding a flaw in the agreed schedule, they probably wouldn’t even have known their ad had been stopped! An ad they had already paid for.
When the Joy Fm sales person in charge of the placement investigated the problem he told Menzgold that the Management of Multimedia had raised issues regarding the legitimacy of Menzgold’s business operations as flagged by the Bank of Ghana and was therefore uncomfortable with playing their ads. It would take nearly a week before Menzgold’s money shall be refunded!
The Securities and Exchange commission recently leaked a letter (for whatever reason) to the media leading to a halt of business on one of Menzgold’s products. The leak led to a number of agitations as naturally, many customers of the firm panicked.
A Joy FM reporter was assigned to the East Legon branch to interview customers and report from there. On arrival, without any interactions whatsoever with the security on duty, she started taking images and videos with her phone and speaking to customers. Security approached her and asked her to go to the head office where she could speak with the Head of Communications and get all her answers. She ignored and was forced by customers who even seized her phone at some point just to get her to respect the instructions from security. She was not assaulted and her phone was not destroyed. Not even a scratch.
When her phone was returned, she went straight to the Head office where she was warmly received and granted a good interview. After the interview she narrated her ‘ordeal’ to the Head of Communications who apologized on the firms behalf and asked if she was hurt or anything destroyed so the firm could make amends. The reporter (name withheld) said she was fine and even promised to leave the matter alone since no harm was done. A lie! It was a major news item that night and the morning that followed with an audio that sought to suggest vividly that Menzgold Security had beaten up a Joy Fm reporter.
Less than 24hours later, she would arrive at the East Legon offices with police. She had lodged a case of assault at the East Legon Police Station. An identification parade was organized the following day with all staff at the branch (including security) in line. She is yet to identify those who apparently assaulted her and possibly destroyed her phone. The case is still at the East Legon Police Station being investigated. When all parties stated their case before the police, the police themselves expressed shock at the action of the reporter. But of course their excuse was that its only routine.
On the Monday 24th September 2018 edition of Joy Fm’s Super Morning Show, host Daniel Dadzie read a text that he claimed was sent in by a listener. It read, “MENZGOLD UK is just an empty office space. They don’t and can’t trade in gold or AU. The address Menzgold UK was previously registered is linked to SOMEONE whose business got shut down by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for fraud”.
The JOY FM I know, the Joy FM that once had heavyweights like Tommy Annan Forson, Gabby Adjetey, Nii Ayi Tagoe, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Komla Dumor, etc. would not have read such a careless comment on radio without double checking. In fact, if their own story on Joy News, done recently by Israel Laryea is anything to go by, then both the host of the Super Morning Show and his producers should all be fired! But of course, it was a message that again sought to paint Menzgold Black, so why shouldn’t Joy FM jump at it?
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And now to that poor display of journalism by a journalist I had always respected, Israel Laryea! Some of the biggest Ghana-UK brands like GUBA, Akwaaba, Alordia Entertainment and co all have very small offices. Infact, some don’t even have offices at all because rent in London, compared to Ghana is no child’s play!
I was very very shocked when Israel Laryea of all people shamefully and ignorantly tried desperately to paint Menzgold black just because the Menzgold office in London is smaller than the one in Ghana. Jesus Christ! Has Menzgold at any point said they own a mansion in the UK? Have they at any point even given anyone details of what they do in the UK? I saw a post on his Facebook wall appearing to suggest that he was waiting for Menzgold’s PRO to get back to him with some information of the sort. So if he didn’t have all the facts, why the rush to put out the story? Just because it could fall in line with the KILL MENZGOLD AGENDA being desperately pushed by Multimedia?
What at all was it that couldn’t wait? Is JOY FM that desperate to see a local initiative go down? What’s with the antagonism? What’s the plan? What has Menzgold or its CEO Nana Appiah Mensah done to Kwasi Twum? Because what Joy FM is doing is definitely not journalism!
It is pure witchcraft!
— Kweku Dadzie
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Source: GhanaCelebrities.Com