New Times Corporate Profile
Tuesday July 14, 2009
By ntc
THE NEW TIMES CORPORATION (NTC), formerly known as THE GUINEA PRESS LIMITED, was established by the first President of Ghana, the late President Kwame Nkrumah, in 1957, as the printing house for his political party – THE CONVENTION PEOPLE’S PARTY (CPP).
After the overthrow of the late President in a military putsch in 1966, THE GUINEA PRESS was taken over as a state property by NLCD (National Liberation Council Decree) 130 of 1968.
In 1971 the PRESS was transformed into THE NEW TIMES CORPORATION by an Instrument of Incorporation - Act 363, 1971, which also repealed THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPERS (GUINEA PRESS LIMITED – INTERIM RECONSTITUTION DECREE) which acquired it as state property. That Act was given further recognition by the provision of PNDC Law 42.
OBJECTIVES OF THE CORPORATION
Act 363 of 1971 authorized the Corporation to, among others, carry out business as:
Newspaper proprietors
Newspaper and general printers and publishers
Advertisers and advertising agents and contractors
Other business as may be conveniently or profitably carried out therewith, or as may enhance the value of any of the Corporation's property
To manufacture and deal in all kinds of articles and things required for the purpose of any such business.
It was also to collect and disseminate news and information, employ correspondents, authors, writers and others, and to pay for news and information however, obtained.
MISSION STATEMENT:
The CORPORATION’S MISSION STATEMENT is as follows:
To become one of the best and the most profitable publishers and printers with a major impact on socio-economic development of Ghana; employing experienced, motivated, and dedicated workforce; optimizing the use of available technology, and always ensuring customer satisfaction and growth.
Thus, the Corporation will remain dedicated to informing and educating of Ghanaian public in a manner that is worthy of responsible journalism while ensuring that government policies and programmes are effectively communicated to the Ghanaian citizen to facilitate national development.
The Corporation will improve the quality of all its products especially to enable the Commercial Printing Department to make a greater contribution to corporate revenue.
Underlying all these would be the pressing need to be commercially viable in all its business activities and administrative efficiency in all its operations.
STRATEGIES:
In the direction of the above, the NTC will seek to diversify and expand its products and contents of its publications through the application of literary and graphics creativity in its writings and products presentation styles so as to meet the changing tastes and preferences of Ghanaians.
It will seek to upgrade the level of its technology. Management shall consciously introduce and enforce prudent and generally acceptable policy standards and operational procedures through organizational restructuring, the recruitment and retention of well-qualified and experienced personnel as well as prospecting and pursuing new opportunities.
MANAGEMENT OF THE CORPORATION
Currently, the Corporation is governed by a nine-member Board of Directors who are appointed by THE NATIONAL MEDIA COMMISSION in consultation with the President of the Republic of Ghana.
The day-to-day administration of the Corporation is, however, in the hands of a Management team made up of the Heads of its six main departments.
The departments are the following:
ACCOUNTS
ADMINISTRATION
AUDIT
EDITORIAL
MARKETING
TECHNICAL SERVICES
PUBLICATIONS
When it was first established, THE GUINEA PRESS went into the publication of newspapers in early 1958; and, in an effort to find suitable names for the newspapers; it started with THE GUINEA TIMES, through THE GHANA STAR, and, THE EVENING NEWS - as dailies. Later, THE WEEKLY SPECTATOR and THE GHANAIAN, a monthly magazine, were added. The first publication of THE GUINEA PRESS, christened THE GUINEA TIMES, came out on 3rd March, 1958.
Today, THE NEW TIMES CORPORATION publishes two dailies, The Ghanaian Times and one weekly, The Spectator and a Sports paper The Sporting Times.
The Evening News, a daily afternoon paper, now defunct, which was also published during weekdays
COMMERCIAL PRINTING
This Department was set up principally to print books in the local languages of Ghana. Now, it is one of the few printing houses capable of setting literature in all the local languages of the country. Its products vary and are numerous. It ranges from textbooks, magazine, journals, fiction, exercise books, office stationery, Invoice and Receipt Books, note books, jotters, waybills brochures, invitation cards, wedding cards, funeral, concert posters, containers and wrappers of all kinds.
One of the mainstays of the Department is the production of exercise books for schools. In 1995 for example, the Department was one of the few printing houses selected by the Ministry of Education to print textbooks for primary education in the country.
These activities, especially, the printing of exercise books and textbooks, contribute immensely towards the development of education in Ghana.
RAW MATERIALS
The Corporation is heavily dependent on imported raw materials for its operations. It uses various types of ink and paper, the latter ranging from newsprint, bond paper, chromocote, eggshell, label paper, strawboard and to others. In all, newsprint forms 70% of the Corporation’s requirements.
REGIONAL OFFICES
To ensure wider circulation and effective distribution of newspapers, as well as news coverage, regional offices under the supervision of Regional Managers and Regional Editors have been established in all the regional capitals of the country.
The locations of the regional offices are:
Region Town Location
Ashanti - Kumasi Top Floor of SSB Bank, Adum.
B/Ahafo - Sunyani Opposite CMB Building
Central - Cape Coast 2nd Floor, GCB Building.
Eastern - Koforidua 2nd Floor, Inform. Building.
Northern - Tamale 3rd Floor, GCB Building.
U/East - Bolgatanga Ground Floor, Inform.Serv.Bdg.
U/West - Wa The Ministries - 4th Floor
Volta - Ho Ghana News Agency Building.
Western - Takoradi Opp. Ghana Comm. Bank
(Main) Building Harbour Road.
CHECKERED HISTORY
In the brightly recollected space of bygone years, the NTC was selling not less than 120,000 copies of its Ghanaian Times a day.
However, with the proliferation of newspapers on the news-stand, its market share which stood at 45 per cent for the Ghanaian Times and 65 per cent for the Weekly Spectator has now reduced to 35 per cent for Ghanaian Times and 50 per cent for the Weekly Spectator.
ACQUISITION OF EQUIPMENT
To keep pace with developments in Information, Communication and Technology, in the publishing and printing industry, the Corporation has acquired the following machines and equipment:
One PLANETA machine (one-colour) for commercial printing jobs.
One POLYGRAPH WEB-OFFSET RO.72 machine for newspaper printing
Two LINOTRON 202 photo-setting equipment complete with all accessories
One PLATE-MAKING Machine
One PLATE PROCESSOR
One KLIMSCH VERTICAL 56 03 Machine.
12 FAX Machines
Several computers for all departments.
MEDIUM TERM PROGRAMME
In the next few years, the Corporation intends to consolidate its colour printing activities and also break new ground in addition to the printing of exercise books which is being done in earnest.
In this respect, proposals are far advanced for the acquisition of:
One 4-colour Offset Printing Machine
One full-colour web-offset machine for newspaper printing
One Exercise Book Printing Machine
One Ticket Printing Machine
INTER-SECTORAL LINKAGES
The Corporation has an animated relationship with all the sister para-statals (Graphic Communication Group Limited, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Ghana News Agency, Ghana Malaysia Media Systems and National Film and Television Institute) which all fall under the Ministry of Information, and has often enjoyed assistance from them when the need arises and vice versa.
It has over the years relied on the Ghana News Agency (GNA) for the supply of news and this fruitful intercourse is expected to continue for a long time to come.
CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS
Underlisted are the present board memmbers of the corporation
1. Mr. David Newton - Chairman
2. Mr. Nyamekye K. Owusu - Member
3. Togbi Adom Drayi - "
4. Madam Jeanette Quarcopome - “
5. Mr. Robert Baidoo Jnr. - ''
6. Dr. (Mrs.) Sika Ahadzie - “
7. Mr. Kweku Duncan - “
8. Mrs. Emma Asiedu - “
9. Mr. Kofi Assuman (Managing Director) - “
EDITORS OF NTC'S NEWSPAPERS
1. Mr Enimil Ashon - Ghanaian Times
2. Mr. Merari Alomele - The Spectator (Acting)
3. Mr. Francis Assuah - Sporting Times
Posted under
Corporate Profile
Comments
TO WHO IT MAY CONCERN Dear sir, I was born Joseph Izu at Chief Padmore\'s Palace in Achiase, Kumasi, Ghana in 1956, consiquently, my brother Justin, Agnes, who past away in 2003, Margaret, and finally Michael came along. Growing up in Nima village while my brother Justin and i attended Nima primary school, close to a Chinese club and feet\'s away from the Round About going East to James Town, East to Nima, West to Black Star Square and around Kwami Nkrumah Circle. My father was a Cook for Dr.Ludas, a the then German Ambassador and his wife, on a beautiful residencial neighborhood leading to the Airport. I as a child also sold the Evening news papers by the Nima busstop and i believe across from Mokola market, and a public toilet close by. Across from the lorry park, stood a Cinema called Duniya and used to buy Walls ice cream in the front of the Cinema. While at the Nima elementary school, my brother Justin and i were members of the Nkrumah\'s young pioneer movement. The weekends, as young as we were, we would walk or take a medium size Mercedes Benz buses called Agoji to the beach where we help the Fishermen pull their daily hull for few pounds of fishes. Once, i remembered there was a food shortage and the Russians would give out loaves of Bread and some ocassion, the Army will give out Komi or Kenke to citizens. Later my father got a second job just across the Asylum down area of Accra, where i was Baptized at the Cathedral yards away from my dad\'s work place, and remember whenever it\'s 12 mid day, the Cathedral\'s bell will be rung. We later moved to Tema with our eldest brother, who later got a new job with Parkinson Howard that built the Tema Harbour as a Chartered Account and moved to J.County Estates Tema. In 1964 non-Ghanaians were asked to leave and we left with SS APAPA, while my child hood friend Sule cried as we board the steamer. Sule\'s one parent is of a Sierra Leonian, and one parent a Ghanaian.....i haven\'t seen him since 1964. My only proof i was born in Ghana, is my 89 year old mother residing in the USA, and my eldest brother Peter Izu, who\'s a Briton and a great grand father. Another older Isaac Izu, who\'s late, attended Tema Secondary school, about a quater of a mile, just behind our J.County residence. I am now a Canadian citizen and reside in Quebec, Canada, what can i do to get my Ghanaian citizen back? Regards Joseph George
please i think you should really give some tokies to the students in your institution offering attachment
Is it the law that a DC can have his or her car repaired and have the mechanic arrested for demanding payment? I am destraught to hear from my brother from Ghana a few minutes ago, that after doing some work on the vehicle of the Dc for Ahanta at Takoradi. The police has been enlisted to arrest Amos my brother becaused he refuesd to hand over the keys till payment is effected. Heaven help us. Nyamike from London