Veteran gospel musician Stella Aba Seal has reflected on the early days of radio in Ghana, describing today’s numerous radio stations as her “children” because of how limited broadcasting was during her time.

Speaking in a conversation with P.Kay on Accra-based No.1 FM’s Journey to Heaven, Stella Aba Seal recalled that when she began her music career, GBC was the only radio station in the country.

“During our time, we had only GBC. Later on, Joy FM came, and Tony Annan Forcson was one of the key presenters.

He was at GBC, and Joy FM used him before all the other radio stations came.

So all the new radio stations are my kids,” she said.

She explained that GBC’s national reach gave musicians a major advantage, as any song played in Accra could be heard across the entire country.

“GBC was national, so whether you were in a village or any part of the country, once there was a signal and your song was played, the whole nation would hear it,” she noted.

According to her, granting an interview on GBC meant speaking directly to the entire nation, something she believes today’s generation of musicians may not fully experience due to the fragmented media space.

However, she admitted that the system also came with challenges.

“A  presenter could be on air for four hours with about 20 recorded songs, and the presenter had to play everything within that limited time.

It was not easy to satisfy all musicians,” she explained.

Stella Aba Seal contrasted the past with the present era, highlighting how the internet and new media have changed music distribution.

“Today, when you sing, because of the internet, the music travels everywhere.

That is the difference,” she added.

She concluded that while the old system had its challenges, having a single national station ensured that any song played reached the entire country, making radio exposure extremely powerful in those days.