NCC closes down Royal FM

After the closure of the 'Pan-African Television', Afrique Media, in Yaoundé on Thursday, August 6, and the attempted closure of the headquarters in Douala yesterday August 10, another media has just been sealed by order from the National Communication Council (NCC).

According to the newspaper Le Jour, publication Tuesday, August 11, 2015, the premises of Royal Fm, broadcasting on FM 92.1, was sealed yesterday around 6 p.m. by elements of the n ° 1 Central Police Station in Yaoundé. This closure was part of the decisions taken on June 4 by the National Communication Council. The body in charge of regulating the media headed by Peter Essoka decided to suspend this radio for a period of one month.

The same decision had been taken against a journalist of the radio, sanctioned by the NCC, for "undermining the ethics in the field of social communication".

Royal Fm through the show ‘Le débat républicain’ and its presenter, Pharel Ateba, had been sanctioend after their dispute with Oswalde Tinando, technical advisor to the Presidency of the Republic.

According to the NCC, the employee at the Presidency was accused of embezzling 15 million FCfa from the first lady to help the needy.

Le Jour pointed out that "after the decisions issued on June by the NCC, Pastor Jonathan Nti, promoter of Royal Fm, had refused to abide by them; reasons for which he had filed an appeal of suspension of operation to the tribunal and other graceful appeal to the National Communication Council".

This is the second penalty imposed on the radio. Royal Fm had already been suspended for a month by the same regulator.