Monday Osayanda, Asaba

What really inspired your interest in the media industry? Without mincing words, my interest in the media industry, particularly the electronic media, came about by the power of the media itself. I have the belief that the media is capable of liberating the minds of the people and it is such a strong weapon that […]

What really inspired your interest in the media industry?

Without mincing words, my interest in the media industry, particularly the electronic media, came about by the power of the media itself. I have the belief that the media is capable of liberating the minds of the people and it is such a strong weapon that cannot only influence the course of development and the course of government, but can also promote good governance in the society. But above all, the media is a source of information, entertainment and I believe that it is also a veritable vehicle for good governance. In fact, it is the hub around which good governance revolves.

Do you have any professional background in the media?

To the contrary, I don’t have any professional background in the media, but I love the media and you would not be wrong to refer to me as being media friendly, and that is why I have gone into the media business. One does not necessarily have to have a professional background in the media before one is able to run a media outfit. This is what I have tried and it has been an interesting experience so far. So, I can say that I am learning on the job on how to be a media man without relevant qualifications.

What informed your choice of Lokoja as the location of the Confluence Television and the Grace FM Radio?

First and foremost, Lokoja is my home base and I believe that that entire zone is under-utilised when it comes to media reportage. We have very few radio reach-outs; and we don’t have national newspapers emanating from Lokoja. So, I believe that Kogi State is under-informed and under-represented when it comes to the electronic media and I do believe that we must try to do something from that perspective. That explains why I chose to locate the two stations in Lokoja.

Would you say it is lucrative running a private media outfit in Nigeria?

It depends on what one sets out to achieve for running a private media outfit in the country. It does not necessarily have to be solely about profit motive. If I want profit, I would not have located the stations in Lokoja. I would rather have gone to Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt or any other places that are more profitable for the media business. One has to look into the future, not at the immediate needs. Yes, there is a need for profitability. But the most important thing is the objective for setting up a private media organisation. You want to inform the people, entertain them and set an agenda for the government. If these are not there, you may never have the required development. So, I do believe that there is a need for such an establishment. And looking into the future, I believe that by expanding the horizon of the stations, profit may start coming in.

So far, do you have any regret running a broadcast media in Nigeria?

Not at all. Instead, I am inspired and encouraged by the limited success we have achieved so far. Everything is going smoothly. So, I have no regret whatsoever.

Is it true that you are floating a national newspaper in Lokoja soon? 

I wouldn’t say you are entirely wrong or correct. In Lokoja today, apart from some local newspapers, no national newspaper is published there. Our package will include a printing press as time goes on, and if we have a printing press like a national newspaper, it would be a good addition to our Confluence Cable Network (CCN) family.

What does the future hold for your CTV and Grace FM stations in view of the fact that many private media organisations in the country have fallen by the roadside owing to poor management and dwindling finances?

I am very optimistic. I don’t expect the CTV and the Grace FM to collapse. To the contrary, we are expanding our stations’ horizon. We are even planning to start creating contents within the organisation. We have a very modern video studio coming up. Already, we have an audio studio in place. Therefore, we want to expand our horizon beyond broadcasting. We want to include making of films and courting of havens of artistes. All these would make the organisation to be highly multifarious in outlook.

How would you assess the Nigerian media?

I think that in spite of certain restrictions, the Nigerian media has done well in terms of quality improvement. It has been able to influence and ensure good governance. It has exposed a lot of negative things in our national life, especially in the political arena. So, in my view, the Nigerian media has done well above average, but there is still much more to be done.

Like what?

Yes, that brings to mind the fundamental bane of the media in this country. That has to do with the issue of training. Our media practitioners, reporters and correspondents need continuous and relevant training as well as specialisation. Most unfortunately, perhaps, I think that, at the moment, our media tends to be doing the proprietors’ bidding and to some extent, this affects reportage. I mean that the proprietors set an agenda and the media pursue such agenda. The essence of broadmindedness is no longer in our media. This is not good for the system.

What agenda did you set for your own media outfit?

I am service-induced. My agenda is basically to influence development and promote good governance.

As a former lawmaker, what do you think is delaying the passage of the Freedom of Information Bill (FOIB) by the National Assembly?

Well, I wouldn’t know, but I think there are some concerns about some issues regarding the relevant portions of the bill which affect national security, and I think that is what the lawmakers want to smoothen out in order to resolve those conflicting issues since they know, I believe, that anything bordering on national security has to be properly taken care of.

Is it feasible for the Nigerian Press Council (NPC) and the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to enforce staff remuneration package on private media proprietors?

I don’t know how feasible that would be since the NPC and the NBC don’t give subvention to these private media outfits in the country. They can only set a benchmark and they have to do that with the government media. I just want to believe that the market forces will determine the staff remuneration package in private media organisations. It has to be based on the market forces at every particular point in time. So, it is s dynamic thing.

Journalists in the country often complain of poor pay. As a media proprietor, are you not worried about this?

The issue of staff remuneration in the media industry, especially the privately-owned media, is dependent on what the outfit produces. If a media organisation does not make enough profit and revenue, it would not pay what it does not have. A media outfit has to pay from what comes out of its revenue. So, the question of staff remuneration in the industry cannot at all be separated from the revenue base of the individual private media organisations. It is as simple as that.

From your experience, how best can a media outfit build up a revenue base?

For a media outfit to build up its revenue base, people must believe in the media and the media should have a broad base of revenue. But as long as the revenue is narrow, there is a problem. Revenue comes from advertisement and the unfortunate thing is that the market is so saturated, while the advertisement agencies which media organisations depend on do not want to spend money. That is why the revenue base of most of the media outfits in the country is very limited. The way-out for the media in this kind of situation is to secure the confidence of the people through quality and interesting production.